The Marvel Cinematic Universe, up until the release of Captain Marvel, was notorious for only featuring male leads. We saw films with superheroes ranging from Iron Man, Thor, to the Incredible Hulk but we never saw a female lead until Captain Marvel in 2019. Even then, this film had been the subject to review bombs and constant criticism to this day. Once again, films that feature a more diverse cast such as a female lead or POC characters, receive the worst criticisms before they even come out.
The Marvel Universe had plenty of opportunities to cast female led superhero films but it was entirely led by male superheroes up until 2019. Of all MCU films up until 2019, 100% of the 20 films were led by men (Russell). Given the fact the MCU had been cranking out films since 2008, it took 11 years and 20 films before Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, was cast as the first female super hero lead in the Marvel Universe (1). Danvers, played by Brie Larson, is considered one of the most powerful superheroes in the universe, rivaling that of any Avenger on Earth, so why is she only first introduced in Avengers: Infinity War in a post credits scene? (Dockterman). The explanation might be in the original comic book portrayal of Captain Marvel. Before the film adaptation, Danvers only played a supporting character, a love interest, in the original 1968 Captain Marvel comics while the male superhero Mar-Vell was the lead for almost 10 years (Tan). Since Captain Marvel was originally portrayed by a male character, many traditional critiques come from the fact that Marvel is not sticking to the original portrayal of the character. Many could also be disgruntled by the simple fact that she is a headstrong, female superhero.
Image source: “With Captain Marvel 2 Announced, Where Does the MCU Go From Here?” (Grebey)
Captain Marvel was the subject of review bombs on sites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, which are popular sites for review movies. Review bombing is when films or television shows are given negative reviews before its release, by those who have not seen the film, in order for it to have a worse average review (Adekaiyero). While many critical reviews are valid, much of the ones for this film came before the film was even released. IMDB ratings of 1 stars were around 4,943 and the 10 star reviews were at 4,461 with a weighted average of 6.1/10 which shows a significant discrepancy in the IMDB ratings for this movie, not seen with any other MCU film to date (IMDB). Many of the 1 star reviews before the film’s release commented on the “feminist agenda,” “SJW,” and “politically correct” aspects they felt the film portrayed (Francisco). The ratings by demographic also shows a startling contrast. On average, women scored the film at 7.4 stars while men rated it a meager 6.8 stars across multiple age groups according to IMDB. Other male-led superhero films, such as 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok shown below with a weighted average of 7.9/10, have not seen these discrepancies before. It can only be assumed, certain audiences did not appreciate that the film was led by a powerful female superhero, the first of her kind in the film franchise.
Most of the review bombs for the Marvel films comes when diversity is actively shown on screen. Whether that is a female lead or a diverse cast of characters featuring LGBTQIA+ representation or POC character, many are subject to unfair negative reviews. Captain Marvel is just one of the few MCU films showcasing a female superhero and much like the previous mentioned film, The Eternals, it was overwhelmingly review bombed for trying to bring more diversity into the Marvel Universe. If the MCU wants to continue to be successful, it needs to cater to its wide audience. We have seen massive success with other films like Black Panther that celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Marvel needs to take it a step further and make diversity the norm in its films rather than an outlier.
Sources:
Adekaiyero, Ayomikun. “’The Eternals’ Is the Latest Movie with LGBTQ Representation to Be ‘Review Bombed.’ Here’s What’s Going on.” Insider, Insider, 29 Oct. 2021, https://www.insider.com/marvel-the-eternals-what-is-review-bombing-lgbt-2021-10
“Captain Marvel.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/ratings/?ref_=tt_ov_rt
Dockterman, Eliana. “How Captain Marvel Fits into the Marvel Timeline.” Time, Time, 6 Mar. 2019, https://time.com/5537132/captain-marvel-timeline/
Francisco, Eric. “’Captain Marvel’ Review Bombing: It’s Happening Again, This Time on Imdb.” Inverse, Inverse, 8 Mar. 2019, https://www.inverse.com/article/53892-captain-marvel-brie-larson-is-being-review-bombed-again-on-imdb
Russell, Bradley. “How to Watch the Marvel Movies in Order (Release and Chronological).” Gamesradar, GamesRadar+, 22 Nov. 2021, https://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-watch-marvel-movies-in-order-mcu/
Tan, Shelly. “Becoming Captain Marvel: A Feminist (and Not-so-Feminist) History.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 7 Mar. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/entertainment/captain-marvel-history/
