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A few months later, the comedian double-downed on his thoughts as he went on a massive rant at the tail-end of his weekly Real Time with Bill Maher program on HBO. Spending upwards of six minutes trying to explain his previous blog post, Maher ended up lashing out against comic fans once more, dropping a few comments that are sure to be controversial amongst the comic crowd.
“Tonight’s editorial is about Stan Lee who, if you missed it, died in November,” Maher explained. “And a few days later, I posted a blog that in no way was an attack on Mr. Lee, but took the occasion of his death to express my dismay at people who think comic books are literature and superhero movies are great cinema and who, in general, are stuck in an everlasting childhood. Bragging that you’re all about the Marvel Universe is like boasting your mother still pins your mittens to your sleeves.”
Maher then went on to compare the liking of comics and comic-themed movies and television shows to getting pampered by your mother as a child.
“You can, if you want, like the exact same things you liked when you were ten but if you do, you need to grow up,” ranted Maher. “That was the point of my blog. I’m not glad Stan Lee is dead, I’m sad you’re alive. By the way, if someone says you’re being childish and you react by throwing a tantrum, you’re not Iron Man — you’re Irony Man. Let me tell you, people were pissed about this post, I wasn’t even aware I ruffled so many capes until I saw that forty thousand Twitter followers unfollowed me like that [snaps], to which I say ‘Good riddance, go follow Yogi Bear.’”
The talk show host then went on to trash talk fan-favorite filmmaker Kevin Smith for a series of tweets after the infamous blog post — even going the length to personally attack Smith’s fashion choices.
“Director Kevin Smith accused me of “taking a shot when no shots are f**kin’ necessary,” except again my shot wasn’t at Stan Lee. It was at, you know, grown men who still dress like kids,” Maher said as he showed a picture of Smith wearing a branded hockey jersey.”
“Can we stop pretending that the writing in comic books is so good?” he continued. “Oh, please. Every superhero movie is the same thing — a person who doesn’t have powers, gets them, has to figure out how they work, and then has to find a glory thing. Justice League, glowy thing. Iron Man, glowy thing. Spider-Man, glory thing. Captain America, glowy thing.”
Maher wrapped his rant up by getting one final shot in at comic book readers and toy collectors, poking fun at the social media phrase “adulting.”
“I’m sorry, but if you’re an adult playing with superhero dolls, I’m sorry — I mean collectible action figures — why not go all the way and drive to work on a Big Wheel?” Maher said while showing pictures of various social media posts. “Grown-ups these days cling so desperately to their childhood that when they do attempt to act their age, they have a special word for it now: adulting.”
Do you think Maher has a point or not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
