The MCU’s had a rough go in the years since Avengers: Endgame brought the Infinity Saga to a close. Everyone’s made their feelings on the movies’ inconsistency quite known, especially lately, but apparently there’s a limit to who can dish some smack talk.
In case you hadn’t heard yet, Jamie Lee Curtis dished her own thoughts on the MCU’s current quality. While doing promo for next week’s Borderlands, she was asked about Marvel’s current phase, to which she responded: “Bad.” Naturally, it went viral, and things escalated from there. She later apologized, calling her comment “stupid, and I will do better. I’ve reached out to Kevin Feige, and will no longer play in that mud slinging sandbox of competition we call the internet.”
Accepting both right & wrong answers on any Marvel trivia questions @JoshuaHorowitz or I ask 🤭
📍 #SDCC pic.twitter.com/Xb6JCHWloj
— MTV (@MTV) July 30, 2024
This is a very weird situation Curtis is in, because she’s not saying anything particularly vicious. Again, people have been pretty explicit about thinking the most recent phases haven’t been as strong as earlier ones, and often considerably harsher than Curtis. This isn’t even the first time she’s taken swipes at the franchise; back when Doctor Strange 2 came out, she called its main poster a ripoff of one from Everything Everywhere All at Once. It also doesn’t seem like anyone at Marvel’s openly felt a way about her comments like they did when Martin Scorcese or other filmmakers have made similar statements. After her apology, Deadpool & Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds threw her a lifeline by pointing out the double standard at play.
Some of this is tangled up in Curtis being in Disney’s Haunted Mansion reboot and currently filming Freaky Friday 2. Through that lens, sure, she probably shouldn’t be talking shit, but Deadpool also takes an even more pointed jab at the MCU in the film proper. If Disney is the one who got her to issue an apology, they can’t really have it both ways. And if it was just due to public outcry…too bad? Jamie Lee Curtis is 65 years old, and she should get to crack jokes or not like movies other people do. Fans have been gradually converted into ballistic missiles for corporations to use when needed, and it’s a not great sign that this occurred in the first place.
Marvel’s going to recover from its rough patch eventually, and Deadpool & Wolverine’s on the path to making $1 billion and taking the top spot for many’s “best of 2024” lists. Let Curtis and anyone else live their truth–if you want to let people enjoy things, you should also let them freely be the biggest haters.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
