Captain Marvel is the latest victim of judgemental comic book fans

In the weeks leading up to its release, Captain Marvel is already being bombarded by internet trolls.

For years, comic book movies were dominated by white male leads. Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man were the go-to stars that drove the industry. There wasn’t a lot of representation because, unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of characters strong enough to lead. When characters like Storm were used, the actor didn’t do the role the justice it deserved. Things have changed. Characters like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Black Panther are getting a chance to shine. Black Panther and Luke Cage received a lot of flack for having mostly black casts. Both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi was given the same negative reviews because the movies revolved around a female lead. Sadly, it appears this trend isn’t going to end.

Recently, angry trolls have gone to Rotten Tomatoes to comment on the yet to be released Captain Marvel. Comments like, “Not interested in supporting Brie Larson’s agenda.” “This is just a complete disaster” and, “Tired of all this SJW (social justice warrior) nonsense” have been the main comments on the page. This comes from Brie Larson stating her desire to have my a broader array of film journalists during her press days:

"“I decided to make sure my press days were more inclusive. It sounded like across the board [women of color] weren’t getting the same opportunities as others.”"

This was a statement that was just trying to convey that she wanted to give other people a chance to shine. It’s disappointing that the movie is getting these kinds of comments. What’s even worse is that it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL..Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) ..Photo: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2019

Just last year, comic book editor Heather Antos posted a picture on Twitter about her and some coworkers saying, “It’s the Marvel Milkshake crew.” In the comments section someone responded to the post by saying, “Can we just get off of feminism and social justice and actually print stories. God DC looks better and better.”

The comment made no sense. It wasn’t a “SJW” comment. It was just someone commenting about milkshakes. Wonder Woman was also criticized for having an all-woman screening. In fact, someone sued them. It’s not as if no one was allowed to see the movie. For one night only, a group of people who haven’t had a star in a comic book movie this big was supporting women empowerment.

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER..L to R: Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Shuri (Letitia Wright)..Photo: Matt Kennedy..©Marvel Studios 2018

It’s neither sexist nor racist to be proud of getting something you’re not used to seeing. When Black Panther debuted, I was proud to have a hero and villain that looked like me. It was also great for the younger generation growing up. Blade may have come before Black Panther, but it didn’t have the budget, buzz, or backing. The movie empowered women, as well as black people. It broke pre-sale records and dominated at the box office. All of this wouldn’t have meant anything if it wasn’t a good movie and it was. So much so that Killmonger is widely looked at as one of the best comic book movie villains of all time.

Representation is important even in fictional roles. Whoopi Goldberg’s comments reflecting on the first time she saw Uhura on screen are a perfect example of how important it is:

"“When I was 9 years old, Star Trek came on, I looked at it and went screaming through the house, ‘Come here, Mum, everyone, come quick, come quick, there’s a black lady on television and she ain’t no maid!’ I knew right then and there I could be anything I wanted to be”"

Without that representation, we wouldn’t have gotten the phenomenal talent that is Whoopi Goldberg. Captain Marvel arrives in theaters on March 8.