Pop Culture Fandom Has Failed Pop Culture

This isn’t the first time I’ve brought this up, and honestly, it won’t be the last.

What’s going on isn’t getting any better.

Fandoms, once a place for joy, speculation, and community have become toxic, divisive, and downright exhausting.

Star Wars fans were the first I called out because, let’s face it, they’ve been terrible for quite some time. Online, they’re angry, entitled, and constantly fighting.

However, if you go to a convention, it’s a completely different story. There, surrounded by fellow fans, you forget the negativity and simply celebrate the journey together. But the second you step back online, it’s chaos.

The sad part is though, it’s not just Star Wars fans who are like this anymore… it’s every fandom.

I believe the problem boils down to entitlement.

Too many fans believe they’re owed exactly what they want from films, TV, and comics. If a project doesn’t cater to their expectations, they immediately declare it trash. Instead of constructive criticism, we get all out hostility.

The best example right now? Snyderverse diehards.

We all see it, they’ve truly become a cult in many ways.

Every day it’s “Fire James Gunn,” “Boycott Warner Bros,” “Restore the Snyderverse.” Why? What purpose does this serve other than spreading negativity? It doesn’t build up the DC brand, and it certainly doesn’t bring Zack Snyder back.

And yet, that’s what fandom should be… constructive.

You don’t have to love everything. You don’t even have to like most things. But hate? Hate robs you of the entire reason you became a fan in the first place.

Take “The Lethal Geeks of The Snyderverse Cult” for example. I’m sure they were DC fans long before Zack Snyder’s films. If so, go back to the comics, dive into the lore, and see what’s possible in the new DCU. There’s so much more to this universe than one director’s vision.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t exclusive to DC.

Marvel fans have fallen into the same trap. I’ve watched every Marvel project, even the ones I knew were probably going to disappoint me. She-Hulk, The Marvels, Ant-Man Quantamania. Sure, I gave them all a chance. Not because they were guaranteed to be good, but because that’s what being a fan means… being open.

Star Wars, despite how disastrous the sequel trilogy was, will always be my first love. I grew up with Han, Luke, and Leia. Even if I didn’t like the latest project, I’ll always give it another shot, because at the end of the day, that galaxy means something to me.

Really though, the saddest part is how fandom eats itself alive.

I’ve been critical of Snyder fans for months, if not years, why? Because I have felt it is important to stop the spread of their misinformation. But sometimes I wonder if I’m helping or just adding fuel.

Still, the truth is that their movement is toxic and destructive. The endless hashtags, the boycotts, the hostility and lies… it’s all a miserable cycle.

But there is a silver lining. There are fans out there who do want to be positive. I’ve seen it on social media. People reach out because they’re relieved to find a corner of fandom not drowning in negativity. They want to speculate, to be excited, to wonder what’s next. That’s what we should all be doing.

We should be asking what James Gunn has planned for DC, or how Lucasfilm plans to expand Star Wars, or when Marvel will finally bring in the X-Men.

Instead, we’re wasting time fighting over who’s “allowed” to like The Last Jedi or whether Ms. Marvel was “too kiddie.” It’s absurd. Art is subjective. My love for Man of Steel doesn’t take away from someone else’s love for Gunn’s SUPERMAN. Both can exist, both can be celebrated, and neither diminishes the other.

Speculation and excitement used to be the best part of being a fan. Now it feels like you have to tiptoe through minefields of outrage just to enjoy pop culture. That’s not what fandom should be.

Whether it’s DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, or Lord of the Rings, the point is to celebrate the art. Not the executives. Not the politics. The art.

Right now, pop culture fandom has failed pop culture. And unless we shift our focus back to the joy of the stories themselves, it’s only going to get worse.