During her promotion tour for Avengers: Endgame and even during her interviews promoting Captain Marvel, Brie Larson rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. There were several aspects about Larson that Marvel fans, and others, found unlikeable. Once the idea settled in that Larson was unlikeable, many people found it difficult to change their minds.
Problems With The Plot
A lot of the Brie Larson hate comes from some fans’ disappointment with the movie Captain Marvel. It irritated some that Captain Marvel was introduced so late into the Infinity War saga and that she was billed, essentially, as the character who would come swooping in to save the day. Larson’s character, Carol Danvers, was often stoic to the point of being emotionless, which also led to unflattering reviews of Larson’s performance.
There were those who believed that it was not only a slap in the face to fans to have an unknown entity come in at the 11th hour to save the day, but it was also an insult to the characters they’d fallen in love with over the years. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and a few of the other old guard Avengers had gone through years of struggle leading them to this moment. For them to have their moment of glory taken from them by an overpowered newbie was simply too cruel, those fans argued.
Larson was also said to come across as arrogant while she promoted the superhero flick. Larson’s assertions that her character could lift Thor’s hammer Mjölnir ticked off comic book fans, who argued that in the comics, Carol Danvers was proven to be unworthy of lifting the legendary hammer. Larson’s comments were taken as uninformed brags. Some even thought that she might be trying to tick off the fan base on purpose.
When Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, said that Captain Marvel was the strongest character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many longtime comic fans were incensed. Even before Captain Marvel was released, and before Larson joined the ranks of her fellow Avengers co stars in Avengers: Endgame, there was already a large swath of people against her.
Brie Larson’s Relationship With Avengers Co-Stars
It was also often rumored that Larson and her co-stars didn’t get along. Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, and Chris Hemsworth, Larson critics insist, were visibly uncomfortable with Larson during interviews promoting Avengers: Endgame. This supposedly obvious discomfort had to mean that they personally didn’t like Brie Larson, some people determined. In one video, Larson is seated with Renner and both are being interviewed. Many commented that both Renner and Larson appeared stiff and uninterested, with Renner often looking downright bored. This was taken by Larson critics as further proof of Larson’s inability to get along with her co-stars. Several other videos of awkward interactions between Larson and her male co-stars were put forth as evidence, especially an interview Larson did with Hemsworth and Cheadle.
Multiple people point out that when Hemsworth praises his stunt doubles for their work, Larson interjects to say that she does her own stunts. While some took Larson’s comment as a playful rib at her costars, others point out that Larson was rude to butt in while Hemsworth was complimenting someone else to compliment herself. There was also a brief moment where Larson was speaking and gesturing wildly with her arms. Her elbow came into contact with Cheadle several times before Cheadle quietly asked Larson to stop touching him. His body language, detractors proclaim, clearly showed his distaste for the Scott Pilgrim actress.
Hemsworth’s natural charisma also served as the perfect foil for Larson’s lack thereof, critics argued. While Hensworth was self-deprecating, laughed and smiled often, and lavished praise on others, Larson seemed stiff, braggadocious, and humorless. The online backlash to these interviews caused Cheadle to eventually address the rumors that there was tension between Larson and the rest of the Avengers cast. There was none, the actor insisted. Larson also ran into troubles over comments she made about Wonder Woman, proving to some that it wasn’t just the MCU that didn’t get along with Larson.
2018 “White Man” Controversy
Larson’s own statements caused quite a backlash against her as well. In 2018, while accepting the Crystal Award for Excellence at the Crystal + Lucy Awards, Larson used her speech to draw attention to the fact that women and minorities were underrepresented as reporters and critics in the industry. She announced that the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival had both pledged to dedicate 20 percent of their press credentials to minorities. Then, during the speech, Larson said, “I don’t want to hear what a white man has to say about A Wrinkle In Time. I want to hear what a woman of color, a biracial woman has to say about the film. I want to hear what teenagers think about the film.”
What Larson probably meant by that statement was that the perspective in a film review matters, and the more variation there is, the better. That’s a generous reading of the quote. There are definitely less charitable readings of those short sentences. Some on the extreme end took this statement to mean Larson hates white people, white men especially, and that she is a social justice warrior of the worst sort. Though that same speech contains the phrase, “Am I saying I hate white dudes? No, I’m not,” some people were determined to make it seem like that was the case.
Personal Politics
Brie Larson’s personal politics also come under fire. There are those who believe she has an agenda that she continuously tries to push down peoples’ throats. Because they won’t, or can’t, separate Larson from her political views, many haven’t even tried to bring themselves to like her. Her liberal leanings and support of feminism have triggered a hateful response in some critics. She’s often negatively compared to other Avengers castmates, particularly Chris Evans who has similar political views. In their minds, Evans kept his political leanings quiet while Larson spewed hers all over social media. In reality, Evans has become more vocally political in recent years, especially during the 2016 presidential election and beyond.
Is It All Deserved?
Honestly, it’s clear that the only reason some people just don’t like Brie Larson is purely because of her political views. Plenty of criticism about Larson is warranted. Her performance in Captain Marvel was a bit wooden and she can come across as stiff and less charismatic than her peers in interviews. But plenty of the hate for Larson was inspired by things she had no control over.
It’s not her fault that the Marvel Studios president claimed Captain Marvel was the strongest Avenger. The plot and script for the Captain Marvel movie was also largely not under Larson’s control. Larson’s opinion that her character could potentially wield Thor’s hammer is probably the least controversial statement that Larson has made. And the most controversial thing she’s actually said has been twisted so much, it’s not even recognizable.
Larson is made out to seem like a white male hating, arrogant, cold, SJW braggart, but that’s a ridiculous description that in no way reflects the reality of who Brie Larson really is. The people who make these claims have their own agenda, or they’ve been woefully misinformed. This is what happens when people receive second, or even third, hand information about a person. Something is always lost in translation, even when the person being discussed is someone as famous as Brie Larson.