Marvel dropped the rumor at D23

As the dust settled on Marvel’s D23 presentation, fans had several casting reveals to munch on. Storm s Captain America: The New World Orderfor trailers secret invasion s werewolf at night. What didn’t they get? Henry Cavill and Jodie Comer in the MCU or the full cast of the Fantastic Four that have been rumored on Twitter, although these rumors have no apparent basis in reality.

Yes, the rumor is always circulating. Fans want to know what’s to come to see their assumptions confirmed and ease their impatience. It’s (mostly) understandable and funny. But fake scoops have begun to sway public opinion, albeit slightly, in official announcements and even shaping conversations about the films. It’s a minor concern in the grand scheme of things now, but it’s interesting to see how social media perpetuates fan culture and how that relationship will evolve.

Reading scoopers is often part of the excitement of many fans, and there are many scoopers out there who are consistently trusted. However, as we saw recently with last weekend’s D23, rogue scoopers have attracted the attention that comes from disclosing shaky information and backing it up with supposedly non-existent “reliable sources.” Entire websites and reports have been devoted to this misinformation. Nothing new. I still remember when Star Wars: Episode II Probably called “Creeping Dread” in the early 2000’s when it still used dial-up. And before that, rumors circulated freely on forums and fanzines. It’s often harmless fun, and those of us who can spot the lies can usually ignore them or at least laugh at them. I mean, of course Daniel Day-Lewis is not going to play Dr. Doom.

Should these fake reporters be prosecuted for their lies? Some critics and media pundits seem to think so. Others are content to let them hear the noise or not, at their own discretion.

Earlier this month, a man who runs a Twitter account known primarily for sports commentary and running podcasts claimed that actors John Boyega, Cavill, Comer, Daisy Edgar-Jones, John Krasinski, Giancarlo Esposito and Denzel were reportedly in Washington. Kevin Feige announced his entry into the MCU at the D23 Expo. chirp It got 14,000 likes and was shared and re-shared across the web. Fans went to great lengths to match the actors to the supposed characters they played. Fanart was made. YouTube videos have been uploaded. And small but confidently arrogant, whether or not the Twitter brawl has started. X The actor was suitable for his age and talent. X character. Family members texted me asking if they had heard of the casting list and if it was true. So how many talent accounts were confirmed at D23? nobody. The sky. nobody.

It would have been funny, and it’s still a little funny, even if it didn’t immediately take those who were completely buying what this account was selling, clipping the ads. “We were promised the cast of Fantastic Four and X-Men,” some reports lamented, though that never came to pass. “Maybe they removed those statements from the panel because of the leak,” others have tried to rationalize, though the theory didn’t hold up.

As if we don’t have a giant media corporation to thank that is essentially a self-investing ad market, but I am amused by complaints that fans didn’t get enough when only two trailers were released and a few key players. statements.

This comes just after July’s San Diego Comic-Con, where Marvel revealed most of Phases 5 and 6 after some wild claims that the MCU no longer had a plan. One account tweeted that Marvel no longer cared about what fans wanted, which was a funny sentiment considering these movies sell themselves and anyone who claims will see them if they show up during the panel. No, we shouldn’t be thankful. But at the same time, we don’t need to see any of these ads to sell tickets and increase the numbers. This is just fanservice.

But aside from the immediate disappointment of some fans that the panel doesn’t live up to the “scooper’s” claims, reactions to the films themselves are also in dispute. we saw some of these Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessthat he had some fans, he was working on rumors from “reliable sources”, he went online and waited for the equivalent secret warsThat Doctor Strange continue Because of the fake news, some people went ahead and wrote The many facets of madness. Among them, the film featured Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider, Wesley Snipes’ Blade Runner, Mr. Fantastic by Ioan Gruffudd, Wolverine by Hugh Jackman, Ryan Daredevil by Ben Affleck. Characters Loki, Sylvie and Kang.

Oh, and Chris Evans returns as Captain of HYDRA. Also, Tom Cruise as Ultimate Iron Man. And I think there would be a Doctor Strange cameo somewhere.

Not that the lack of any of these characters affected the box office, or the generally positive approach, or that there weren’t any valid criticisms in other respects, but it got even worse when certain fans felt they owed something. Because they read rumors on the Internet.

So I can’t help but wonder what happens if Jodie Comer isn’t cast as Sue Storm after fans have already decided she’s “perfect” for the role, as Scooper said she was. Which actor will have to deal with fans claiming he’s not a good choice as another actor who may not even have been cast in the role? What if the actress who plays Sue isn’t a white blonde? Well, we already know how many people will react to that.

What happens when characters who claim to be part of the movie are not because they were never part of the plot? There have been some complaints about the Red Hulk not being included in the announced lineup. StormEven though he was just a member of a certain race for nearly ten years. One person tweeted me to let me know they promised Red Hulk She-Hulk: Lawyer (We weren’t) so he must be Storm.

I find it potentially troubling that there is now an audience reaction that mistakes an unreliable scoop for the true promise of a studio or filmmaker. It’s just an annoyance at the moment, but I think we’re going to start having a more vocal reaction to these projects that don’t match what some of the scoops are saying.

I don’t think it will necessarily affect the creative process, but it will affect the conversation around these films and potentially leave less room for the film to assess its own merits if too many fans are interested in the call. Scoopers instead of filmmakers. They called him a hunchback. They called it a rumor. Fuck, call it shit. But please don’t call it a bore.