Sometimes, a rumor makes its way around the internet that does have some kid of truth to it. The Oscar Isaac rumors about Moon Knight ended up becoming the truth, and yet, there are plenty of rumors that do not ever pan out. Recently, fans have been putting their hopes out there, but sometimes it’s not exactly an easy thing to find a “source” on. That’s what happened with a rumor that Halle Bailey was going to be Kitty Pryde (a.k.a. Shadowcat) in Marvel’s inevitable X-Men movie (an upcoming X-Men movie also is not yet confirmed by Marvel).
The rumor started when one fan just wanted to manifest having Bailey as Kitty Pryde, but the reason it really took off as a rumor was that they used a Variety link that featured Bailey as one of the Power of Young Hollywood honorees and made it seem as if the news was listed in the Variety piece. (It was not.) The tweet was quickly followed with a “Manifesting this” tweet, but it still caused many online to think there was some kind of truth to this rumor.
Bailey herself quote-tweeted the tweet, writing “this is not true lmao” and thus debunking the rumor as a whole.
But this is, unfortunately, a new common trend on Twitter, especially with news, and it creates a problem for fans because it makes it so no one is really sure what is actually news and what is a fan trying to manifest their dream situation.
A new Twitter “trend”
This “manifesting” has become something of its own format: You post something that you want to be announced with a “(source: Deadline)” or another trade publication, and typically, people do not link to any actual proof and then follow that initial tweet up with a “manifesting” one after it. We saw it happening quite a bit in the build up to San Diego Comic-Con 2022, especially with the “Wanda Con” side of things.
What it boils down to is excitement, but it does also cause a problem for those online who want to know what is actually happening with their favorite franchises. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just people who love these actors or the world they’re talking about wanting to see something and putting it out into the universe.
The problem is when that “manifesting” tweet causes so much confusion that the person it is about has to debunk it. I think that Bailey would be a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even if she’s not Kitty Pryde. But then again, I’d also love for any kind of information on the X-Men joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all.
We get to see Halle Bailey as Ariel in the upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid, and with her already bright star on the rise, maybe we will see her in the MCU or other larger franchises sooner rather than later. Until we know anything for certain, though, we at least know she’s not taking on Shadowcat and the world of the X-Men quite yet.
(featured image: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for vitaminwater)
