As Pedro Pascal faces wrath of online trolls an unexpected Marvel star swoops in to defend him from the ‘manufactured hate’

Every now and then a celebrity’s success can turn sour. It happens to even the most talented and wholesome figures, in this case, it’s Pedro Pascal.

Pascal has appeared in seven major projects in the last two years, so it’s not entirely surprising that some people would get tired of seeing him on their screens, not here though, we can’t get enough of him. Anyways, his most recent appearance as Reed Richards AKA Mr. Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, has been the final straw for some.

Pedro Pascal’s actions are over-analyzed

Online hate campaigns have started cropping up picking out the smallest problems with the actor. Many of them focus on his anxiety and his behavior at press junkets and promotional events for the movie. In particular, the haters scrutinised his interactions with co-star Vanessa Kirby as the actor frequently touches and leans into her.

People online claim his behavior is inappropriate and even implied the actor is faking or exaggerating his anxiety in order to be inappropriate towards his female costars.

As certain people push an anti-Pascal agenda, the actor’s peers have come out in defense of him. Another Marvel star in particular had some strong words for the trolls online.

Simu Liu calls out the trolls

Posting to X, Shang-Chi himself came to Pedro’s defense. He labeled the campaign against his future co-star “manufactured hate” and attributed the sudden change to the fact that Pascal is “experiencing a moment of extreme visibility.”

The post doesn’t name Pascal, but it’s very obvious who Liu is talking about. He’s currently doing the press tour for the new Fantastic Four and the actor has been very visible these past couple of years, from starring opposite Chris Evans and Dakota Johnson in Materialists to appearing in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel. Pedro is everywhere right now.

But that doesn’t justify the hatred he’s experiencing right now. Pascal has given no reason to suggest he is anything other than a decent guy, of course, that’s not saying he 100% is, but the “proof” the trolls are sharing online doesn’t really justify the hatred. 

If anything it seems like these nitpicks are simply an attempt to hide the real reasons people may dislike the actor. While the overexposure of Pedro Pascal may have prompted this torrent of negativity, let’s not forget that he’s made a point to stand up for trans rights at every occasion. This “manufactured hate” might just be an attempt from trolls to validate their hatred without having to explain the real reason for it.

But that’s just a theory. Either way, Simu Liu has a point, the hatred against Pedro Pascal really does seem a bit forced. The man has been working in the industry for decades and only really broken through into the mainstream in the past few years. Let the man have his flowers.