What’s Review Bombing? A Look at Marvel’s The Eternals

Marvel’s latest film, The Eternals, has made headlines with not only its star-studded cast but the wide range of diverse actors and superheroes within the film. This is Marvel’s first true diverse film featuring an openly gay and Black superhero as well as a deaf superhero. But, not everyone is enjoying the diverse cast of this film as shown by the review bombings of the movie before it even premiered.

Superhero comics, such as the ones created by Marvel, were created during a time where diversity was severely lacking in all creative mediums. Usually when people think of all the classic superheroes, they think of Superman, Captain America, Spider-man, Batman, and more (Peris). What do they all have in common? They are depicted as white men. Traditional superhero comics such as Superman were created in the 1940s through the later decades by white men for white men. When it comes to the Marvel adaptations of their superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and many more, a whopping 61% of all Marvel characters in the films are white as of 2018 (Karim). As of 2021, it has increased to 69% of all characters being white (Abdulbaki). Diversity in Marvel films has become a recent hot topic which Marvel has done a poor job of addressing.

“A big reason why the “classic” heroes created in the 1940s through 1960s were so predominately Caucasian was simple — white men were creating comics, and those white men thought their main audience was other (younger) white men and boys” (Franklin)

Diverse films are typically the targets of these review bombs because of the diversity in race, ethnicity, disabilities, sexualities, and much more. This works to lower the ratings of the film due to negative and critical reviews so moviegoers choose not to watch it (Adekaiyero). This has been a recent trend in blockbuster films that have cast women or people of color as leads such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Captain Marvel. These are the most recent examples with many giving negative reviews because the Last Jedi featured a Black man and Asian women as some of the main leads while Brie Larson as the lead for Captain Marvel. With The Eternals, of the over 400 1-star reviews, such as the ones featured below, many cited the LGBTQIA+ representation and on-screen kiss as a reason for the low rating on places like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB (Collington). Many of the 26.1% 1-star negative reviews were not based on criticism of the plot, the characters, or any relation to the real merits of the film. Most of it came from the uncomfortableness at seeing such diversity in a massive, big budget film with a notoriously white-dominated franchise like Marvel. Through personal experience from seeing the film, the uncomfortable silence did not come during Marvel’s first sex scene between the main male Eternal Ikaris and female Eternal Sersi, but when our gay, Black Eternal, Phastos, shared a loving, intimate kiss with his husband. People are not accustomed to seeing what would be considered bold LGBTQIA+ scenes in superhero films.

Source: IMDB User Ratings for Marvel’s The Eternals

The casting of Makkari as a deaf, woman of color, played by Lauren Ridloff, was one of the main reasons why traditional Marvel fans were upset. Makkari, a speedster in the Marvel Universe, in the comics is traditionally depicted as a hearing, white man but was changed for the film adaptation of the comics by the director, Chloe Zhao (Vary). Not only were people infuriated about Makkari but the casting of Phastos as a Black, gay man with an adoptive son caused an uproar as well. His on-screen kiss with his husband in the film caused many review bombs because conservative watchers felt that Disney was pulling an “LGBTQ agenda” and the filmed has been banned in multiple countries (Ritman). While many love the idea of diversity in film, it only seems appreciated when it is subtle. A sprinkle of inclusion here or a token diverse character there is what people are accustomed to. Films such as The Eternals can show the backlash of what happens to inclusive, diverse films in Hollywood since it is so heavily controlled by traditional, white men in power.

When film adaptations of comics diversify their casts and the experiences on screen, people tend to criticize it from the viewpoint that it stray from the “original version.” But most of these comics were created during an archaic time where notions of what it means to be a “superhero” is outdated. Most of the superheroes we know and love were created and geared towards a white audience. This is why, in 2021, it is important to cast these heroes in a more diverse, inclusive light. Heroes come in all different looks and backgrounds. Every person, no matter how old they are, deserves to see a superhero that represents them.

Sources:

Abdulbaki, Mae. “Marvel Studios Has a Major Diversity Problem. That Needs to Change.” Inverse, Inverse, 12 June 2020, https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/marvel-studios-black-lives-matter-track-record

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

Collington, Faefyx. “Eternals Review Bomb Proves Marvel Is on the Right Track.” ScreenRant, 1 Nov. 2021, https://screenrant.com/eternals-movie-review-bomb-marvel-good-future-representation/

“The Eternals.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9032400/ratings/?ref_=tt_ov_rt

Franklin, Toby. “The Steep Climb to Diversifying Superhero Comics.” Viewpoint, 24 Feb. 2021, https://viewpoint.pointloma.edu/commentary-the-steep-climb-to-diversifying-superhero-comics/

Karim, Anhar. “The Marvel Cinematic Universe Is 61% White, but Does That Matter?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Oct. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/anharkarim/2018/10/10/the-marvel-cinematic-universe-is-61-white-but-does-that-matter/?sh=23094e34482e

Peris, Sebastian. “Superman Beats Spider-Man as Most Popular Superhero in U.S.A in New Poll.” Heroic Hollywood, 24 Mar. 2020, https://heroichollywood.com/superman-spider-man-most-popular-hero-poll/

Prahl, Amanda. “Here’s Everything to Know about Makkari from Eternals, the MCU’s First Deaf Superhero.” POPSUGAR Entertainment, 26 Oct. 2021, https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/marvel-eternals-who-is-makkari-48570428

Ritman, Alex. “’Eternals’ Pulled from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait in Apparent Ban.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/eternals-banned-saudi-arabia-qatar-kuwait-1235042241/

Vary, Adam B. “’Eternals’ Star Lauren Ridloff on Playing Marvel’s First Deaf Superhero and the Need to ‘Normalize Subtitles’.” Variety, Variety, 3 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/film/news/eternals-lauren-ridloff-deaf-superhero-marvel-studios-1235103428/