A Message to Marvel Fans: She-Hulk

Opinion by Josh Blatt

Is it simply ignorance or is there a bigger issue?

    Being a fan of Marvel is an up and down rollercoaster of emotions, especially when you've been viewing the content since the inception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Amongst other things, being a Marvel fan can be embarrassing. It isn't because of a label like 'nerd' or 'dork.' At this point it's the label of 'misogynist.' It isn't any secret that among the masses the least popular characters in the MCU tend to be female. That isn't because of poor writing, directing, or acting, but rather a lack of compassion. I used to try to defend this behavior or rather justify it, by saying 'it's because a lot of fans can't identify with a Captain Marvel or a Wanda Maximoff.' That's bullshit, this isn't the only reason. It's deeply seeded and there's a problem.

    When Marvel's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law released on August 18, 2022, one thing was prominent. It had already been given negative reviews by the public. That's strange, how did somebody already watch the entire first episode by 12:04am? They have to link up with The Avengers, they could use somebody with supersonic speed (not now Ezra!). The review bombing (the act of leaving negative reviews on a project that you have not watched, due to some internal or external force) is out of hand, and downright ridiculous. I understand gripes about the CGI quality and trust me, as a graphic designer, I get it. The story however, was building in all the right ways. Whether it be the titular She-Hulk in a competition with her cousin Bruce Banner, or the development of her relationship with her paralegal Nikki Ramos, the story seemed to move at the right pace where I was clamoring for more. Now, I tend to view Marvel content as soon as humanly possible but with She-Hulk, I was out of town for a few days and didn't get to watch until a few days after release. I logged onto twitter to see that the show was getting hated on underneath promoted posts but they were almost all burner accounts with not a single trace of an identity. This is the kind of activity that enables hateful activity online and in the media.

    With the emergence of Andrew Tate and his millions of minions, it's clear that there have been misogynists among us. They have been hiding in plain site, review bombing, and spewing ignorance on social media. Similar to people who feel comfortable using hate speech when they see a person in power sharing that same rhetoric. These people haven't had the proper compassion and lessons in love instilled in them. That isn't something that can change overnight either. It takes time to put yourself into the shoes of somebody who isn't treated the same way as you. However, reading and having those tough conversations can lead you there. Start with your own mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, or friend. That's how we build compassion and go into the theaters (or wherever you stream Marvel content) with an open and accepting mind.