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The follow-up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) hit Captain Marvel (2018), was The Marvels (2023), AKA Captain Marvel 2, led by director Nia DaCosta. Throughout The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel Studios’ Phase Five, the film underwent several reschedules, ultimately leading to a delayed release date of November 10, 2023.
Despite the first Captain Marvel film garnering a fair amount of buzz and breaking a billion at the box office, the follow-up Marvel film failed to recapture that magic. Now, a star of the film is speaking out about the misogyny surrounding the celebration following the Marvel movie’s lackluster performance.
Captain Marvel‘s Big Follow-Up, The Marvels
The Marvels introduced Park Seo-Joon as Prince Yan, the ruler of the planet Aladna and a significant ally to Danvers, fueling speculation about a potential romantic connection. Samuel L. Jackson portrayed Nick Fury, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., collaborating with the Skrulls at S.A.B.E.R. in deep space after the events of Secret Invasion (2023). Additionally, Zenobia Shroff (Muneeba Khan), Mohan Kapur (Yusuf Khan), and Saagar Shaikh (Aamir Khan) reprised their roles as members of Khan’s family from the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel.
The remaining cast included Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Daniel Ings as Ty-Rone, Colin Stoneley as Papp-Tonn, a Kree scientist, and Gary Lewis as Emperor Dro’ge, the Skrull leader. The ensemble also featured Shamier Anderson, Abraham Popoola, Ffion Jolly, Caroline Simonnet, and Jessica Zhou in undisclosed roles. Even Goose, Carol’s Flerken pet, made a comeback, portrayed by cats Nemo and Tango.
The Marvels Actress Speaks Out
Now, the actress Zenobia Shroff who portrayed Muneeba Khan, a member Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan’s iconic family who get tangled up in the space-faring events that ensnare their superhero daughter, is firing back at misogyny from the public and industry faced by The Marvels.
Shroff (in action in the clip above), replied to a post from Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero Podcast, which highlighted the distinct difference felt between the celebratory “parade” that went on following The Marvels underperformance, and DC Studios’ Aquaman 2 AKA Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which reported a disappointing opening of $28 million:
Davis: Aquaman 2 “flopped” and yet I don’t see a parade in the streets like when The Marvels underperformed.
Both were sequels to billion dollar movies… what’s the difference?
Shroff: The difference dear Brandon is misogyny
Xo mama Muneeba
The difference dear Brandon is misogyny
Xo mama Muneeba— zenobia shroff (@ZenobiaShroff) December 24, 2023
The Marvels star is clearly not going to mince words when it comes to the marked difference in fan and industry response to these two films. With The Marvels featuring a primarily female cast versus Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom‘s more male-dominated one, and considering that the Captain Marvel franchise has long been a source of “M-She-U” and criticism from the “anti-woke” mob, the comment is likely borne from a rather understandable frustration.
The comment garnered some mixed responses, with upset DC fans chiming in. More positive responses were definitely present, however, as Jeff Rothman replies in support of the accusations of misogyny:
Rothman: Sad but true 😢☹️
I enjoyed The Marvels a lot, very happy to see the Khan family get a lot of screen time too!
Shroff: Thank you
Thank you
— zenobia shroff (@ZenobiaShroff) December 24, 2023
How much do you think misogyny contributed to the different responses to The Marvels and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom? Share your thoughts in the comments below!