The opening was straight out of every old horror film: teenage couples speak in a dark building. The Ominus background music swells. He wants to go up to the roof and go outside. She thinks she hears a noise; He says that it is nothing.
And then he turns into a demon and pounces on him.
In the 1997 pilot episode of “Buffet the Vampire Slayer”, “Welcome to Hellmouth”, wore its trope-flipping female empowerment on its sleeve, and audiences ate it up.
Joss Whedon, the spectacle, arrived.
Twenty-four years later, Whedon is Facing many charges The demon’s own being. “Buffy” has worked with many female stars. “Justice League” star Ray Fisher has accused him of being racist and abusive In a hollywood reporter story It also details a witness that Whedon claims he would call actress Gal Gadot “shut up and lines”. The latest details hit as “The Never”, a HBO’s Whedon-produced show About Victorian Women with Superpower, Is set to debut on Sunday, and Whedon is so radioactive that the network is not Even using his name.
This is an ironic twist of cinematic proportions for autism, who was a well-known Hollywood feminist for decades.
56-year-old Whedon made his debut as a sitcom and screenwriter. He was a “Roseanne” employee, wrote “Toy Story” and “Alien: Resurrection” and, in 1992, wrote a “Buffy” screenplay, ending a lame teen comedy.
But TV “Buffy” was different with Helmen. The title character of Sarah Michelle Geller was Confident and Sarsonic, who is no longer a chitty cheerleader. Whedon invented a universe with its own lingo, a metaphorical focus on young adulthood, especially for women who felt fundamentally fresh between the era’s traditional sitcoms and proceduralism.
By the sixth season of “Buffy”, some sadistic Whaden trademarks recurred, with female characters gaining strength through brutality and trauma. Whaden’s 1999 spinoff, “Angel”, featured several purported strong female characters, including “Buffy” star Karisma Carpenter. In February, Carpenter posted his own allegations, stating that Whedon was “hostile and toxic” on the set. And her exit from the show – she was inadvertently put into a coma – made fans feel strangely evil.
In 2002, Whedon began his Space Western “Firefly” to debut and give meadling reviews. The show was canceled after a season, but later a huge cult following. Recently, “Firefly” writer Jose Molina Tweeted about Whaden’s bullying: “‘Cassily cruel’ is the perfect way to describe Jose. He thought it was funny. Making female writers cry during a note session was particularly hysterical. He would have really liked to boast about that time. Were when he cried twice to a writer in a meeting. ”
An extract from “Firefly” star Nathan Fillion, Whaden Profile in 2012, Echoing that sentiment: “One of his gifts is that for such an incredibly intelligent person, he never fools you.” Unless it’s funny. ”
Whaden’s team declined to comment for this story.
In 2006, Whedon gave an o-shake acceptance speech for an award from the feminist group Equality Now: “I believe that what I’m doing shouldn’t be commented on, let alone honored… Because Equality is not a concept. It is not something we should strive for. It is a necessity. ”
Three years later came Whaden’s show “Dollhouse”, which seemed to be a follow-up. It was a sci-fi thriller about a woman (Eliza Dushku) in the service of a company who would clear her memory and transplant her with new personalities, renting her out to wealthy clients. Whedon insisted that it was “the purest feminist and empowering statement I’ve ever made – someone making themselves out of nothing,” he told Wired.
The show surprised audiences but worked on a second season. Whedon’s reputation was strong, and led to his biggest score: directing 2012’s Marvel’s “The Avengers”. It was a huge commercial hit – the third highest-grossing film of all time – and a critical success.
but Shooting reporting A conversation with an underling reveals a streak of the same meaning: “Okay, we’re going into a time machine,” [Whedon] said. ‘Three minutes ago, you didn’t tell me where a line goes.’ “
The following year, Whaden executive-produced Marvel’s “Agents of Sheld”, which would run for seven seasons. It was well received throughout its time, but it featured an apparently long-running Whedon theme, in which nonwave characters were bad, bad, or killed.
In 2015, he was brought back to bring Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, which did not touch the box-office record of his previous film. It featured a scene in which the character of Scarlett Johansson, Natasha Romansof aka Black Widow, It turns out she can’t have children Because of being forcibly sterilized.
“You’re not the only monster on the team,” he tells Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. This was the film’s most dazzling, if not just misunderstanding. But Whedon’s brand survived, and in May of 2017, he took on DC Comics’ “Justice League” when director Zack Snyder took a step forward after the family tragedy.
Shortly after, Whaden never became “Wonder Woman” script leakedRe-igniting a debate over his apparently regressive views of women – the script calls him a “bitch” and a “prostitute” and “dances sexy” to distract a bad guy.
In November, “Justice League” premiered to a low-stellar reception, with critics and viewers complaining that it was both glib and rote, with a sexist and phone-in plot toward Wonder Woman; Snyder’s vision seemed completely absent.
Days later, Whaden’s ex-wife Kai Cole Posted a blog post In which he alleged that he was a cheater, a gaslifter and a misogynist. (His camp responded: “While this account contains mistakes and inaccuracies that could be harmful to his family, Jose is not commenting, out of concern for his children and out of respect for his ex-wife. Out. “)
Unexplained rumors swirled around Whedon until last summer, when Fisher, who plays Cyborg in the “Justice League”, came forward with allegations that Whedon’s behavior during his rehab was “disgusting, abusive, unprofessional, and complete.” Was “unacceptable”.
After Carpenter came out to support, other “Buffy” alums joined – notably Michelle Trachenberg, who revealed that Whedon was forbidden to be left alone in a room with her.
It became clear to many that her beloved feminist-nearer image There was an excuse.
In November 2020, Whedon announced that he was leaving “The Never”. His statement attributed his departure to burnout, but coincided with poor press. Fisher’s charges were already galvanized Outspoken unhappy fan base, And the final release of the much-awaited “Snyder’s Cut” of “Justice League” garnered lukewarm praise from critics and fans, all of whom pointed a finger at Whedon for ruining the early version.
“The Never” has garnered early acclaim; Noted diversity “” Never ” has endured many of his narrative and stylistic hallmarks that could play the role of Whedon Bingo for the better and the worse. “Recently, an industry tipster suggested that Whedon is showing “UN Blacklist” itself, Although it is hard to imagine him reviving his brand any time soon.
As Whedon reportedly said: “Always remember yourself. As long as you suck.”
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