It seemed like nothing could put a damper on Black Panther’s historic box office debut this weekend. But that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of hypocritical praise.
Critics and audiences love Marvel’s new Ryan Coogler-directed hit, and that includes fellow Marvel actor Ryan Reynolds. The Deadpool star shared some words of praise on Twitter, endorsing the new film that takes place in Marvel Universe’s land of Wakanda. “BELIEVE. THE. HYPE,” he tweeted.
Some Twitter users decided to cut Reynolds down a notch after he shared his all-caps message. Black Panther is Marvel’s first mostly black cast and the first to feature a black superhero lead, so Reynolds’ tweet was met with some skepticism. One pointed out the hypocrisy of Reynolds’ praise considering he got married to his wife Blake Lively on a plantation in the Deep South, as pointed out by Daily Dot.
Reynolds and Lively got married on at the Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina back in 2012. Some found the wedding to be a gross example of white privilege and a lack of consideration for the dark history that surrounded the site. Others defended the couple, arguing that people get married on plantations not because they’re racist, but because of the “historic background.” Hmm, okay.
The Deadpool star has not responded to the criticism, and most likely won’t. Instead, he’ll probably be working to keep things controversy-free as to not mess up any future Deadpool x Black Panther projects.
