We live in a world where those unhappy with a movie or TV show featuring a Black, female, or LGBTQ+ lead will take to sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb to "review bomb" them.
Their hope is that by doing so, they can convince others not to watch things they deem to be bad. For lack of a better word, the whole thing is pretty pathetic, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are among the latest victims of these online trolls with too much time on their hands.
Those are far from the first projects to be review bombed, of course, and we're now taking a look back at some more recent examples, all of which are based on comic books. Why were they targeted? Don't worry, we attempt to explain that as well!
To take a look through this feature, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button below.
6. The Suicide Squad
James Gunn is a really well-liked filmmaker in the geek community, making it all the more surprising that The Suicide Squad came under fire when it was released last August.
Despite being a significant improvement over 2016's effort, many Snyder Cut fans decided to bombard the reboot/sequel with negative reviews. Why? Well, because it was moving on from the darker tone of blockbusters like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and this movie's predecessor, Suicide Squad.
This was baffling when Zack Snyder's Justice League had already been shared with the world, but DC fans are sometimes their own worst enemy. Just in general, even non-Snyder Cut loyalists took aim at The Suicide Squad because it was somehow viewed as a betrayal of what David Ayer delivered.
Alas, those reviews did nothing to get Warner Bros. to #ReleaseTheAyerCut.
5. Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel served as a solid introduction to the MCU for Carol Danvers, but you'd never have known that back in 2019.
Oscar-winner Brie Larson is an outspoken feminist and hasn't shied away from making her feelings known on social media. That led to her being dubbed a "man hater" (seriously!), and prompted some fans to review bomb the movie in an ill-fated quest for revenge against the actress for daring to have an opinion.
This negativity even extended to Captain Marvel before it arrived in theaters, as many men online decided that the character wasn't smiling enough in the trailers for their liking.
By the time all was said and done, the blockbuster earned over $1 billion at the global box office and established Larson and Carol as major players in the MCU...whether some "fans" like it or not.
4. The Boys
Everyone loves The Boys, but the tide has changed in recent years.
It all started when Prime Video decided to release season 2 on a weekly basis. The first batch of episodes had dropped all at once, but the streamer clearly realised that the key to success with a show like this is to have people talking about it over several weeks, not forgetting it after a long weekend.
Review bombing followed, reminding us why we can't have nice things sometimes. Season 3 stuck to the format, but came under fire for another reason.
When certain sects of the internet realised that The Boys is actually poking fun at the far-right rather than endorsing their ideology, they weren't happy. That's resulted in the hit series being deemed "woke," but real reviews remain positive and season 4 is on the way.
3. Eternals
Eternals didn't receive overly positive reviews from critics, and remains Marvel Studios' only "Rotten" movie. We'd argue that this was a little harsh, but there's no denying the film failed to live up to expectations.
However, the reason this blockbuster was review bombed is that filmmaker Chloé Zhao was accused of bringing "woke" and "politically correct" Hollywood ideals into the MCU. For the record, those included a same-sex couple (the horror!) and some characters who either had their genders or race changed.
None of that was a big deal with such an obscure comic book team, but it was all some people needed to find an excuse to turn on Marvel Studios.
Given the middling reviews and disappointing box office numbers in the wake of pandemic, it remains unclear whether an Eternals 2 will ever happen.
2. She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been review bombed simply for daring to deliver a few home truths about how some men behave towards women. Nothing the Disney+ series has said is particularly groundbreaking or shocking, but it's enough to hit the nerves of some very touchy incels.
Despite glowing reviews for those first four episodes, some people have had it out for the show since day one.
Videos recorded on cell phones showing scenes from TVs with motion smoothing settings turned right the way up have been used to bash the VFX, while even poor old Abomination has been accused of being neutered by "woke Hollywood."
Most pathetic, however, is the reaction to She-Hulk twerking with Megan Thee Stallion. If that was Deadpool, it would be the greatest thing ever; it being a female superhero, though, is genuinely a real issue for some basement dwellers.
1. Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel remains Marvel Studios' best-reviewed TV series. While we'd argue that those underwhelming middle chapters and the show's villains don't make it wholly deserving of that status, there's no denying how brilliant it was.
Well, for most rational people, anyway.
You certainly don't have to love Ms. Marvel, but it soon became the worst-reviewed MCU show on IMDb because of racist and sexist trolls. There was a vile anti-Muslim sentiment surrounding the show and a lot of frustration that Marvel Studios was introducing another female superhero, even after male-led projects like Loki and Moon Knight.
The cast and creatives laughed this off, as they should. Still, it shows an alarming trend in which any character who isn't a white male comes under fire for no discernable reason. Get a life lads, eh?