Has there ever been a more polarizing major superhero than Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel? Based on how regularly both the actress and her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominate the social media discourse for a variety of reasons, we’d feel confident in going out on a limb and saying “no.”
Remember, we’re talking about an Academy Award-winning star who headlined an origin story that racked up over $1.1 billion at the box office, which also happens to be the lowest-rated feature in the entire 30-film history of the franchise in terms of its Rotten Tomatoes user rating.
It feels as if barely a day goes by without the erstwhile Carol Danvers seizing the headlines in one way or another, and both sides of the divide have been out in force yet again after a tweet blasting the current crop of “unlikable” female heroes (which includes Toy Story‘s Bo Peep for bizarre and unknown reasons) went viral to stir the pot for the umpteenth time.
A lot of the blame for the reception to Larson’s recurring performance as the near-omnipotent cosmic adventurer has been placed at the feet of the various writing teams to have handled her arc so far, something we’re seriously hoping is remedied in The Marvels given that the trolls have been sharpening their knives ever since the sequel was first announced.
One way or another, the star isn’t going to be able to avoid the relentless backlash certain sections of the internet point in the direction of her every move, but headlining a widely-acclaimed sophomore blockbuster would certainly be one way of softening the inevitable blows destined to come in from all sides.
