“the MCU was already finished but now it's officially dead”
“seeing she-hulk twerk just might be the worst thing i have
ever seen in a minute”
“with three episodes, I feel like it’s safe to say She-Hulk
is BAD”
These are tweets from actual, human, and presumably adult people
who are ABSOLUTELY LOSING THEIR MINDS over the recent episode of Marvel Studios’
She-Hulk on Disney+. In the B-story of the episode, attorney Jennifer
Walters/She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) gets involved in a court case involving a former
colleague and a Megan Thee Stallion “impersonator” (actually a New Asgardian
light elf in disguise, but we don’t need to get into all that). The real Megan
makes a cameo appearance, the episode ends in a brief scuffle with The Wrecking
Crew, credits roll.
Then there’s a mid-credits scene. THE mid-credits scene. The
light-hearted stinger that has passionate MCU “fans” frothing at the mouth in the
worst ways possible.
In it, a hulked-up Jennifer signs Megan as a client and the
two twerk to “Body.” Booties are popped, fun is had, and the MCU breathes its
last breath … or that’s what some (and overwhelmingly male) YouTubers and bad-faith Tweeters would have
you believe.
Now, I will go on record and state that I don’t necessarily
love everything that Marvel Studios has done in terms of their Disney+ Originals,
and I’m of the mind that I’d rather have fewer quality stories as opposed to
the absolute glut of content we’ve been getting. But as a comic book reader, I
also don’t care for every title that Marvel title that comes out. And I daresay
there are few who do. But you pick and choose your favorites characters and
stories, you drop titles that no longer interest you, and – pay attention to
this important part – you IGNORE THE STUFF YOU DON’T LIKE.
But in a digital media economy fueled by impressions, views
and subscribers, the irate contrarian is king. Why would anyone simply come to
terms with the fact that She-Hulk isn’t for them when there is attention
(and revenue) to be gained? Fury is a cottage industry, and these grifters are
entrepreneurs.
And that anger is evidently contagious and passed down to
the followers of these petulance peddlers. Twitter accounts with under 50
followers are among the fastest to label new shows as “awful,” with “bad writing,”
yet they simply cannot stop talking about the things they can’t stand (perhaps in an effort to gain a furious following themselves). And the
fact that most of these accounts – both big and small – seem to harp on issues
of “wokeness” and “SJW propaganda” tells you all you need to know about what
kinds of people they are.
Star Wars and Marvel have suffered the brunt of this toxic
behavior for the past few years (DC has been a close third) but The Lord of
The Rings is the latest target with the release of the Prime Video series The
Rings of Power, which features people of color in Middle-Earth and –
shocker of shockers – features Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and other female
characters in prominent roles. Tolkien “purists” are up in arms at what is an
apparent affront to J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing and is something we should all be
very, very angry about as well. As someone who has read The Hobbit and The
Lord of the Rings multiple times throughout my lifetime dating back to
elementary school, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t a “true fan,” because I’m
actually enjoying the show.
In fact, I’ve been a massive fan of The Lord of the Rings,
Star Wars, and Marvel for more than three decades, and I’m pretty happy with
the fact that we’re getting new stories in these universes – even if some of
them don’t necessarily land with me. Maybe I’m just a shill. Or maybe – and hear
me out on this – it’s healthier to find enjoyment in these things than to look
for reasons to fly off the handle online. If your chief concerns in life are
that She-Hulk twerks, there are Black elves in Middle-Earth or that there are
powerful women and LGBTQ+ people in a galaxy far, far, away, then it might be
time to log off and get better acquainted with the world and the diverse, wonderful people who live
in it. And maybe learn to twerk a bit yourself. It might make you feel better.
