THE MARVELS Director Nia DaCosta Responds To Those Who Believe MCU Sequel Is "Too Woke"

THE MARVELS Director Nia DaCosta Responds To Those Who Believe MCU Sequel Is "Too Woke"

The Marvels hasn't had a super weekend at the box office, and there are plenty of people revelling in the "woke" Captain Marvel sequel's box office struggles. Now, filmmaker Nia DaCosta has chimed in...

News
By JoshWilding - Nov 12, 2023 10:11 AM EST
Filed Under: The Marvels
Source: Variety

"Woke" appears to be the word of the moment right now, with any movie or TV show that doesn't conform to a certain standard often given that label. It's hardly a surprise then that The Marvels, a movie with three female leads (two of whom are people of color), is coming under attack. 

Some have been rooting for it to fail since before the first trailer even dropped and, back in 2019, Rotten Tomatoes even had to change its policy to stop trolls from review-bombing Captain Marvel. Back then, the primary reason for the backlash was because Brie Larson is a feminist and didn't smile enough in trailers. 

Talking to Variety shortly before The Marvels touched down in theaters, director Nia DaCosta was asked about the negativity surrounding the sequel. 

Explaining that she's familiar with the negative and toxic sides of fandom because she's been a "big ol' fan of nerdy sh*t for a long time," DaCosta went on to say, "There are pockets where you go because you’re like, ‘I’m a super fan. I want to exist in the space of just adoration - which includes civilized critique. Then there are pockets that are really virulent and violent and racist - and sexist and homophobic and all those awful things."

"And I choose the side of the light," she added. "That’s the part of fandom I’m most attracted to."

In the same interview, DaCosta was asked if it was a deliberate decision to include the Beastie Boys hit "Intergalactic" in The Marvels' trailers because it includes the line, "Well, now, don’t you tell me to smile." Many deemed that a response to the chatter surrounding Captain Marvel, but DaCosta says it wasn't that deep. 

"That’s the first time I’ve realized that those lines are in the song," the filmmaker admits. "I cannot say that that was on purpose on my part. Sorry to be disappointing."

The Marvels hasn't had a good weekend at the box office, allowing its detractors to take a victory lap by rejoicing in YouTube videos that barely crack double digits. For Marvel Studios, a bigger priority is going to be figuring out why moviegoers and fans didn't respond to the movie and how that potentially speaks to bigger issues within how MCU content is currently being released. 

A new poster for The Marvels has also been released which you can take a closer look at in the Tweet/X below. 

THE MARVELS Concept Art Reveals More Of Ryan Meinerding's Comic-Accurate Beast Designs
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Oberlin4Prez
Oberlin4Prez - 11/12/2023, 10:20 AM
Saw the movie last night and my consensus is, of you watched and liked Ms. Marvel, you’ll likely enjoy this as well. I happened to really enjoy the show so this just felt like the 90 minute finale to that.
DalekCraigWasson
DalekCraigWasson - 11/12/2023, 10:22 AM
@Oberlin4Prez - I mean this in the best possible way, it felt like when cartoons got DTV spin-offs that had slightly bigger stories and marquee characters. Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel: SubZero or The Ms. Marvel / Captain Marvel Movie, although maybe not quite good enough to be Ms. Marvel Beyond: Return of the Kree.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 11/12/2023, 11:54 AM
@Oberlin4Prez - about the worst recommendation you coulda given it. I was thinking of going out of pure boredom after the Packers game but I don't think I can stomach another 2 hours of Ms Marvel. Nothing against the actor although I do think she was miscast, personally, as Kamala but I'm not super fan for Khan and I'm not gonna die on that hill. I always loved the embiggining powers tho so it's a shame that got taken away for future Reed.
whatevtrev
whatevtrev - 11/12/2023, 1:30 PM
@Oberlin4Prez - I mostly enjoyed Ms Marvel, I liked Tayonah in WandaVision, I'm not entirely on board with Brie Larson as Captain Marvel but I'm not butthurt over it either. If this is just a fun way to pass the time for the time being, I'm all for it!
DarkeyeZ
DarkeyeZ - 11/12/2023, 2:41 PM
@Oberlin4Prez - not a bad take.
Oberlin4Prez
Oberlin4Prez - 11/12/2023, 3:24 PM
@McMurdo - I’m not a fan of the character normally either, but I enjoyed the show which is why I made that caveat for recommending. That said it’s got problems for sure, I’m not such a fan as to give it a stellar review like Josh.
Oberlin4Prez
Oberlin4Prez - 11/12/2023, 3:25 PM
@whatevtrev - Brie was the most enjoyable she’s been in the role.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 11/12/2023, 3:36 PM
@McMurdo - Definitely not miscast! She's been getting tremendous praise and for good reason. Also, they didn't take here embiggening powers away. She literally used it in her show...
McMurdo
McMurdo - 11/12/2023, 9:31 PM
@Tonic24k - she doesn't embiggen at all. Her purple powers get big. I'm referring to her actual comic book counterparts embiggening powers where she actually grows massively. Think Giant man.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 11/13/2023, 6:21 AM
@McMurdo - I saw the movie and it was was not good at all and Kamala was annoying and obnoxious throughout, I doubt you would like it.

I'm a Packer fan too. Tough game (tough year) but at least I haven't lost hope that they can improve. No idea if they will though.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 11/13/2023, 11:55 AM
@WarMonkey - well I can tell you that Wicks, Reed, Doubs, Musgrave are legit. I think our QB is painfully average if not below average. He underthrows consistently. Makes bad decisions fairly regularly...see the end of that final drive for instance. But it's starting to become painfully obvious Rodgers changed plays at the line for a reason and wasn't the problem with the offense many deluded themselves into believing. We gotta get rid of our coaching staff, Barry Lafleur...Gute too his third round picks especially have been brutal throughout his entire tenure.

I watched the final fight of Marvels online and ya there's no way that film isn't a complete slog to sit through. It was bad from the villain, to Kamala's zingers etc. I doubt I'll even watch it on Disney plus.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 11/13/2023, 3:04 PM
@McMurdo - I agree 100% about the coaches, especially LaFleur.
TheVandalore
TheVandalore - 11/12/2023, 10:21 AM
Of all the criticism I've heard lobbed at The Marvels, it being woke hasn't been one of them.
Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 11/12/2023, 10:45 AM
@TheVandalore - How dare they didn't include carol and valkyrie some one on one action ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Scarilian
Scarilian - 11/12/2023, 1:26 PM
@TheVandalore -
Back from the film. Yeah, this is better in that regard from Captain Marvel.

While Captain Marvel 2 is focused primarily around a female team-up film and shoves in Valkyrie and Kate Bishop it's not pandering, they have a role in the story - Monica, Kamala and Carol all have flaws making them actually feel like characters and they avoid insulting men or things along those lines.

I think there's a single remark about either the matriarchy OR patriarchy said in passing to explain why Carol married the singing guy on the singing planet. One of the singing guys says that Monica can lighten up a bit, but Monica doesn't really respond to it.

They did kinda character assassinate Carol and Nick Fury though. Carol's basically committed a planetary genocide between films and spent 30 years not bothering to fix it. Nick Fury is just kinda goofy/dumb the whole movie, he has no agency beyond a rather stupid plot-line involving using Flerkins to 'help' during an escape scene.
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 11/12/2023, 10:21 AM
The film flopped because it's average at best not because it had a minority in the lead roles. The exit polls from the film show it was mostly men watching these films.



There is a loud minority of content creators that attributes every boxoffice failure to casting a minority and calling it woke. This is true but they are a small group.



Remember when those weirdos said *make movies with original characters!!!! Stop replacing white characters with minority actors!!! We will stop complaining if you just embrace the original characters you already have!!!!*



Well they lied🤡
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/12/2023, 10:31 AM
@AmazingFILMporg - I's not just a loud minority, it's a huge group that is messing films up.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 11/12/2023, 11:46 AM
@AmazingFILMporg - you're missing the part where creatives then have to actually MAKE A GOOD MOVIE. it's not enough to just have original characters. You need someone who can actually write a screenplay and do real character work.





This clearly isn't that.
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 11/12/2023, 11:49 AM
@McMurdo -


I thought saying the film was mediocre would convey the same point💁
OleBobbyTiger
OleBobbyTiger - 11/12/2023, 12:22 PM
@AmazingFILMporg - People are still saying that. In the comment threads of this site. They are even creating fictional head canon casting for movies where casting hasn't been announced yet, just to get angry about gender/sex/religion swapping.

It's pathetic.
DarkeyeZ
DarkeyeZ - 11/12/2023, 2:47 PM
@AmazingFILMporg - you do realize that exit polls are basically isolated incidents. I work for the Census, and specialize in Statistics, and one thing I have learned is that Statistics are the dumbest thing to base anything on, as they only work if we assume most people think the same, ad they don't. you can come to this comicbook movie "fan" site and see that even among fans of a genre, not enough people agree to take away any viable statistics.
this is just a long winded way of saying, using statistics to back up any argument is useless, as it only gives the opinions of those polled and ASSUMES others will feel the same way, which I have learned in 15 years of experience working with statistics, that this is a crock of shit.
DarkeyeZ
DarkeyeZ - 11/12/2023, 2:53 PM
@lazlodaytona - you say a huge group is messing films up, but who is it messing films up for? people need to realize that most people do not agree with them, and any changes to a movie, tv show or whatever, that you may want, there are millions of people that do not want that, so it'll flop either way. Look at the comments on sites like this, and you will see that people both liked the movie AND disliked the movie while others hate it without even seeing it. any changes to the movie would likely have the same type of outcome, you'd simply just have different people liking it and different disliking it while others would STILL hate it without seeing it.
since the Internet became will with self entitled, whining bitches, NOTHING will likely be enjoyable to the masses. so, I see EVERY comic book movie having this same type of reaction until people get tired of being whiny babies and accept that complaining in comment sections won't change anything.
also, I'm in no way calling you a whiny baby, I'm talking about audiences in general.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/12/2023, 6:36 PM
@DarkeyeZ - I didn't even make it to the middle of your book-of-a-post.
I already know most people just kinda don't care, but we were talking about the downers, review bombers and such.

Dude. Take it easy. I'm not interested in making enemies on here. I just like constructive conversations with other users.
If someone disagrees with me, I try not to take it personal and I want to try to understand a person's stance.
I'll be the first to tell you other users, who are probably way smarter than me, have changed my opinion often.

I truly apologize if I upset. That was never my intent.
NickScryer
NickScryer - 11/12/2023, 10:22 AM
But is the movie bigger box office dud than The Flash?
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 11/12/2023, 10:25 AM
@NickScryer -


So far yes🤣
Baf
Baf - 11/12/2023, 11:04 AM
@AmazingFILMporg - How is that possible? Flash has a lower RT score?
Origame
Origame - 11/12/2023, 11:29 AM
@Baf - it's almost as if it's been confirmed they pay critics there or something
ScarletJack
ScarletJack - 11/13/2023, 1:08 PM
@Baf - RT score in no way = money. Look at FnaF. That had a terrible RT score and made 80 plus million it's opening weekend. Flash made 8 million dollars more it's opening weekend. We'll see if the Marvels has better legs though. if they don't drop as hard as the Flash did, they might be on even ground....but it might be an uphill battle.
Baf
Baf - 11/13/2023, 1:21 PM
@ScarletJack - I agree. I was trying my best at sarcasm.
comicfan100
comicfan100 - 11/12/2023, 10:27 AM
This movie is so inoffensive, you gotta question your own masculinity if you feel a way about it. That's all I gotta say.
Batmangina
Batmangina - 11/12/2023, 11:09 AM
@comicfan100 - As an grumpy old comic book nerd, I'm not offended. It just looks [frick]ing stupid. They got my money for THOR 4 and it ate giant dicks. If this Freaky Friday MCU gimmick is enjoyed by girls, Mazel Tov - that's great.

What they fail to realize is that the size of that female centric/diverse audience doesn't give a [frick] (in the macro) about CBMs

Barbie blew a hole in spacetime because enough GIRLS WITH MONEY love Barbie.

Has the entire catalog of Captain/Ms. Marvel comics sold 500,000 copies in it's entire history?

Nobody gives a shit about those characters.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 11/12/2023, 11:47 AM
@comicfan100 - wait are you saying I'm gay??



It's all making sense to me...
Scarilian
Scarilian - 11/12/2023, 1:28 PM
@comicfan100 -
Agreed, it's not offensive and the crowd had fun with the horror/comedy of the Flerkin escape plan.

The only aspects that could annoy people are that Nick Fury is goofy/dumb the whole movie and Captain Marvel mentions the matriarchy/patriarchy in a throwaway line to explain why she married the singing guy.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/12/2023, 10:28 AM
I have no idea why people hate on female lead/s.
Back when the female Ghostbusters came out things got ridiculous, racist, and downright evil. I actually enjoyed the film and Thor was hilarious. Quality-wise it can't touch the original two but it still wasn't that bad.,

Sadly, there's only one film with a female lead that was successful. That was Wonder Woman. The sequel sucked tho.
WhateverItTakes
WhateverItTakes - 11/12/2023, 10:34 AM
@lazlodaytona - people don't hate female leads
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/12/2023, 10:39 AM
@ChocolateMousse - you sure? Seems like they do.
comicfan100
comicfan100 - 11/12/2023, 10:46 AM
@ChocolateMousse - You got a lot of faith in chuds ability to withhold their distain for the fairer sex.
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