Somewhere along the way, the nerds aka the fanboys and fangirls won. I don’t just mean from a monetary perspective, even though six out of the biggest films in 2019 were sci fi/comic book related. I’m talking about THE CULTURE. Second to politics (which is basically just high stakes entertainment), nerd culture is basically everywhere. Nerd culture is the biggest movies (Avengers, Joker), the biggest shows (Game Of Thrones, The Witcher, Stranger Things, the entire CW, etc) , the biggest video games (Fortnite, Call Of Duty) and a overall a total dominant force in conversation. This should be something to celebrate - fandom “won!” Wear your custom Deadpool shirts in public! But if that’s the case - why does it all feel like such a drag? Why are instances like the below happening

When I was a kid, I told my Uncle I wanted to be a movie critic. He gave me some intense yet wise life advice “Anyone can tear up a garden, but it takes a different type of person to plant one.” This has stayed with me and it’s never been more pertinent than now. Everyone has always had an opinion, it’s just that now everyone really thinks their opinion deserves to be heard and acted upon. Fandom used just be full Lebowski (“that’s like your opinion, man”) and now fandom is like - “ACT on this opinion or we will kill you and your family.”

I have a good friend who I’ve been talking deep nerd issues with for over 20 years. We’ve casted entire theoretical comic book movies (Clive Owen as Harvey Dent?), theorized about LOST (who was in the outrigger), and pursued every Easter Egg under the sun. This year though, when I asked about the rumored “JJ Cut” of the latest Star Wars movie - he said that he was done with the endless obsession with takes aka firey opinions on Star Wars and almost all fandom. I couldn’t agree with him more - now that fans have gotten a taste of their opinions being acted on they must make the opinions LOUDER and BOLDER.

So in this maelstrom of hot takes and toxic fandom - how can we survive? Well, the way I see it, we go full Robert Frost and see two diverging roads. The first road is one of blind allegiance - aka the Marvel Path. This path requires a strong leader (aka Marvel’s Chief Producer Kevin Feige) that has earned your faith through a consistent output of good to amazing movies. You generally accept that Marvel knows what you’re doing and you’ll follow them until they mess something up. This is a SAFE path and one that provides a nice steady drip of entertainment that’s mildly intellectually stimulating, usually pretty funny, and emotionally satisfying. As someone who worships at the altar of the MCU - this is a great path, but it’s not the one that “has made all the difference.”

The one that has made ALL of the difference is the path of originality. Only the path of originality can truly save us from the fan hordes. Instead of catering to the “fans,” the stories challenge them by presenting them new ideas, characters, and worlds for them to inhabit. It’s the difference between giving fans a whole new world for them to inhabit OR trying to build a new house in a neighborhood where they feel like they make the rules. There are some rare instances where an original story can involve known franchises/characters (I’m thinking here of JOKER) but for the most part these stories have to be totally new and not linked to any comic book, movie, TV show, poem, video game, or ANYTHING else. Just fresh baybee.

Original content doesn’t have to be arthouse high brow content either. My most anticipated movie of 2020 is TENET, a 250 million budget time travel espionage thriller shot in seven countries with a stacked cast! I’m very intrigued by BIOS, a Tom Hanks sci-fi drama about his relationship with his Android in a post apocalyptic setting. I can’t wait for DA 5 BLOODS, Spike Lee’s upcoming Epic War Drama! There’s a lot to be excited about! Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for some sequels this year (Fast 9 baybee) - but nothing is more refreshing than a bold original story unencumbered by the fandom hordes.

I think it’s rad that people care so much about nerdy movies and TV shows. Lord knows I almost saw God when Captain America got the hammer in Endgame - but the path of toxicity that has been summoned isn’t good for anyone. Everyone is entitled to an opinion - but it’s just that an opinion. If fans think they can do it better than instead of going nuclear about something they didn’t create - they should go nuclear in creating. That’s how legendary stories, massive fandoms, and the geeks really win.