Jamie Lee Curtis didn’t need to publicly apologize for making jokes about the quality of MCU films. And it’s pretty clear Ryan Reynolds agrees.
Hey, that’s a lot of information to throw in an opening paragraph, so let’s take a big step back here! During San Diego Comic-Con, MTV asked a runner question (i.e., a question they ask everyone they do interviews with): What phase is Marvel in right now? While some of the answers were actual numbers, the big takeaway from the jokey quiz was Jamie Lee Curtis’s answer: “Bad.”
After MTV posted the clip, fans of Marvel came out in force to push back against the actor, who was out promoting her upcoming film, Borderlands. After two full days of pushback, Curtis posted a public apology on X (formerly Twitter).
“My comments about Marvel were stupid and I will do better,” Curtis wrote. “I’ve reached out to Kevin Feige and will no longer play in that mud slinging sandbox of competition we call the internet nor will I engage in the toilet paper promotion or game play that is designed for clicks not content or conversation.”
In response, Ryan Reynolds quoted her post, adding, “Wait, is everyone expected to apologize for slamming Marvel post-Endgame?”
The reference here, in case you haven’t seen Deadpool & Wolverine, is the movie spends loads of time openly slamming Marvel. Jokes range from Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) telling Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) he’s joined the MCU at “sort of a low point” to an entire sequence where multiple Deadpools discuss how Marvel’s multiverse movies just haven’t been working.
And frankly, Reynolds pointing this out is 100% right. There is no world where Jamie Lee Curtis needed to apologize in any way for joking that Marvel is in a “bad” phase because A) that’s her opinion and B) she was making a joke during an interview that was supposed to be light, fun, and ridiculous anyway.
Also, not for nothing, Marvel has indeed been in a bad phase for a while now! I’m not even talking qualitatively here, because your mileage may vary. But since Avengers: Endgame, results have been mixed from fans, critics, and box office/streaming numbers. The studio has had multiple issues, ranging from corporate directives from Disney to behind-the-scenes drama involving former exec Victoria Alonso, X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo, and actor Jonathan Majors.
Saying Marvel is in a “bad” phase right now is correct. Jamie Lee Curtis was correct! Deadpool & Wolverine has been crushing it this past week and change. Other movies have made over a billion dollars. But it’s just not arguable that Marvel is the untouchable giant it was when Endgame hit theaters in 2019. And nobody, whether they’re an iconic actress or a regular Joe on the street needs to post a cancel culture Notes app-style apology for pointing out something that is unequivocally true.
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The one thing I will say is that Jamie Lee Curtis has been bashing Marvel before the jokey interview. During 2022 and promotion for Everything Everywhere All at Once, she spent a significant amount of that time degrading Multiverse of Madness in order to elevate EEAAO.
And though having an opinion of movies and a fictional universe is fine as is promoting your own thing, it’s the idea of crapping on something else to elevate another that’s a bad look.
Then there’s the fact that she has openly criticised endless sequels, spinoffs and remakes while currently shooting a sequel, last year starring in a remake/spinoff, in a few weeks starring in a video game spinoff and having been in multiple sequels to her own movie from nearly 50yrs ago. Which is a little pot, kettle, black.
She 100% doesn’t need to apologise, but just doesn’t need to sling mud if she’s guilty of starring in the same types of movies.
Totally fair! I left out the Everything Everywhere All At Once bit because it didn’t fit the flow of what I was writing, but I do think it’s a valid bit of context.