Generation Geek

Powerlifter 🏋️‍♀️ DC fan

[Benny Boy @Camel_Crushin]

If that whole Milli Vanilli fiasco happened today nobody would give a shit.

[Generation Geek @AntWright2]

@diorousss @tkylemac It’s annoying seeing pompous celebrities getting awards, kissing each other’s ass and have some out of touch speech about what’s going on in the real world, and people have woken up to it

[Nostalgia @NostalgiaYZ]

Shopping at the mall in the late 2000s

[Stuntman Mike @Stunt_ManMik3]

I genuinely think the “Whedon effect” on modern writing is a lot bigger than people realize.

A generation of writers grew up on Buffy and Angel in the late 90s/early 2000s. By the time The Avengers came out in 2012, a lot of those people were entering the industry, and Whedon’s style had gone from being distinctive to being a kind of default language for genre fiction.
And then Marvel made it insanely successful.

You can see it clearly in something like Guardians of the Galaxy, where virtually every character is sarcastic, constantly trading insults and trying to one up everyone else. It works to a degree because that is part of the movie’s comedic identity, but you can also see how the formula starts spreading beyond characters who are naturally like that.
And I think the new #Superman is an even more interesting example because the stated philosophy is almost the complete opposite. The movie is built around hope, compassion and the idea that “kindness is punk rock.” Yet so many of the characters interact as though they actively dislike each other.
Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, Superman... almost everyone is snarky, dismissive or needling someone else.

Even characters who are supposed to represent different facets of heroism frequently communicate through sarcasm or irritation. It’s a strange contradiction. The story is telling you that kindness is rebellious and that Superman represents hope, while the actual dialogue and character interactions often feel like everyone is trying to win a verbal fight.

And that gets to the bigger problem.
The problem was never that Whedon characters were funny. Buffy had funny characters. Firefly had funny characters. The difference was that their humor came from their personalities. Their voices were distinct. Their sarcasm, insecurity, arrogance, awkwardness or sincerity actually told you something about who they were. The imitators kept the surface level stuff and lost the characterization.

Someone says something earnest → another character mocks them.

Someone takes something seriously → someone rolls their eyes.

Someone expresses vulnerability → another character makes a joke.

Someone explains something → another character says, essentially, “Yeah, we get it.”

Someone makes a sincere observation → another character has to undercut it.

And eventually you get a bizarre situation where everyone in the fictional universe seems to be the same socially aggressive, hyper verbose person.
Everyone is witty. Everyone is sarcastic. Everyone is selfaware. Everyone has a comeback. Everyone has to demonstrate that they're smarter than the person they're talking to.

The soldier talks like the comedian. The scientist talks like the comedian. The villain talks like the comedian. The teenager talks like the comedian. The ancient god talks like the comedian.

Nobody is allowed to just be earnest.
Nobody is allowed to be awkward without immediately acknowledging that they're awkward. Nobody is allowed to take something seriously without somebody else making fun of them for it.
And I think that's where it becomes detrimental. Because when every character has the same comedic rhythm, you aren't actually getting a cast of characters anymore. You're getting one personality wearing different costumes.

Ironically, I don't even think this is necessarily a problem with Whedon's actual writing. A lot of his best work understood that humor should reveal character. The problem is what happens when the most recognizable aspects of his style get stripped from their context and reproduced everywhere.

Buffy didn't become influential because “characters should constantly make quips.” It became influential because Whedon understood how to make characters sound distinctive, contemporary and funny while still allowing them to be vulnerable, sincere and emotionally serious.

Hollywood learned the quips.

Then Marvel industrialized the quips.

Then an entire generation grew up consuming the quips.

[⨂ PridefulSin @ReignOfPride]

Behind the scenes of Rebecca Romijn becoming Mystique in X-Men

[RandomTomBradyHighlights @TomBradyDaily]

OT thriller in Miami 2003

[𝙏𝙈 ☆ KӨDΛK 💫 🇺🇸 🇲🇽 ☆ @HoodiKodak]

This might be the greatest stat ever

[Darknight Archivist ✌🏽💙🦇 @HistoftheBatman]

The first appearances of the DC Extended Universe’s Suicide Squad illustrated by @funcostumes from David Ayer’s DCEU film that hit theaters 10 years ago on August 5, 2016.📚🎥 #SuicideSquad #HarleyQuinn #DCEU

[Mr.Bug @buggy_con]

I'm still surprised they let Psylocke have cheeks out. World is slowly healing.

[Kar-Vell @TRKar_Vell]

Not an exaggeration to say this movie is guilty of the current state of cape movies

[s∅up @Soupakuo]

nigga what did I open my tiktok to

[patrick (follow my new account) @batmanisbett3r]

superman fans hate when he has a character arc

[Generation Geek @AntWright2]

@CapsirusYT Angry Birds in the big ‘26

[Generation Geek @AntWright2]

@surrogatelovers As long it’s my goat in charge

[Celal Koc @artofCelor]

Psylocke Butterfly Bikini Mirror 9x12” sketch is up for grabs. Dm for details!