Captain Marvel definitely had its share of issues with trolls during its initial release, who lamented the movie and its hero as well as the person playing her (Brie Larson) on social media and even review bombed the film. None of that worked mind you, as the movie went on to bring in over a billion at the box office, but that doesn’t mean they are at peace, and a new deleted scene has riled everyone up all over again. This time certain fans are taking issue with the extended version of the “how about a smile for me” scene, and that group isn’t happy about it.
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For context, the scene in the film has Carol outside of a store looking at a map when a guy on a motorcycle drives up and tries to hit on her. She shoots him a look the first time that pretty much says it all and then goes back to reading, but he persists, pulling down the paper eventually and asking her for a smile. In the theatrical version he storms off into the bar and Carol then jacks his motorcycle, but in the extended cut version, they actually share a few words.
That version features Carol offer up a handshake instead, and then she proceeds to stun the snot out of him, bringing him to his knees, making him give her his jacket and his bike. The same fans who had issues with Larson’s diversity in film criticism speech and Captain Marvel‘s female empowering message are just as annoyed with this scene, and they are not hesitant to let people know their thoughts.
The common notion is that all the sudden Captain Marvel is a villain because she hurt the man’s hand and took his bike. They compare her to Iron Man, Captain America, and other heroes, saying they would never do something like that, though this is selective memory, as our favorite heroes have all done questionable things in the past at one time or another, and many of these are perfectly fine with Hawkeye…you know, slaughtering people in Endgame and just being forgiven at the drop of a hat.
Another tone-deaf argument is that “all he did was ask her to smile”, but again, that’s the point of the scene in the first place. She literally gives him several opportunities to back away and move on, but he doesn’t take the hint, and so we get the handshake. It’s not uncommon on social media to see women reacting to the scene in a positive way, as a scenario like this has happened to them at some point in the past, and even if they don’t like the scene itself, they still understand where it’s coming from.
If it’s the fourth thing you say to someone who is clearly giving you signals to go away, it’s not “just a compliment”, and you don’t seem to be listening or paying attention to the person you are talking to.
Honestly, Cap just seems to be a frequent target for trolls because they can’t seem to beat her, and we don’t see this taking her down either.
Captain Marvel is available on digital now, and releases on Blu-ray June 7th.
