You know what’s the hardest part about being part of a fandom? Having to accept that there’s a strong chance your fandom is toxic. Speaking for myself, I consider myself a pretty big fan of Marvel, DC, Star Wars and other popular franchises. However, it feels with each passing day I have to conceal said love more and more. 

This honestly has nothing to do with the quality of the material being released, since I’ll always have the originals that made me a fan in the first place. No, I’m more embarrassed due to the fact that a large vocal majority of these fanbases are either racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist and pretty much every other -ism you can think of.

Here’s a little test for all of you to try at home: go on Youtube and look up any recent MCU movie or series, for example “She-Hulk.” Then, see how long it takes before you find a video with a very particular thumbnail and title. Chances are you’re going to find several, and if the thumbnails look the same, I’ll save you the trouble and let you know that the videos are also the same. 

They’re always the same – an angry white man ranting about how his usually male-centric franchise decides to bring in a woman or a person of color or both, and how that completely destroys that piece of media’s credibility instantly. These are the types of videos that usually emphasize words like “Woke” and “Cringe.”

Now, fans being upset about an intellectual property is nothing new. Since fandom was a thing, there have always been those within said fanbases that have voiced their distaste with the filmmakers and studios. A perfect example would be Michael Keaton when he was cast as Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 film. When this casting was announced fans were outraged, and Warner Bros. received hundreds of thousands of letters demanding the part be recast. However, upon the film’s release and to this day Keaton is considered one of the best actors to ever take on the role. 

So often have we seen fans tear apart movies and shows before most of the promotional material has even been released. Sometimes it’s a teaser trailer, other times it could be leaked images of a hero’s costume or redesign, but either way you have people who make up their mind before a release date is announced. I can’t deny that 2016’s “Ghostbusters” had an awful first trailer, but the majority of fans were out calling it the worst film ever made before it even hit theaters.

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