MCU star Brie Larson got a great deal of support from co-star Samuel L. Jackson against "incel dudes" that criticize strong women on the internet.
Brie Larson is no stranger to handling criticism and hate from fans online from being one of the strongest female personalities in the business, which Marvel continues to celebrate all across its spectrum.
During the original Captain Marvel movie's press tour, some fans complained that Larson was being sexist towards male critics, which only led to more hate against her in later movies.
Samuel L. Jackson Backs Brie Larson
Speaking with Rolling Stone magazine, MCU star Samuel L. Jackson addressed some of the sexist hate he sees for his co-star, Brie Larson, with whom he'll team up again in this year's The Marvels.
He looked back to their first experience working together on 2017's Kong: Skull Island which was "not the most wonderful experience:"
"Brie’s a stronger person than people give her credit for. We had done 'Kong' together, which was not the most wonderful experience for either of us. We became great friends during that particular experience because we were having such a hard time.
Jackson also was in Unicorn Store (directed by Larson) after offering to star in the Netflix to which Larson replied, "I didn't think you'd ever do it:"
Then, when she was doing her movie ['Unicorn Store'] and trying to get a particular actor, I was in the makeup trailer with her and was like, 'Why are you trying to hire this other actor and not trying to get me to do your movie?' She said, 'I didn’t think you’d ever do it… so, will you?' And I was like, 'Let’s do it.'"
The two also bonded through the 2016 United States presidential election which Donald Trump won, with Jackson telling Larson to not "let ‘em break you" during that experience:
"Then, we bonded through the election while we were doing her movie when Donald Trump won. She was broken and I was like, 'Don’t let ‘em break you. You have to be strong now.'
Larson also asked Jackson if she should join the MCU when she was asked about playing Captain Marvel, which led Jackson to heavily encourage her to take on the role and work alongside him again.
This comment led Jackson to praise Larson for not letting "these incel dudes who hate strong women" affect her with their comments, celebrating Larson for not compromising on being who she is:
"Then, when she got Captain Marvel, she called me and was like, 'They want me in the Marvel Universe. Should I do it?' And I was like, 'Hell yeah! Let’s do it!' But she’s not going to let any of that stuff destroy her. These incel dudes who hate strong women, or the fact that she’s a feminist who has an opinion and expressed it? Everybody wants people to be who they want them to be. She is who she is, and she’s genuinely that."
These comments come after the first trailer for The Marvels experienced a major round of review-bombing, with many unfairly calling the movie "woke" in the comments section and complaining about Larson.
Larson even joked about people not wanting her to keep playing the role after being asked how long she planned on staying in the MCU during an interview at the D23 Fan Expo.
How Will Samuel L. Jackson Keep Adding to the MCU?
Samuel L. Jackson clearly has no plans to exit the MCU anytime soon, and due to the friendship he's built with Larson over the years, he remains as supportive as ever while Larson continues her run as Captain Marvel.
The Marvels will mark the second time the pair has worked closely with one another in the MCU (not counting Jackson's cameo in Avengers: Endgame), and all signs point to their relationship still being as strong as ever on and off-camera.
While Jackson's Nick Fury has his own strengths in the story, the actor continues to do everything he can to support his co-stars, especially his female co-stars like Larson as hateful comments are still prevalent online.
He's even taken on more of a mentor role with younger stars like MCU newcomer Iman Vellani, and considering his place in MCU history, there's no lack of excitement to see how his efforts behind the scenes pay off once again on-camera.
Samuel L. Jackson will return to the MCU in Secret Invasion, whose first episode debuts on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 21. Jackson will team up with Brie Larson again for The Marvels, arriving in theaters on November 11.
