Captain Marvel backlash at 'liberal agenda' which split Star Wars and Doctor Who fans?

Film producer Marc John, who is currently producing a documentary exploring the fan backlash against Disney’s handling of the Star Wars saga titled EPISODE BACKLASH, told The Express Online in January that other beloved franchises are also being monitored, to see where similar divisions exist between what fans want and what they are being given. “Ratings dropper” Doctor Who became a case in point. With social media discontent and unexpectedly divided reviews, is CAPTAIN MARVEL about to do the same?

John told Express Online: “Disney’s female-led Captain Marvel movie has already taken a hit from fans, who spoke up following controversial statements made by star Brie Larson in June last year, perceived to be anti-white and anti-male.

“Larson, at the time, was accepting an award in Los Angeles when she noted that film critics are overwhelmingly white men. She called for more diversity and later expressed a desire to see more women and people of colour on the Captain Marvel press tour.

“Whilst many fans reacting to her politically charged comments did not seem to have an issue with the race or gender of a film critic, there was considerable blowback against yet another example of perceived heavy-handed political messaging being injected into pop culture entertainment.”

CAPTAIN MARVEL EXPRESS ONLINE REVIEW: DISAPPOINTING AND UNDERWHELMING

“There was never this kind of push-back against Gal Gadot’s Wonder Wonder or Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, a fact that has dampened the gunpowder of hostile news reporters who have unfairly taken aim at the alienated fandom as supposedly being misogynistic. It’s important to note that upset Marvel fans include women, as do some of the less enthusiastic movie reviews.

“Indeed, many fans believe that the popular movie site Rotten Tomatoes removed its pre-release audience voting buttons, on February 25, primarily in reaction to falling interest among fans to see either Captain Marvel or Episode IX itself.

“Tomatoes boss Paul Yanover disputed any suggestion of this. But fans quickly drew their own conclusions after some amateur sleuthing uncovered the interesting fact that Yanover himself started his career at Disney and had previously served as the Managing Director of Disney Online from 2006 to 2011.

“The deafening discontent around Captain Marvel echoes the ongoing backlash against another Disney franchise, Star Wars – which saw the boycott of Solo in May 2018, after fan relations were damaged following Rian Johnson’s divisive The Last Jedi.”

“Some fans now worry that Marvel boss Kevin Feige, a figure usually revered throughout the fandom, has begun pandering to political activism, failing to learn from the misfortunes of Lucasfilm and its besieged President, Kathleen Kennedy.”

It should be noted that the less positive reviews primarily highlight the perceived failings of the movie as a dynamic blockbuster, rather than any mishandled promotion of agendas. 

How much any of this affects the latest Marvel blockbuster and proposed future leader of the MCU, will be revealed when the movie hits cinemas worldwide this weekend.

CAPTAIN MARVEL IS OUT ON FRIDAY

EPISODE BACKLASH WEBSITE