Did The ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Cast Participate In A Misogynist Poster? Fans Outraged Over Imagery Used In Ad


The X-Men: Apocalypse advertising is under fire after a poster and billboard featuring a scene from the trailers used the cast in a controversial pose. Many are calling it misogynist, which is almost ironic as it features Jennifer Lawrence, a vocal activist for women’s rights and an opponent of the Hollywood gender gap.

In the X-Men: Apocalypse poster, Oscar Isaac’s villainous character is seen strangling Lawrence’s Mystique, a scene used in nearly every trailer for the film to demonstrate the villain’s disregard for humanity. There may have been some protest against the scene, but the comic book fanboy anger over Apocalypse’s non-comic costume appeared to outweigh it.

Fans are claiming that the poster glorifies abuse against women to promote what some critics are calling 20th Century Fox’s arguably worst film since X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The fact that the woman involved is Jennifer Lawrence only seems to add weight to the suggestion that the studio is attacking feminism.

One such fan is genre actress Rose McGowan, who feels the X-Men: Apocalypse poster has the cast in a problematic pose, equating it to racism and other social issues.

“There is a major problem when the men and women at 20th Century Fox think casual violence against women is the way to market a film. There is no context in the ad, just a woman getting strangled. The fact that no one flagged this is offensive and frankly, stupid. The geniuses behind this, and I use that term lightly, need to take a long hard look at the mirror and see how they are contributing to society. Imagine if it were a black man being strangled by a white man, or a gay male being strangled by a hetero? The outcry would be enormous. So let’s right this wrong. 20th Century Fox, since you can’t manage to put any women directors on your slate for the next two years, how about you at least replace your ad?”

As Cinema Blend states, the biggest problem is simply that the X-Men: Apocalypse poster shows a man strangling a woman. This has been done in several films in the past, even in the age of increasing intolerance toward it. It was even used in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters, where a possessed Melissa McCarthy grabs Kate McKinnon by the throat and dangles her outside a window. It’s the same scene, just with two women instead of a man and a woman.

McGowan even said a male friend of hers was faced with a similar question from his 9-year-old daughter, “Dad, why is that monster man committing violence against a woman?”

Jay Eddin, a podcast personality, agrees that the X-Men: Apocalypse poster simply relays the wrong message even if it does include an actual scene from the movie.

“It’s offensive in completely useless ways. Offensive isn’t always necessarily bad, but this is offensive in ways that serve absolutely no purpose, and while it does depict a scene from the actual film, it’s also a terrible representation of the movie as a whole.”

Some directors and producers use offensiveness to sell a movie, such as Adam Sandler and the Wayans brothers. Both are universally hated by now, and 20th Century Fox appears to be doing the same with their X-Men: Apocalypse poster and billboard ads.

What do you think? Does Rose McGowan have a valid argument against the film’s advertising?


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[Image via 20th Century Fox]

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