SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
While it may look benign, the moment when the evil character Thanos snaps his fingers in The Avenger's film is the moment that he wipes out half of all life in the known universe. (Screenshot: Trump 2020)
'How Sick Is That?' Says Thanos Creator After Trump Campaign Depicts US President as Fictional 'Mass Murderer' in Bizarre Ad
"These are sad and strange times we are going through," responded comic book author who created the villainous character.
Dec 10, 2019
The creator of the Marvel comic book villain Thanos--an intergalactic space warrior who seeks to bring harmony to the universe by annihilating half of all living creatures who live in it--was among those expressing shock and concern after President Donald Trump's campaign put Trump's head on the fictional character's body in a new campaign-style video on Wednesday.
Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, famed comics artist Jim Starlin said it was both concerning and frightening to see the president embody the character he first created in the 1970s and who serves as the central antagonist in the recent film series, The Avenger's.
"After my initial feeling of being violated, seeing that pompous fool using my creation to stroke his infantile ego, it finally struck me that the leader of my country and the free world actually enjoys comparing himself to a mass murderer," Starlin said in a statement to the film industry news outlet. "How sick is that? These are sad and strange times we are going through. Fortunately, all things, even national nightmares, eventually come to an end."
The ad in question was tweeted Tuesday by the "Trump War Room" on Twitter:
As The Young Turks discussed on their show in response, the ad is not only "weird" for its attempt to counter Democrat's impeachment efforts, but it sends a terrifying message for the president's campaign to depict their candidate as the kind of person who snaps his fingers and "trillions of people--trillions of people!--die" as a result. Watch:
Whether familiar with the comic book character or not, many found it just another example of how unhinged and terrifying a real-life character Trump remains.
"The Trump campaign is now comparing the President to Thanos, the genocidal villain from The Avengers," said Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI). "This is bizarre. Even for them."
As others also noted of the movie, Cicilline then pointed out that the ad strikingly leaves "out the part where Thanos loses in the end."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The creator of the Marvel comic book villain Thanos--an intergalactic space warrior who seeks to bring harmony to the universe by annihilating half of all living creatures who live in it--was among those expressing shock and concern after President Donald Trump's campaign put Trump's head on the fictional character's body in a new campaign-style video on Wednesday.
Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, famed comics artist Jim Starlin said it was both concerning and frightening to see the president embody the character he first created in the 1970s and who serves as the central antagonist in the recent film series, The Avenger's.
"After my initial feeling of being violated, seeing that pompous fool using my creation to stroke his infantile ego, it finally struck me that the leader of my country and the free world actually enjoys comparing himself to a mass murderer," Starlin said in a statement to the film industry news outlet. "How sick is that? These are sad and strange times we are going through. Fortunately, all things, even national nightmares, eventually come to an end."
The ad in question was tweeted Tuesday by the "Trump War Room" on Twitter:
As The Young Turks discussed on their show in response, the ad is not only "weird" for its attempt to counter Democrat's impeachment efforts, but it sends a terrifying message for the president's campaign to depict their candidate as the kind of person who snaps his fingers and "trillions of people--trillions of people!--die" as a result. Watch:
Whether familiar with the comic book character or not, many found it just another example of how unhinged and terrifying a real-life character Trump remains.
"The Trump campaign is now comparing the President to Thanos, the genocidal villain from The Avengers," said Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI). "This is bizarre. Even for them."
As others also noted of the movie, Cicilline then pointed out that the ad strikingly leaves "out the part where Thanos loses in the end."
The creator of the Marvel comic book villain Thanos--an intergalactic space warrior who seeks to bring harmony to the universe by annihilating half of all living creatures who live in it--was among those expressing shock and concern after President Donald Trump's campaign put Trump's head on the fictional character's body in a new campaign-style video on Wednesday.
Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, famed comics artist Jim Starlin said it was both concerning and frightening to see the president embody the character he first created in the 1970s and who serves as the central antagonist in the recent film series, The Avenger's.
"After my initial feeling of being violated, seeing that pompous fool using my creation to stroke his infantile ego, it finally struck me that the leader of my country and the free world actually enjoys comparing himself to a mass murderer," Starlin said in a statement to the film industry news outlet. "How sick is that? These are sad and strange times we are going through. Fortunately, all things, even national nightmares, eventually come to an end."
The ad in question was tweeted Tuesday by the "Trump War Room" on Twitter:
As The Young Turks discussed on their show in response, the ad is not only "weird" for its attempt to counter Democrat's impeachment efforts, but it sends a terrifying message for the president's campaign to depict their candidate as the kind of person who snaps his fingers and "trillions of people--trillions of people!--die" as a result. Watch:
Whether familiar with the comic book character or not, many found it just another example of how unhinged and terrifying a real-life character Trump remains.
"The Trump campaign is now comparing the President to Thanos, the genocidal villain from The Avengers," said Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI). "This is bizarre. Even for them."
As others also noted of the movie, Cicilline then pointed out that the ad strikingly leaves "out the part where Thanos loses in the end."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy