Photo: DFree / Shutterstock / Marvel Pictures
Why do people dislike the star so much?
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Sep 12, 2022
A collective groan from fans of the MCU was heard the moment that Brie Larson was recast as Carol Danvers for "The Marvels" — the main character behind the superhero and movie “Captain Marvel.”
During the countless press tours and interviews for the original movie, as well as "Avengers: Endgame," hardcore Marvel fans have found a way to criticize Larson’s every move, calling her arrogant, snarky, aggressive, defensive, and everything else under the sun.
The bullying has become even more apparent, reaching Larson herself as she answered a journalist’s question about the future of her character at the D23 Expo in Anaheim.
Why do people hate Brie Larson?
People dislike Larson for a range of, often unjustified, reasons. Marvel fans aren't particularly fond of her character but much of the frustration is directed at Larson herself.
Brie Larson received backlash for controversial diversity comments.
The actress, who received an Academy Award for her performance in "Room," caught flak for demanding more diverse film critics while accepting an award at the 2018 Women In Film awards.
“I do not need a 40-year-old white dude to tell me what didn’t work for him in ‘A Wrinkle In Time,’” she said. “It wasn’t made for him. I want to know what that film meant to women of color, to biracial women, to teen women of color, to teens that are biracial.”
While her statement may not have been flawed, fans saw this as Larson calling for diversity for her own gain in order to improve her reviews.
Instead, people argued she should be advocating for representation in film.
Many people don’t like how hostile or aggressive her speech feels at times, and also complain that she pulls the victim card too often, and this was all before “Captain Marvel” even released.
Brie Larson's Captain Marvel portrayal has been criticized.
Once “Captain Marvel” came out in 2019, a lot of the hardcore MCU fans ripped her and her character apart — claims that the character was written poorly and that her portrayal of her was in line with that.
Despite receiving a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has been criticized by MCU fans and has received its fair share of bad reviews.
They called her “unlikeable” and claimed that she ruined what should have been one of the most unique and complex characters in the comic book world.
Brie Larson's relationships with other Marvel actors are often analyzed.
Before and after the release of “Avengers: Endgame” — which was released shortly after “Captain Marvel” — MCU actors including Larson, Chris Evans and more shared a press tour.
During these interviews, fans noticed that Larson’s castmates didn’t seem too fond of her and the way she behaved, and so they started releasing compilations of these moments online.
One interview with Entertainment Tonight, Larson makes it very apparent as she sits next to Chris Hemsworth, who plays “Thor,” and Don Cheadle who plays “War Machine,” and answers some questions.
Early on, the interviewer asks her what it was like joining the legendary cast.
She claims that she was kind of in the dark during the film and trying to figure out the character since they filmed Endgame before her solo movie, but shares that she had “a good group of people to figure it out with.”
“Right guys?” she asks Cheadle and Hemsworth as she elbows the two of them profusely, prompting Cheadle to show his discomfort by shifting his arm.
Larson then goes on to vehemently argue that her character is the strongest, which fans also took issue with.
The ‘Captain Marvel’ actress addressed her hatred at the D23 Expo.
The D23 Expo saw the first footage from the “Captain Marvel” sequel, “The Marvels,” in which Larson will reprise her role as Carol Danvers.
When a Variety journalist asked how long she would continue to play the character, seeing as how many of the old Avengers characters are being retired due to one reason or another, she gave a slightly snarky answer as her reply.
“How long will you play Captain Marvel for?” asked the journalist.
“I don’t know,” she says. “I don’t know. Does anyone want me to do it again?”
The journalist laughs and looks at the camera, believing that she’s simply being modest, but Larson seems to be addressing the rampant hatred she received for playing the character in the first place.
Across the internet, fans have put forward other names for the role including Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Emilia Clark, Zendaya, Laura Vandervoort, and Blake Lively.
Even now, the replies to the interview are flooded with disdain for the actress with many people labeling her as “insufferable.”
Fans flock to her defense and claim that they’re the exact reason she behaves the way she does while also arguing that their hatred for her is unfounded or rooted in sexism.
“Larson seemed happy to leave her character’s solo work behind,” Variety reported on the D23 Expo. “‘It was really nice to have a team. I had a team!’” she said after the new footage was shown.
Slated for a 2023 release, it seems like Larson will remain in her role as Captain Marvel, so her haters are going to have to sit tight for a while.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Since graduating from Rutgers University, he spends most of his free time gaming or playing Quadball. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.