This week has been dominated by Spideypocalypse, after it came out that Marvel chief Kevin Feige would not produce the upcoming Spider-Man sequel. Disney and Sony’s partnership on the beloved character, which has seen Tom Holland’s Peter Parker appear in several MCU films, has been wildly profitable, but it now appears that neither side can reach an agreement.
This is, of course, upsetting to many fans who love Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man and wish to see him continue to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There has been no shortage of fan outcry on social media, as the memes flood our news feeds. Now, even corporations are weighing in on the story, including (inexplicably) Durex condoms:
#SaveSpiderMan pic.twitter.com/Ro3LNkYStC
— Durex India (@DurexIndia) August 21, 2019
Oh boy … where to begin with this? The fact that too massive corporations fighting for money has zero to do with arriving early? That Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man is a 16 year old boy and an inappropriate target for a condom ad? Or that there’s anything, ahem, premature about a film franchise character that has been on the big screen since 2001?
If the subtweets are anything to go by, social media was as perplexed as I was:
when durex adds their piece u know it’s serious https://t.co/xPM0RokljR
— maddie ⎊ (@rogersndanvers) August 21, 2019
Very cool, Durex India. Very cool pic.twitter.com/2LW6RrUBf6
— :(: ɘm ⎊ (@underoos0003) August 22, 2019
@SonyPictures even condoms are seeing you messed up
— AverageFanboy (@FanboyAverage) August 22, 2019
— BLOODY VZ-MADNESS (@VZMadness) August 21, 2019
— PattyMac (@PattyMacUwU2) August 22, 2019
That person deserves a massive raise.
— Michael Hilger (@MHilger) August 22, 2019
— Benjamín CR (@Benjamin_7017) August 21, 2019
— Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) August 22, 2019
Here’s the thing: it’s one thing for corporations to razz each other online, like the chicken sandwich wars. I’m even okay with shipping war declarations, because let’s be honest: these social media accounts are run by our fellow nerds. Everyone deserves to have some fun … after all, what else is social media for, aside from fake news, conspiracy theories, and cat videos?
But this Durex stunt feels like a bridge too far? I don’t know guys, not everything needs a social media response. And if we’re looking at condom/superhero partnerships, sweet virginal Spider-Man does not seem like the right fit. Preserve his innocence! Besides, if anyone needs condoms it’s Venom. That guy is clearly raw-dogging his way through San Francisco without a care in the world.
(via AVClub, image: Marvel/Sony)
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