marvelouspaxton

[marvelouspaxton]

Please realize that I, too, suffered.

@marvelouspaxton is forcing me to watch twilight send help

[marvelouspaxton]

Hi! As a lover of comics (and a disabled woman) I thought I’d comment and try to bring some peace and clarity. While Urban’s comment did come off aggressive with some mean vibes, I don’t think there was any malice intent (though still some accountability should be held). Rather, I think he was trying to mirror what a lot of men would tell minority groups in a satirical way.

The truth is, comics have always been a step ahead of the rest of the world when it came to equality. Yet, despite that, comics “belonged” to white men for the longest time. I know a lot of people have been told by white men that they can’t enjoy or participate in comics because they weren’t for them and therefore wouldn’t understand them.

Like I said, the comment did come off very aggressive and some context would have been nice. But I think everyone can agree that comics are a safe place for everyone as long as they respect the others who love the art form.

yes i am a white man who reads comic books and yes i do gatekeep. racists, homophobes, sexists, transphobes, bigots of any flavor? stay the fuck away from comics. i'm gatekeeping. you wouldn't understand them, they're too complex for your tiny bigot brain.

[marvelouspaxton]

James Rhodes is legally disabled. 

Rhodey was paralyzed from the waist down. According to the MCU fandom wiki, his spine was shattered. I don’t think I have to explain that an injury like that is severe and can’t, as of now, be repaired. The damage is done and it can’t be reversed. Rhodey will be paralyzed for the rest of his life, unless Dr. Cho heals his injuries but if Marvel hasn’t done that yet, they probably won’t.

As someone who is legally disabled, I’m a bit disappointed in how this was treated. Though my condition differs greatly, I know the struggle of having a body that is unable to preform basic tasks or necessary, life sustaining functions without effort and focus. I understand the frustration of being completely exhausted from just living day by day.

People with disabilities go through a lot, both physically and mentally. There’s a daily struggle with navigating the world and trying to take care of ourselves. And while there are ways to help aid us, depending on our disability, there will always be limitations.

Rhodey was paralyzed. His spine was completely broken. And yet we see him standing and walking at the end of the movie. Which, if I may add, was two days after the fight.

(I’ve be hospitalized longer than that for asthma complications.)

If your born able-bodied and you suddenly become disabled, you go through a depression. You mourn the life that you lost. Not only do you have to recover physically from the accident that caused it, you have to get through this mental barrier of fear and hatred. You’re mad at everyone who can do what you can’t. You cry yourself to sleep because today you couldn’t do something that you did last week or last month. And getting through all of that takes a whole lot longer than two days. 

The timeframe is unrealistic but I’ll let that slide. The real problem is that Marvel took a disabled man and they had him “fixed.” They swept his disability under the rug with the “leg braces” so that he could continue living the exact same life he lived before and still be a superhero.

Marvel made Rhodey disabled just to take it back. He would still technically be considered legally disabled, as he is still technically paralyzed, but Rhodey doesn’t give an accurate representation of what living with a disability is like. He’s walking when he shouldn’t be. Nowhere in Infinity War or Endgame does he experience any complications in his daily life. He doesn’t limp or show that he’s in any type of discomfort, whether from his condition or from his braces. He’s just being James Rhodes, the superhero War Machine.

This is all possible because Tony Stark was the hero that “fixed” him. And let me tell you, the hero complex is real when it comes to disabled people. People feel like they need to do everything for us. They suggest treatments or essential oils and yoga to “cure” us. Hell, I’ve had someone recommend a quack when my doctors, who are specialize in my condition, couldn’t do anything more to help. People don’t realize that, after a while, we accept our disability and our new way of life. We know what helps up and what doesn’t. We know what we can and can’t do. Trying to “fix” us doesn’t do anything for us. 

Also, I am going to bring race into this. I’ve heard stories of black disabled people not getting the same support and medical attention as white disabled people. Because while we’d like to believe it’s not an issue, institutional racism is still very real in the medical profession. (I’ll leave it at that - the stories are not mine to share.)

Rhodey’s injury was pointless, inconsiderate, and ableist. By giving him the ability to walk and fight again, it tells people that they need to be a “normal person” to be a hero and do good. I don’t know if Marvel was trying to acknowledge disabled people and show that they can be heroes too. I honestly don’t see what other reasons there would be for making Rhodey paralyzed. And if they were trying to represent, they failed.

#marvel #marvel cinematic universe #marvel mcu #mcu #james rhodes #rhodey #disability #fandom #fandom discourse #mcu fandom #disabled characters

[marvelouspaxton]

i already talked about this a little and @serpentargo made a good post about it as well, but i want to reiterate: racism surrounding the marvel fandom is still a serious issue.

we all claim to be woke and anti-racist here on tumblr dot com. big talk, but there's precious little actual anti-racism to be found. it's consistently evident, and for me the falcon and the winter soldier has very clearly demonstrated it.

the truth is that tfatws is about sam wilson. it's about a black man. it's about a complex, fascinating, likeable, badass black man becoming captain america against the odds. he is the main character, but you're all so god damn eager to like white characters better that you're willing to give baron zemo, a fucking terrorist, and bucky barnes, an underdeveloped and somewhat personality-less basic white man, more hype than captain fucking america. sam is relegated to the role of bucky's emotional support friend, the comic relief, the sidekick. lesser characters are the fandom's darlings. why? because they're white, and sam is black.

further, anthony mackie must be exhausted. he's just won an award for his role. he's busted his ass bringing sam wilson as captain america to life, and all the interviewers and fans can talk about and ask him about is sebastian stan. "what's it like working with sebastian? what's your relationship with sebastian like? give us the scoop on sebastian's upcoming project. do you wish sebastian was here?" mackie is a talented, incredible actor, and he deserves support, hype, and a moment in the limelight, but once again his white coworker is the talk of the town. once again, a black person is ignored and dismissed and minimized in favor of a white person. this is racism. that's what this is. fucking racism.

i have nothing against bucky barnes and baron zemo. they're cool characters. i've been known to post about bucky myself, because i like him and find his backstory compelling. i have nothing against sebastian stan, either. he's a very gifted actor and seems to be a kind person. i also acknowledge that stan and mackie are close friends, and often bring each other up in interviews and conversation.

there is nothing wrong with liking white characters, actors, and creators. there's nothing wrong with bucky barnes being a beloved character, or sebastian stan being a well-liked actor. the issue is preferring, intentionally or subconsciously, white people specifically because they are white.

anti-racism isn't a one-and-done deal. watching black panther and reblogging a couple black lives matter and stop asian hate posts doesn't instantly cure you of the capacity for racism. you have to work at it! it's a process, an ongoing work. we live in a world where unfortunately, bigotry have been normalized. it's fucked up but it's very easy to internalize racism and not treat everyone with the respect they deserve. it's easy to do the wrong thing. we have to be mindful and continue to check ourselves. we have to fight racism.

so how do we fight? do the work. educate yourselves. listen to the voices of poc. support poc. speak against racism. call out hate. most importantly, check yourself. ask yourself why you lean towards a white person over a person of color. is it for normal, innocuous reasons such as finding them funny or liking their story? or is it internalized racism? be respectful, think about why you're doing things, and learn.

do better, friends. don't be fucking racist.

[marvelouspaxton]

Good morning, Urban! Sending GOOD VIBES TO YOU TODAY. Drink some coffee/tea, read some good fanfic, and take care of yourself! 

(that goes for everyone else too)

I ATTACK :)

GOOD MORNING MARVEL :)

[marvelouspaxton]

In the recent years, we’ve seen an increase of representation in the media. This includes BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled people, and women, plus other minority groups. Some representation is amazing and handled with the respect that the community deserves; the movie Black Panther was a huge step that did a lot of good (especially the younger generations). Some representation is poorly executed; the “girl power” from Endgame comes to mind. However, good representation is critical. It is a stepping stone to a better world where everyone is seen as an equal and is accepted.

Today, I specifically want to talk about the representation of BIPOC (specifically black people) and women due to Marvel’s recent actions. As a promotion for “What If…?”, the company’s social media team made the conscious decision to change the Captain America Twitter account so that it was Peggy Carter (an animated version, none the less) rather than Sam Wilson. Sam is the true Captain America per the MCU canon. Steve chose him to continue on the legacy and do right by the world. Peggy, on the other hand, has never been Captain America. She’s always been Captain Carter or Captain Britain and therefore isn’t even contextually relevant to the account.

Sam Wilson, as the Falcon, was one of the four “main” black superheroes in the MCU ( a) lets be real, everyone in Wakanda is pretty much a superhero. b) Nick Fury is a hero in his own right but he isn’t being considered here due to not being a traditional superhero.) Three of them, however, where the sidekicks / best friends of the better known white heroes, with the exception being T’Challa.

-  Rhodey was Tony’s right hand man.

-  Sam was Steve’s wingman.

-  Valkyrie was the badass who had to deal with Thor’s shit.

(Also, shout out to Monica from Wandavision. Not one of the main heroes yet but hopefully someday in the near future.) 

Having the shield be passed to Sam put a black man in one of the main superhero roles. It was an amazing step for inclusivity with the media representing the diversity of the world.

The representation of strong and smart women is also important, which I think was one of the deriving forces of Marvel’s decision. A women counterpart to Captain America would be very inspiring to the younger generation of girls. This is why I’m excited for Miss America to debut in “Dr. Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness.”

However, taking away the representation of one group to represent another is not okay.

I fear that we’re reaching this era of film where a choice has to be made: who get’s good representation? We have shows like TFATWS where we see good representation for the black community. We have movies like Black Widow where women are represented well. But how much crossover was there? How much representation of women was in TFATWS? Sharon could have been considered a main character but honestly, all she did was serve as a plot point to keep the story moving. How much BIPOC representation was there in Black Widow? There were a few BIPOC characters but not many.

Black Panther is truly a prime example that there can be good representation of multiple groups. Sadly though, Black Panther is a rarity in the film industry.

Despite what’s being depicted by recent movies and shows, it’s possible for more than one group to be acknowledged and respectfully represented. If someone chooses one over another, is it really about equality and acceptance? Or is it a person trying to look like they’re striving for equality and acceptance? Checking boxes as they go through each group?

Marvel is a big name brand; it’s well known throughout the world. And though it was more than likely a small social media team that made the decision, the entire company is responsible for it. 

Marvel chose to replace Sam Wilson with Peggy Carter. In that moment, they chose a white woman over a black man. And the sad truth is, it wasn’t necessary. Marvel has multiple Twitter accounts, including “What If…?” and “Agent Carter”. They could have chosen to change one of those accounts rather than Captain America’s. And instead of choosing one over the other, they could have represented both. 

I don’t think they were meaning to be racist. However, intention doesn’t negate the affects of the action. It sure as hell does’t exempt anyone from criticism and/or consequences. The fact that they, whoever They may be, failed to see the problem before changing the account says a lot about them. After all, actions speak louder than words.

#marvel #marvel mcu #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #captain america #sam wilson #discourse #fandom discourse

[marvelouspaxton]

Everything I do is justifiable! It’s not my fault canon doesn’t have the guts to destroy the characters properly.

*thinks about my favourite character getting fucked over by canon* this is unacceptable *goes off to write fic where I fuck them over in my own, superior way*

#fanfic #fanfiction #sorry not sorry