Brie Larson Continues To Use Her Platform On The Captain Marvel Press Tour; Kevin Feige Say More Marvel Heroines To Come

Is Brie Larson triggering the toxic male fandom crowd with her talk of female empowerment and agency in a Marvel movie? It’s possible. In trying to support new voices in cinema, both from a creative and critical perspective, it’s hard not to notice blowback in certain circles to Larson’s recent press tour interviews. A story from earlier this month—Brie Larson Says Views The Upcoming ‘Captain Marvel’ As “My Form Of Activism”–exploded on our social media channel with negative feedback, and one sexist comment drew thousands of positive and negative responses.

READ MORE: Brie Larson Talks “Sobbing” During ‘Wonder Woman & How ‘Captain Marvel’ Gives Her The Ability To Advocate For Others

In a recent Marie Claire interview while doing publicity for “Captain Marvel,” Larson said she didn’t want the Marvel press tour for that movie to be “overwhelmingly” white and male. “I started paying attention to what my press days looked like and the critics reviewing movies, and noticed it appeared to be overwhelmingly white male,” she explained. “Moving forward, I decided to make sure my press days were more inclusive. After speaking with you, the film critic [and Playlist contributor] Valerie Complex and a few other women of color, it sounded like across the board they weren’t getting the same opportunities as others. When I talked to the facilities that weren’t providing it, they all had different excuses.”

READ MORE: Brie Larson Says Views The Upcoming ‘Captain Marvel’ As “My Form Of Activism”

That’s been met with its own defensiveness too, including one writer for JoBlo assuming he would be therefore left out of the press tour (which was met with its own angry responses on social media from several film critics).

This is all to say that Marvel’s first female-starring superhero film, co-directed by its first female filmmaker (Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck) seems to be attracting the same kind of toxic male fandom that circled “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and the blowback to female leads and persons of color. It already faced some criticism from male fans who on complained on social media that Larson wasn’t “smiling” in the initial trailer.

READ MORE: The Most Anticipated Films By Female Filmmakers In 2019

One might assume this might be where some publicist might step in and say, “perhaps we should cool it with all the talk of activism, empowerment” etc., just in case some major backlash starts. But Larson, who recently spoke to the Hollywood Reporter, isn’t backing down and is using every press opportunity she has to speak her mind and challenge gender norms.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019

“The very nature of this film means that I’m having conversations that I’d like to have about what it means to be a woman,” she said about why she was drawn to the role of the superhero character. “What strength looks like, the complexities of the female experience, female representation. It’s surprising and cool that my first giant movie I get to be having those kinds of conversations. But that’s also why I’ve waited and been particular about what jobs I do.”

READ MORE: ‘Captain Marvel’: Brie Larson Releases The First Action-Packed Clip + New Superbowl Spot

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige was quick to point out that Captain Marvel in the comic books was often depicted in a skimpy, “one-piece bathing suit…with outrageous comic proportions,” and they reassured her quickly this wouldn’t be their take on the character. “She goes, ‘OK. I didn’t think so, but I’m glad you said that.’”

Fans will also be heartened to hear Marvel wants to see more girls kick ass on screen, and Feige says there are likely many more female heroes on the way to lead their own movies. “We feel like it’ll be the first of many. There were a lot of men in that initial run of Avengers,” he said.

Larson also isn’t afraid to speak out about the Times Up movement, which she remains heavily involved in, but shied away from talking about her Oscar moment when she opted not to clap for best actor winner Casey Affleck when presenting him with his award (he had settled a pair of sexual harassment civil lawsuits and these suits became news during the Oscar campaign). “I won’t talk about it,” she said. “It’s not my story to tell.”

It’s refreshing to hear Feige explicitly saying he would never ask her to tone it down on this press tour. “You hear the stories of these old studio heads trying to control everything, and as far as I can tell, it always blew up in their faces,” he said.

It remains to be seen if any alt-right, toxic fandom campaigns will derail “Captain Marvel” at the box office (its early tracking is over $150 million for the first weekend, though e.t. is always inflated). Trolls get a lot of press (right here), and attention, but it’s always hard to quantify their impact.

“Captain Marvel” opens March 8, and until then Larson will likely not back down from proclaiming she has learned to “slam my hands on the table and say, ‘You need to listen to what I’m saying.'”