‘Racist, Sexist, Homophobic’: ‘The Marvels’ Director Used Liberal Playbook as Film Tracked to Opening as Flop

When woke liberals’ products prove unpopular, or when their ideas fail to persuade, they never bother with self-reflection. After all, they already know how good and smart they are. Instead, they buttress their self-conceit with accusations of bigotry against others. In an October interview with Variety, Nia DaCosta — 31-year-old director of “The Marvels” — prepared herself and her fellow woke liberals for the film’s impending flop. Citing pre-release criticism of the film by movie fans online, DaCosta described “pockets” of fandom “that are really virulent and violent and racist — and sexist and homophobic and all those awful things.” “The Marvels,” starring woke actress Brie Larson as Carol Danvers — aka “Captain Marvel” — did indeed flop on its Nov. 10 opening day. In fact, according to the entertainment news site Deadline, the film’s $110 million global opening amounted to the worst-ever worldwide showing for the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Variety, DaCosta was the first black woman ever to direct an MCU film. That, of course, had nothing to do with the movie’s dreadful performance. In fact, according to Breitbart, the largest segment of ticket buyers for “The Marvels” happened to be white males. So what gives? How should we account for this tremendous flop? Well, the woke liberal executives at Disney have made no secret of the fact that they prioritize “diversity.” And audiences despise that. It could not be simpler. The question of why audiences despise filmmakers who prioritize diversity, however, requires an explanation. After all, woke liberals — either from stubbornness or conceit — continually and perhaps deliberately misunderstand. Take “The Marvels,” for instance. The story focuses on three female characters: Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan, aka “Ms. Marvel.” They are, of course, suitably diverse. According to Variety, the film “makes good on the promise of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and its six-second sequence in the fight against Thanos where all the MCU’s super-women rally behind Captain Marvel.” Remembering that “super-women” scene from 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” and recalling Disney’s “diversity” objective, I do not need to know anything else about “The Marvels.” I will not watch it. I will not watch it, in fact, because I will not pay to have filmmakers showcase their own presumed virtue. That scene from “Endgame” had no other purpose. Prior to that scene, of course, it never occurred to me that female superheroes could not use their imaginary superpowers as well as male superheroes could use theirs. The filmmakers, however, must have assumed that I did think that way. Otherwise, that dramatic assembling of female superheroes — which felt as forced as could be — added nothing to the film. Ironically, if Disney wants a lesson in doing things right, it could look to one of its own examples. In the Season 2 finale of “The Mandalorian” — part of Disney’s “Star Wars” franchise — four capable female warriors fought their way onto an enemy starship.  The difference between that scene and the one from “Endgame?” No one made a point of highlighting the fact that those four “Star Wars” women were, in fact, women. And the scene worked. In fact, as one female reviewer put it, “all four were playing characters who had specific reasons for being on that ship that went beyond trite ‘girl power’ tropes. It wasn’t about making a meme-ready feel-good moment.” Above all, as someone who grew up watching Ellen Ripley — Sigourney Weaver’s butt-kicking and name-taking female lead character in the 1980s blockbuster “Alien” movie franchise — I grow tired of woke Gen-Z types who think they must instruct the world. In short, we care nothing about skin color or chromosomes. Give us a good story, and we will watch. But show humility while doing it. If you prioritize “diversity,” then you prioritize showcasing your own perceived moral superiority. Everyone but you can see that. Otherwise, your movies will continue to produce scenes like this one, courtesy of comedian Ryan Long:

Enormous win went to treat myself to marvels and have the entire theatre to myself pic.twitter.com/hWLBRZ97zJ

— Ryan Long (@ryanlongcomedy) November 14, 2023

“Enormous win went to treat myself to marvels and have the entire theatre to myself,” Long tweeted on Monday.

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    This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.