We live in a society where men feel the need to quiz people. Whether it be to assert their own knowledge or make you “prove” that you’re worthy to talk about something they like, it happens more often than we’d like to admit. I’ve been quizzed while wearing a shirt from a nerdy property or asked to list the Star Wars movies in machete order. It normally leads to a man then trying to hit on you because they somehow feel like that’s an appealing thing to do, but that’s the world we live in.
And now, the art of gatekeeping is BREAKING couples up. In a new AITA (“Am I the A**hole?”) Reddit post, one user shared a story about their boyfriend gatekeeping the Marvel Cinematic Universe all because they didn’t like the action sequences in Black Widow. While I don’t agree because I think the action sequences are very James Bond-esque, this was just a matter of opinion.
But that didn’t stop the boyfriend in question from saying that there were “Easter eggs” in the action sequences. Does he mean just Taskmaster using the fighting styles of the Avengers? That’s not an easter egg. That’s literally just that character. But the user went on to share a story about said boyfriend and how he consistently said that they didn’t watch the MCU the way they should have all because they … did not watch it for him or with him.
AITA for calling my bf a gatekeeper? https://t.co/MP5hLZ2wvt pic.twitter.com/TCkMHCmMc4
— Am I the Asshole? (@AITA_reddit) July 19, 2021
He went further and told his significant other that they could not watch Loki until they’ve watched the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in a certain order … despite the fact that they USED TO RUN A TOM HIDDLESTON FAN BLOG ON TUMBLR.
You really, really, really don’t need to see all the Marvel movies to watch Loki. So glad she dumped this dude. pic.twitter.com/fT5Yr3yqQz
— Jen (@such_hockey_wow) July 19, 2021
Now, do I think people should watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Yeah, I love these movies and I want to share that love. That being said, I’m not going to yell at someone for having an opinion about the movie they just watched and tell them it means they didn’t watch the movies correctly. Whenever someone shares an MCU opinion or asks me a question, I get excited to talk about it. I don’t quiz people about their knowledge of the entire Marvel canon. A perfect example is how our Kaila Hale-Stern and I often have different opinions on these movies and how her reaction to Black Widow and mine greatly differed. And the two of us have seen the entire MCU and read the comics and are incredibly knowledgable in the Marvel world. It’s just … different opinions, something this boyfriend does not understand.
This man though took it upon himself to insist that his significant other didn’t like fight scenes because they were uninformed instead of just … that they had a different opinion from him. Calling him a gatekeeper? That was accurate and exactly what should have happened. Because that’s what he was doing.
I’m exhausted.
I hate this mindset that if you think you have more knowledge, you’re the one who is right. Or that someone doesn’t know what they’re talking about if their opinion is different. It happens all the time online, to the point where people will yell at you in tweets because you don’t share their same thought process, and to see someone deal with it in their own home? It’s extremely upsetting.
I would say I’m sorry that Black Widow broke up your relationship, but both Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff would have been beyond happy to put that man in his place, so maybe the movie did its job?
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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