Following the announcement of the production of Marvel’s newest cinematic installment, Captain Marvel, it is unfortunate to say that there was as much hatred for the new star-spangled hero as there was awe and admiration.
As always, arbitrary trolling and unjustifiable dissatisfaction beg the question: Why?
After having discovered arguably one of my favorite comic book characters in the summer of 2015, my dreams finally came true in 2016 when President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige announced the film adaptation of Captain Marvel at San Diego Comic-Con. However, it came as a crushing defeat when the reality of the situation was that seemingly half of humanity already hated the idea of a woman taking the lead of this beloved franchise.
I have spent enough time browsing through social media to identify the three main categories of hatred that Carol Danvers has been receiving: the white male inferiority complex, the “you should smile more” saga and just downright disinterest.
The first category is actually as hilarious as it is irritating. The slew of comments on Marvel’s instagram trailers for the movie such as, “I’m a white male. Guess I can’t see this movie.” are ridiculous. To put it simply: We are females and we loved Iron Man, Batman, The Hulk, Men In Black, etc. Unless the Motion Picture Association of America has suddenly introduced the WO rating, “Women Only,” there is no need for vacuous assumptions like these.
The second category is one that women are incredibly fed up with, and even more frustrated that it is now being translated onto the big screen. Marvel is a franchise that could literally patent a trademark for its iconic humor; to think for a second that some people believed it was going to exempt this movie from that pattern blows my mind. Carol Danvers is a rather serious character with a witty and somewhat dark sense of humor. Going into this movie, I neither expected things like Mantis-type behavior nor like Natasha Romanoff’s no-nonsense attitude, but rather a mix of them.
The third and final category is contingent upon collective behaviorism. The way I see it, the people commenting “Where’s the Avengers 4 Trailer? I don’t care about this movie!” are really just trying to discourage people from wanting to see Captain Marvel in hopes that their efforts will keep the film from succeeding at the box office for some odd reason. Hate to rain on their parade, but our Captain is projected to crush a $150 billion domestic opening, according to Forbes. Try as you will, but I guarantee your efforts are in vain.
Needless to say, this glowing, red, blue and gold-clad hero radiates power and promise, and she is unlike anyone you have ever seen before. She is going higher, further and faster than any other hero, and more importantly, she is finally here. The wait is over; space has a new boss, and the skies of Earth-64 have a new protector. Her name is Captain Marvel.