Summary
Jamie Lee Curtis has come forward to apologize for her scathing one-liner targeting the Marvel Cinematic Universes’ recent offerings at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con event, which caused quite a stir amongst fans.
Curtis has been a successful Hollywood figure for decades, with her best-known roles coming from the slasher genre, which gave her a big break in the late 1970s. Since then, she’s gone on to have a stellar career that includes hits in other genres, with her most recent notable outing coming in 2022’s award-winning filmEverything Everywhere at Once,in which she plays IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre. While the film was a massive hit andgave lead actress Michelle Yeoh a career resurgence, Curtis would net some bad press for seemingly talking down to theMarvel Cinematic Universeduring the theatrical phase for the MCU sequel filmDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
While that incident was not that big a deal, Curtis made a passing comment recently that garnered a bit more attention. When asked the question, “What Phase is Marvel in right Now?” during a San Diego Comic-Con personality event hosted by MTC, Curtis would answer with a quick and resounding “Bad.” This sparked a flurry of discussion surrounding the validity of her statement and the star’s general attitude towards the franchise. However, the MCU is at a resurgence point, withDeadpool & Wolverinegetting glowing reviews even before releaseand shooting quickly toward a billion-dollar box office, so it seems that Curtis’ burn seems to have landed at the wrong time. As such, the actress would take tosocial mediato tender an apology.
My comments about Marvel were stupid and I will do better. 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.
Ryan Reynolds, the star of the triumphantDeadpool & Wolverinefilm that seems bound to be controversy-adjacent, came to offer Curtis support with a witty response to her apology that read, “Wait, is everyone expected to apologize for slamming Marvel post-Endgame?” In addition to being funny as a response to the apology, the rhetorical question is also Reynold’s reminder to the general public that this isn’t a controversial opinion for post-Endgame Marvel. The MCU has seen a sharp decline post-Endgame and suffered two major box office failures in 2023, causing the shift in tactics that led to Deadpool and Wolverine being the only theatrical release in the franchise.
While Curtis has apologized and made amends, her comments are a reminder to many that Marvel isn’t out of the fire just yet.Deadpool & Wolverinemarked the end of an era, not the birth of a new one at Marvel Studios. Instead, it seems thatthe MCU is taking a page from Star Trek’s book by bringing back established fan favoritesto revitalize the franchise. This might be the right call to save the franchise, but it’s a risky one that fans will have to wait patiently to evaluate.
TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis available on Disney+.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
