Joss Whedon Controversy Explained: Why Is He Insulting ‘Justice League’ Stars Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher?
Joss Whedon was once at the top of the entertainment world. He worked on huge properties such as The Avengers, Justice League, and Firefly. However, several industry connections stepped forward to speak on Whedon’s toxic work environment habits. He recently stepped forward to try and put it to rest. Whedon only dug himself into a deeper hole. Here’s a closer look at the controversy.
‘Justice League,’ ‘Firefly,’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ cast and crew come forward
Audiences previously criticized Whedon for misogynistic storylines in projects such as Buffy and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ray Fisher played Cyborg in Justice League, who took to Twitter to voice his concerns about Whedon. He called out the filmmaker’s “gross” and “abusive” behavior.
More recently, Buffy‘s Charisma Carpenter opened up about her story of Whedon’s alleged bullying. He would call her “fat” in front of colleagues while she was pregnant and asked if she was going to “keep it.” Her Buffy co-stars quickly supported her allegations.
Meanwhile, The Wrap reported that Firefly writer Jose Molina said that Whedon bragged about making female writers cry during meetings. Molina called Whedon “casually cruel.”
Justice League‘s Gal Gadot was threatened by Whedon. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Whedon said he would “harm” her career for speaking out against a character decision in the film.
Joss Whedon is trying to defend himself against Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher accusations
New York Magazine spoke with Whedon about the controversies on sets like Justice League. However, he dug himself into an even deeper hole. Whedon denied many allegations, doubling down on his offensive language toward those who allege his toxic behavior.
The allegations range across most of Whedon’s projects. They include threats, abusing his power through his relationships with women on set, and physically grabbing people after they ask him to let go. Whedon now refers to Justice League as “one of the biggest regrets of his life.”
“I don’t threaten people,” Whedon said about Gadot’s allegations. “Who does that? English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.”
Whedon continued to tear Fisher down with insulting comments. He says that he cut down Fisher’s screen time for two reasons. First, he said that the storyline “logically made no sense.” Next, he said, “We’re talking about a malevolent force. We’re talking about a bad actor in both senses.”
Further, Whedon blamed the fan backlash on his ex-wife. “She put out a letter saying some bad things I’d done and saying some untrue things about me, but I had done the bad things and so people knew I was gettable,” Whedon said.
The Justice League filmmaker is striking back against Gadot and Fisher’s comments. However, that isn’t doing Whedon any favors regarding the fan backlash he referred to.
Social media is slamming Joss Whedon for offensive behavior
Social media is continuing to call Whedon out. Some Twitter users are even asserting how terrible it is to see a story that involves the filmmaker tearing a Black actor down on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Several actors and crews called Whedon out for creating a toxic work environment and beyond across multiple of his film and television projects.
It’s clear that the Whedon controversy is far from over. Folks continue to step forward regarding his behavior. The fallout from Justice League, in particular, will forever leave a stain on Whedon’s career. Many fans are calling for the filmmaker to never have the opportunity to work in Hollywood again.
