Marvel Fans Love Pepper Potts, But They’re Divided About Gwyneth Paltrow
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of intriguing, fun characters. One of the longest-standing supporting characters in the Marvel films is Pepper Potts, the assistant-turned love interest of Tony Stark.
Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, grows and develops along with her superhero friends. She isn’t afraid to speak out for what she thinks is right, even if her opinion is an unpopular one — and she saves Tony Stark, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., on many occasions.
Although Pepper Potts is certainly a popular character, the actress who portrays her is considerably more controversial. In fact, many fans have some seriously harsh words about Paltrow.
Pepper Potts has been in many of the Marvel films
Pepper Potts was a regular in the Marvel comic books for years, but she didn’t make her first film appearance until 2008’s Iron Man. As played by Paltrow, Potts was a long-suffering assistant to Tony Stark, ensuring that his business was run properly while maintaining his personal affairs and making sure that he didn’t get into too much trouble.
Potts was eventually promoted to CEO of Stark Industries and began a romance with Stark. The two had an on-off love affair over the course of nearly ten films, culminating in a daughter. While it isn’t certain what is next for Pepper Potts in the MCU, Paltrow has mostly stepped back from acting to focus on other pursuits, including her controversial lifestyle website and brand: Goop.
Gwyneth Paltrow is a controversial actress
Paltrow was already a superstar by the time she was cast as Pepper Potts in Iron Man. Paltrow began acting in the early nineties and first received acclaim for her work in romantic comedies.
In 1998, Paltrow won an Oscar for her role in the critically-acclaimed film Shakespeare in Love. She proved her versatility with additional roles in action films, dramas, and horror films, and by the early 2000s, Paltrow was a familiar face to viewers of all ages.
In spite of her box-office viability, Paltrow has not always been in the public’s good graces. Most of the vitriol that Paltrow has received can be traced to her lifestyle company, Goop.
The company has frequently been slammed for promoting “fake science” and ideas that could be damaging to the public. Furthermore, Paltrow has been accused of being materialistic, out of touch with ordinary people, and too caught up in her own privilege.
While the general dislike of Paltrow has rarely harmed the films that she has been attached to, when it comes to the MCU, fans definitely have an opinion.
Many Marvel fans don’t like Gwyneth Paltrow
Paltrow might be divisive, but Pepper Potts certainly isn’t. In a recent tweet, Marvel gave kudos to Potts as the “greatest CEO in the MCU,” and fans were quick to respond.
Many of them commented on the tweet, proclaiming their love for Potts. Some fans gave her credit as the “first lady of the MCU” and the “greatest superhero of all.” It is clear that Pepper Potts will never be lacking in popularity among Marvel fans.
Paltrow, on the other hand, received significantly less praise. The comments on Marvel’s tweet were almost all skewed negatively towards Paltrow, with one poster calling her out as “craziest person that has roamed this world” and another posting that they can’t “take Pepper seriously, cos of that very strange and odd woman who plays her.”
It is possible that at some point in the future, Paltrow could make a cameo appearance as Potts — but it doesn’t really seem that there will be any love lost between her and the legions of Marvel fans who aren’t Paltrow fans.
