Joss Whedon

Creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly/Serenity (known in various combinations as the Buffyverse or Jossverse.)
Was recently (in 2020s) favored with his directing of The Avengers film, leading him direct involvement with its sequel as well as the TV spin-off series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Has an unusually friendly relationship with fandom and is one of a handful of creators who had more or less his own fandom, not just fans of individual shows, as demonstrated by the instant success of his made-for-the-internet film, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and the number of fans who followed him into comics fandom when he began writing Astonishing X-Men.
==Whedon and the Fandom==
===Influence===
Many phrases from Whedon's shows have become common in some fannish circles, such as I'll be in my bunk or referring to a specific canon as a "Verse"; also, the phenomenon of having one's fannish theories or fanon invalidated by new canon has become known as "being Jossed." 
The first WriterCon, in 2004, was explicitly focused on the works of Joss Whedon.
===Similarities in Style, Themes Across All Works===
===Notable Interactions With Fans===
===Whedon's Statements on Fandom and Fanworks===
[pre-2001]: In another interview he answered the question: Do you share William Shatner's opinion of the most ardent fans that they need to get a life? Whedon's reply: 
[2001]: One of Whedon's quotes was widely discussed: "Don't give people what they want, give them what they need." from an interview with Tasha Robinson, Joss Whedon; archive link, www.avclub.com. September 5, 2001. 
[2004]: Whedon is on record as being pro-fanfiction and other creative works; in one interview, he said 
==Notable Fanworks==
* "Fuck Joss Whedon": a found poem of AO3 tags by thenewbuzwuzz. This work has also been podficced; [Podfic] "Fuck Joss Whedon": a found poem of AO3 tags is the collaborative work of several podficcers.
==Controversies and Criticisms==
===Sexism===
Whedon gained a reputation as a feminist during his years doing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not only was the show centered around a kickass heroine, but she also had a variety of female friends and foes. Meanwhile, many academics have analyzed the show from a feminist perspective, covering the show's treatment of gender roles, female empowerment, and other potentially feminist aspects.For examples, see the online Slayage journal, some essays in Fighting the Forces (ed. Wilcox and Lavery), and Reading the Vampire Slayer (ed. Roz Kaveney). However, both academics and fans have pointed out that Buffy fails at intersectionality, its emphasis being white middle class feminism.simplytoska, February 2014 Tumblr post Some fans have increasingly begun to question Whedon's feminism; Dollhouse was the breaking point for several of Whedon's supporters. 
A fan in 2006 said: 
People who are not long-time fans of Whedon criticize his other work like Buffy and Firefly too, often finding the female characters more failed attempts at kickass heroines than actual kickass heroines. In 2009, Daniel Hemmens, writing for FerretBrain comments: 
From a fan in 2010: 
From a fan in 2015: 
 
The backlash regarding Age of Ultron caused him to delete his Twitter in 2015.whatthefangirl.com, Joss Whedon Didn’t Leave Twitter Because Feminism, But He Sure Has a Lot to Say About It, May 6, 2015
Whedon worked on Justice League (2017) as a writer and director of additional scenes for the remake following director Zack Snyder's departure from the project. A lot of criticism has been leveled at this version, especially after the release of the Snyder Cut in 2020, with frame-by-frame comparisons and denunciations of male gaze and hypersexualization of women - in this case Wonder Woman by Gal Gadot.The Male Gaze of Zack Snyder’s "Justice League" by Bryana Fern
===Misogyny and the "Mewling Quim"===
Whedon has been criticized for his treatment of Natasha Romanov in The Avengers Movieverse. One of these offenses is when Loki refers to Natasha as a "mewling quim", which is an antiquated term for "cunt"; Whedon said in an interview that this line was his "greatest achievement." The link to the original interview is defunct: http://whedonesque.com/comments/28797: "RDA: What do you feel is the greatest achievement of “the Avoiders”?" -- "JW: Getting “mewling quim” out there to the masses. Also, Hulk." 
====Further Reading: "Mewling Quim"====
* Those who are about to be flamed salute you (May 9, 2012)
* In which I technically do not Bring It Up Again (May 10th, 2012)
* (2015)
===Racism, Xenophobia and Whitewashing===
In 2008, fandom discussions around race and appropriation, inspired essays critiquing Whedon's work. Origin Stories was a widely circulated vid at the time, examining and reframing the narratives of POC in Buffy. Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a beloved series, it didn't age well in its treatment of non-white characters. Thuvia Ptarth who had commissioned the vid, commented that,
In the same year Lierdumoa's vid How Much Is That Geisha In the Window? deconstructed Joss's series Firefly to highlight the over sexualized, fetishized and stereotypical representations of Asian actors. Although the series was heavily influenced by Asian, particularly Chinese culture, only one Asian character had a speaking role. Responding to a comment, Lierdumoa wrote,
In 2015, the release of Age of Ultron reignited this discussion with many fans using #WhedonAndRace to express their displeasure with BtVS, Angel, Firefly and Agents of Shield. There were further complaints about the depiction of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff in Age of Ultron. In comics canon, they are ethnically Romani and Jewish, but the movie retconned their canon heritage, making the siblings citizens of a fictional country, Sokovia. Many fans were unhappy with the erasure of their ethnicity. Luanna255 explains how Age of Ultron whitewashed Maximoffs, Tumblr post, 2015, accessed September 14th 2018.
Joss attributed his decision to leave social media in 2015 to abuse he received from "militant feminists" following the release of Age of Ultron. However there is evidence in tweets aimed at Joss, that he also received abuse from people unhappy with his depiction of the Maximoff twins.Joss Whedon quits twitter again article on ew.com, May 04, 2015, accessed September 14th 2018.
His participation in Justice League (2017) was the target of harsh criticism, due to many of his racist actions and speeches, among them the animosity towards the actor Ray Fisher, who is African-American, who Whedon said would not be necessary at all to be in the film. Something inconceivable since he played Victor Stone, better known as Cyborg vital character to the film's plot.
===Fatphobia===
Feminist Liana Kerzner has criticized Whedon for his lack of plus-sized female characters. Overall, he's been accused of fetishizing skinny women as feminist powerhouses (Buffy, River).
==Further Reading and Meta Essay==
* JossWhedonIsNotAFeminist
* Joss Is Evil
* Tea at the Ford
* 12 Signs It's a Joss Whedon Project
 
* by Sian Cain (The Guardian) (January 17, 2022)
* by Sonny Bunch (Washington Post) (January 20, 2022)
* by Holly Thomas (CNN) (January 22, 2022)
* A Complete Timeline of Every Joss Whedon Controversy by Gabriela Sanchez (Vulture) (May 12, 2021)
== References ==
Category:Industry
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