you know on top of everything else that’s great about Captain America: The Winter Soldier I genuinely think we have it to thank for the fall (or at least marked decline) of the Loki fandom
no one asked but here’s some elaboration on that:
I don’t know how many of you were active in the MCU fandom in 2012 but the post-Avengers Loki fandom was… you know, pretty much exactly what you’d expect the fandom for a nuanced villain played by a moderately attractive white man.
there was a lot of overlooking the fact that he willingly took part in a plan to enslave the entire human race in favor of fic and art where he was inexplicably an unofficial member of the Avengers. he was shipped with everyone – Tony (based on that one scene where Tony gets Loki’s ego trip), Natasha (entirely based on that one scene where he threatens to kill her and calls her a cunt. never change, fandom), Thor (despite or possibly because of the incest factor), even Darcy Lewis (who was, and to a degree still is, the MCU fandom bicycle, probably owing to the fact that she’s the easiest canon character to write like an oc).
and sweet god, the Loki fandom was desperate to prove he was actually entirely innocent. post-Avengers, my dash was flooded with heartfelt analyses of the most minute moments in the Avengers all attempting to prove that Loki had obviously been tortured and brainwashed into working with the Chitauri and that he wasn’t actually complicit in any of it.
(actually the more I think about it, the more I realize how much the Loki fandom was paving the way fr the Kylo Ren fandom, aka the overpowered white boys throwing murder tantrums fandom, but I digress.)
the Tom Hiddleston thirst was so bad that when Marvel had Tom-Hiddleston-in-character-as-Loki reveal the Thor: The Dark World trailer at SDCC (which, honestly, was pretty cool), I had to read a very serious discussion on my dash about whether or not T-Hiddles got a sexual rush out of it and the probability that he had a boner while he was on stage.
and then. AND THEN. IN 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier happened. and specifically, Bucky Barnes happened.
you like murder woobies? well lo and behold, the ultimate murder woobie. he’s canonically brainwashed and irresponsible for his actions, and we even get to see how brutally treated he is right on on screen. (I read a very spot-on analysis somewhere that argues that a big part of what makes Bucky so beloved to female fans is that he’s one of the few male characters to be subjected to the kind of onscreen violation of bodily autonomy that most women live in very real fear of, and I couldn’t agree more.) he desperately wants to be good again and is prevented from doing that by forces beyond his control, which makes it okay to be into him while he’s doing the murder strut down a highway aiming a gun at our heroes, because it’s not like he’s actually a killer. that’s just what he wants to be.
he’s everything that Loki’s fandom wanted Loki to be. and they. jumped. ship.
I’m mean, I’m not saying the Loki fandom is entirely dead. and obviously Bucky isn’t the only contributing factor; fans get older, their interests change, etc. but it’s been almost a month since the Thor: Ragnarok trailer came out, and I’ve seen exactly zero posts about anyone wanting Tom Hiddleston to raw them while wearing that ridiculous horned headband.
and honestly? I think it’s because we got a better murder woobie. thanks, Buck.
IM LAUGHING BECAUSE ITS FUCKING TRUE I WAS ON THIS HELL SITE FOR ALL OF THIS ITS 100% FUCKING TRUE and tbh the kr fangirls now would have been loki fangirls if they were the age they are now in 2012 – tags via @spacescaptain
see I wanted to talk about this in the original post but thought it was too off topic so thank you for this in
in hindsight, for sure, the Loki fanbase was VERY MUCH the prelude to the Kylo Ren fanbase, and it’s all part of a larger culture of apologizing and idealizing white boy who throw murder tantraums.
but. BUT. there’s at least room to argue that much of the Loki fandom bailed when they got a new character who actually was what they wanted Loki to be.
and then there’s the Kylo Ren fandom, who have actually and literally fabricated an entire past for Kyle (misspelling very intentional) in which he was OBVIOUSLY abused by his parents and uncle and had noooo choice but to slaughter all of his fellow baby Jedi and kill his dad, because he’s a CLEARLY an abuse victim.
when, you know, standing right next to him you have Finn, actual victim of childhood abduction and lifelong abuse, who makes a very clear choice to NOT BE A FUCKING SERIAL KILLER even though it’s the one thing he was raised to be.
and yet. many (not all, I get it, don’t eat me, but MANY) Kylo fans will try to claim that somehow Finn in the real dickbag here.
I’m not saying Bucky would have been received v e r y differently if he wasn’t white, but.
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