As the recent reveal of Leslie Grace's Batgirl suit shows, it's a fact of life that if something exists, there will be a group of nerds somewhere who dislike it. In the world of comic book movies (and really any movie that's based on or adding to an existing property), there's a near-constant barrage of vitriol flying around the fandoms every time something new is revealed. From new costumes to new characters, change is not a concept that is often viewed favorably by certain people.
Unfortunately, that constant tends to increase its torque whenever a woman, person of color, or member of the LGBTQ+ community is involved. So a new costume worn by a woman of color is already a powder keg by its mere existence. When the upcoming HBO Max Batgirl movie starring Grace in the title role revealed its take on the hero's iconic superhero outfit, most of the viewing public reacted favorably, while a small but spicy group of passionate enthusiasts responded with all the grace and subtlety of a brick wrapped in a note that says "brick."
When the critical masses offered their takes on Grace's new Batgirl outfit, the film's co-director Adil El Arbi wasted no time in clapping back on Instagram. Utilizing the always timeless "Batman slaps Robin" meme, he posted some choice comments in his story. First, he acknowledged a particular edit that seemed to equate any contrary response to fan outrage as "disrespect[ing] the fans."
He then turned things around on the haters with another version of the meme. The next slide countered claims that "it looks like cosplay" with the notion that they should just "wait for the film" and actually see how it works out rather than basing their entire judgment on a single still image. Granted, maybe that's just conjecture, seeing as the actual text is the simple yet eloquent "STFU and wait for the film!"
Arbi's response to the criticisms isn't all that surprising, especially when one looks into things a little. For one, the new outfit in Batgirl is a near-flawless recreation of the suit Barbara Gordon/Batgirl wears in the actual comics and even in the wonderful animated Harley Quinn series on HBO Max. So authenticity isn't exactly an issue. (Plus, look at those SHOES.) But aside from that, those who claim it's bad because it "looks like cosplay" may not quite understand what it means to be a comic book superhero. Jumping around wearing brightly colored leather and a cape? That's already cosplay.
Of course, it's probably pretty clear that opinions on the matter are a bit biased here. It's understandable how some might be a little peeved that they don't get to see a version of Batgirl's batsuit that they particularly enjoyed from the comics. But here's the thing. Anybody telling the filmmakers to "listen to the fans" should realize that that's exactly what they did. The filmmakers and crew members of Batgirl are fans. They'd kind of have to be if they're making a whole dang movie about a comic book character. So just give it a chance. Fans should stick together.
Batgirl is set to release on HBO Max in 2022.
Source: Adil El Arbi/Instagram