Captain Marvel

1967franchise / online controversyclassic

Captain Marvel is a Marvel Comics superhero name held by several characters since 1967, most famously the alien Mar-Vell and Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. The 2019 Brie Larson film adaptation turned the character into a flashpoint for online debate, spawning petitions, review-bombing campaigns and a policy overhaul at Rotten Tomatoes.

marvelculture war memesfandom discourse memescelebrity backlash memesreview bombing memes

Overview

Captain Marvel is a Marvel Comics superhero identity that has passed through several characters since 1967, not to be confused with the DC Comics hero of the same name who now goes by Shazam6. The two best-known holders of the title are Mar-Vell, an extraterrestrial Kree operative, and Carol Danvers, a former United States Air Force pilot who inherited the mantle after her DNA fused with Mar-Vell's in an explosion1.

The modern version of the character, Carol Danvers, gained mainstream recognition through the 2019 Marvel Studios film starring Brie Larson in the title role and Samuel L. Jackson as a de-aged Nick Fury1. The film's release turned Captain Marvel from a mid-tier comics property into a lightning rod for online arguments about representation, casting and film criticism, prompting a rare procedural change at Rotten Tomatoes3.

Within internet culture, Captain Marvel is now shorthand for the 2019 review-bombing episode and the wave of petitions and YouTube commentary that surrounded the movie's release, rather than for any single image macro or catchphrase5. Urban Dictionary entries from 2019 collect the sarcastic and dismissive language fans and detractors adopted around the film7.

How It Spread

The first trailer for the film went up on September 18th, 2018 and pulled in more than 20 million YouTube views within its first 24 hours1. Coverage of Larson herself had already been building for years, with long-form profiles in Vanity Fair in 2017 and Marie Claire ahead of the film's launch tracking her path from child actor to Oscar winner for Room28.

As the March 2019 release approached, backlash groups on YouTube and comment boards started organising against the movie, and Rotten Tomatoes was flooded with pre-release negative user ratings on the 'Want to See' meter3. On February 25th, 2019, Rotten Tomatoes announced it was removing the pre-release 'Want to See' score and disabling user comments before a film's opening, a change widely reported as a direct response to the Captain Marvel campaign3.

The conversation kept spreading after release. A petition on ThePetitionSite demanded Larson step down so a 'gay woman of color' such as Monica Rambeau could take the role, ultimately gathering only 32 signatures but drawing wider attention through outlets covering the backlash45. Bounding Into Comics amplified the petition and quoted YouTube commentator Eric July's criticism of how Rambeau was portrayed in the film5. Urban Dictionary submissions from 2019 captured the mocking side of the discourse, pointing to the film's 53% audience score as proof it had flopped with fans7.

How to Use This Meme

Online, Captain Marvel is typically referenced in two ways. In comics discussions it functions as a shorthand disambiguation, with fans clarifying whether they mean Mar-Vell, Carol Danvers or the DC Shazam version6. In meme and review-culture contexts it is often invoked as a template case for review bombing and pre-release ratings manipulation, cited alongside the 2019 Rotten Tomatoes policy change whenever a similar campaign flares up around a later release3.

Frequently Asked Questions

Captain Marvel

1967franchise / online controversyclassic

Captain Marvel is a Marvel Comics superhero name held by several characters since 1967, most famously the alien Mar-Vell and Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. The 2019 Brie Larson film adaptation turned the character into a flashpoint for online debate, spawning petitions, review-bombing campaigns and a policy overhaul at Rotten Tomatoes.

marvel culture war memes fandom discourse memes celebrity backlash memes review bombing memes

Overview

Captain Marvel is a Marvel Comics superhero identity that has passed through several characters since 1967, not to be confused with the DC Comics hero of the same name who now goes by Shazam6. The two best-known holders of the title are Mar-Vell, an extraterrestrial Kree operative, and Carol Danvers, a former United States Air Force pilot who inherited the mantle after her DNA fused with Mar-Vell's in an explosion1.

The modern version of the character, Carol Danvers, gained mainstream recognition through the 2019 Marvel Studios film starring Brie Larson in the title role and Samuel L. Jackson as a de-aged Nick Fury1. The film's release turned Captain Marvel from a mid-tier comics property into a lightning rod for online arguments about representation, casting and film criticism, prompting a rare procedural change at Rotten Tomatoes3.

Within internet culture, Captain Marvel is now shorthand for the 2019 review-bombing episode and the wave of petitions and YouTube commentary that surrounded the movie's release, rather than for any single image macro or catchphrase5. Urban Dictionary entries from 2019 collect the sarcastic and dismissive language fans and detractors adopted around the film7.

How It Spread

The first trailer for the film went up on September 18th, 2018 and pulled in more than 20 million YouTube views within its first 24 hours1. Coverage of Larson herself had already been building for years, with long-form profiles in Vanity Fair in 2017 and Marie Claire ahead of the film's launch tracking her path from child actor to Oscar winner for Room28.

As the March 2019 release approached, backlash groups on YouTube and comment boards started organising against the movie, and Rotten Tomatoes was flooded with pre-release negative user ratings on the 'Want to See' meter3. On February 25th, 2019, Rotten Tomatoes announced it was removing the pre-release 'Want to See' score and disabling user comments before a film's opening, a change widely reported as a direct response to the Captain Marvel campaign3.

The conversation kept spreading after release. A petition on ThePetitionSite demanded Larson step down so a 'gay woman of color' such as Monica Rambeau could take the role, ultimately gathering only 32 signatures but drawing wider attention through outlets covering the backlash45. Bounding Into Comics amplified the petition and quoted YouTube commentator Eric July's criticism of how Rambeau was portrayed in the film5. Urban Dictionary submissions from 2019 captured the mocking side of the discourse, pointing to the film's 53% audience score as proof it had flopped with fans7.

How to Use This Meme

Online, Captain Marvel is typically referenced in two ways. In comics discussions it functions as a shorthand disambiguation, with fans clarifying whether they mean Mar-Vell, Carol Danvers or the DC Shazam version6. In meme and review-culture contexts it is often invoked as a template case for review bombing and pre-release ratings manipulation, cited alongside the 2019 Rotten Tomatoes policy change whenever a similar campaign flares up around a later release3.

Frequently Asked Questions