‘Captain Marvel’ Brie Larson Fires Back At Sexist Trolls On Instagram With Pics Of Smiling Male Superheroes

Brie Larson is already fighting for justice — on the internet. The actress, who plays Marvel Cinematic Universe’s very first female lead in the upcoming action film, Captain Marvel, is firing back at online critics who think Carol Danvers — aka the movie’s title character — needs to smile more.

According to Vice, a small but vocal group of online trolls dismissed Captain Marvel’s superhuman strength, ability to fly, and ability to shoot out photon beams from her fingertips — and instead focused on her face after the movie’s trailer dropped earlier this week. After some MCU fans dismissed Larson as “stiff” and “wooden,” other haters took to social media to note that Captain Marvel needs to “smile more” as she sets out to save the Earth during an intergalactic conflict between two alien worlds.

It wasn’t long before a critic posted a pic from the movie’s promotional materials with a smile photoshopped onto Larson’s face, claiming to have “fixed” her with the digital makeover.

It didn’t take long for Larson to get wind of the sexist social media posts. The star issued a perfect response on her Instagram story, posting images from Marvel movie posters with ridiculous looking smiles photoshopped onto the faces of familiar male superheroes. You simply haven’t lived until you’ve seen a beaming Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. A compilation of some pictures has been put together on Twitter.

Brie Larson’s fans praised her for her clever clap back, and many of them began posting their own fierce poses with the hashtag #selfiesforbrie. Larson later took to Twitter to thank her fans for “the hashtag I didn’t know I needed.”

“It’s not an intention of mine for any fan to do anything for me – I’m not a cult leader. I’m living my life and if you’re into it, cool. If not, that’s cool too.” Larson wrote. “However, scrolling through and seeing your faces brought so much emotion. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me. Thank you for your kind words; I’m happy you feel supported by me too.”

Larson previously talked to Entertainment Weekly about her Captain Marvel character, and how playing the role empowered her.

“Just seeing a character who says how she feels and says what’s on her mind and doesn’t let people stand in her way is incredibly empowering,” Larson said.

You can see Brie Larson in the Captain Marvel trailer below.

Captain Marvel will be released in theaters on March 8, 2019.