Marvel Disappointed The Rumor Mill At D23

As the dust settled on Marvel’s D23 presentation, fans had a number of reveals to chew on — from castings for the Thunderbolts and Captain America: New World Order, to trailers for Secret Invasion and Werewolf by Night. What they didn’t get? Henry Cavill and Jodie Comer in the MCU or complete castings for the Fantastic Four that were rumored on Twitter, despite those rumors having no apparent basis in reality.

Yes, the rumor mill is always churning. Fans crave the knowledge of what’s coming down the pipeline, to see their speculations validated, and their impatience alleviated. It’s (mostly) understandable and in good-fun. But false scoops have begun to impact, however slightly, the public opinion on official announcements and even shape the conversations surrounding films. It’s ultimately a minor concern at present in the grand scheme of things, but interesting in respects to how social media continues to drive fan-culture and how that relationship will continue to evolve.

Reading scoops is often part of the excitement for many fans, and there are a good handful of scoopers who are consistently reliable. Though, as we’ve seen recently with this past weekend’s D23, unreliable scoopers have thrived off the attention that comes from putting out shaky information, and backing it with their likely non-existing “trusted source.” Entire websites and accounts had dedicated themselves to this misinformation. It’s nothing new. I still remember when Star Wars Episode II was allegedly titled “The Creeping Fear” back in the early 2000s when I was still using dial-up. And before that, rumors floated freely on message boards and in fanzines. It’s often harmless fun, and those of us who can spot a lie can usually shrug them off or at least poke fun at the nonsense. I mean, of course Daniel Day-Lewis isn’t going to play Doctor Doom.

Should these faux reporters be called out for their lies? Some critics and media pundits seem to think so. Others are content with allowing them to simply be noise to listen to or avoid at your discretion….