The Marvel Cinematic Universe has recently been giving female heroes the spotlight. But its supposedly empowering impact may not be going as planned with the mixed reactions to Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney for claims of contract breach on her standalone movie, Black Widow. Fans are also calling out MCU stars for not supporting the actress like they did Chris Pratt. But this isn't the first time the women of MCU had fans divided. Brie Larson's performance as Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel has been heavily slammed by the critics. Until now, it just seems like every Marvel fan hates the actress that they keep finding reasons to bash her.
Between the Larson hate and Johansson's case with Disney, there was also this heavy criticism of Natalie Portman's role in the Thor series. Following the 2019 announcement that she's back to reprise the role of Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder, Portman has been a constant target for online trolls who feel like she was never the right choice for the part. Meanwhile, Larson and Portman's fans think it's all a sexist response since their male counterparts in MCU don't get as much negative attention. Here's the real story behind the tremendous dislike for the actresses.
Why Do 'Captain Marvel' Fans Hate Brie Larson So Much?
This has been an entire controversy for years now. Even before Captain Marvel premiered in theaters, fans had already filled Rotten Tomatoes with comments of disapproval, prompting the site to delete all of them. Despite the sabotage, it turned out to be the highest-grossing female-led superhero movie of all time. It made a whopping $1 billion in box office worldwide. But that did not deter the naysayers. The actress' efforts to use her influence to address important social issues have been received as inimical.
Now dubbed a "social justice warrior," Larson's pro-diversity statements were perceived as ill-intentioned by a lot of fans. In her speech at the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards, she said, "I do not need a 40-year-old white dude to tell me what didn’t work for him about A Wrinkle in Time. It wasn't made for him! I want to know what it meant to women of color, biracial women, to teen women of color." Badly taken out of context and accused of excluding white men, Larson's clarifications about her statement didn't exonerate her from social media attacks.
Her supporters have repeatedly called it misogynistic, especially the relentless tirades against her acting in Captain Marvel. In the last two years, the 2016 Oscar winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role has been labeled a "bad actress." The audience felt like Larson "lacked emotion" on screen. Reddit and Twitter commentators thought it had something to do with marketing the movie as a female superhero movie. They said it should've let the character speak for itself like DC's Wonder Woman which earned its star, Gal Gadot, a lot of praise.
Why Are Fans Upset About Natalie Portman's Role In 'Thor'?
According to a Quora thread, fans are angry about Portman's role as The Mighty Thor for these three reasons: they don't want Chris Hemsworth to be replaced, they were dissatisfied at her portrayal of Jane Foster, and they feel like casting her was just another attempt to bring a "feminist angle." MCU patrons are known for having strong opinions about replacements. The Quora user noted that fans didn't want anyone to take over Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther even after his passing. So a Lady Thor potentially stealing the spotlight is a sensitive issue.
As for Portman's performance in Thor, they said the character "just did not fit her. She was plain bland and shallow as Jane Foster, and though I don’t consider her unlikable in the role, there wasn’t really anything to like about her either. Boring." Lastly, they also noted that bringing more attention to female Marvel heroes in the last years has become "one of the major causes for complaints among a number of MCU fans."
But Portman's defenders are firing back saying that the actress' ripped physique, as seen in BTS pictures, proves that she'll be sensational for the role. They also argue that the role isn't a diversity token since it's an adaptation of an actual comic book character. "Fans are kind of angry about Natalie Portman being thor because they think MCU is forcing diversity. But Jane Foster has been Thor in the comics, and in the comics she’s actually a very good character," a Quora responder wrote.
What Brie Larson And Natalie Portman Feel About The Backlash
Larson hasn't said anything about the series of backlash thrown against her for Captain Marvel. After all, she didn't say anything to offend the MCU fans. It's her misinterpreted public statements that stirred the pot. Also, she initially said no to the role several times. She felt like it was "way too big of a thing" that would only cause "too much anxiety" because she's "too much of an introvert." It's probably why she doesn't acknowledge the haters. Nonetheless, Larson said it felt "very progressive" to be part of the project and that she's excited about its 2022 sequel.
In 2016, reports got out that Portman was "done" with Thor. However, she later explained that she only wasn't in Thor: Ragnarok "because of where it took place. It wasn’t really on Earth, and my character is on Earth." Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, backed up her statement. Like Larson, the actress doesn't pay attention to her doubters. She's currently focused on filming Love and Thunder as well. "I'm really excited. I'm starting to train, to get muscles," she said in an interview. "If there can be all these female superheroes, the more of them they are, the better it is." Do you agree?
