Fox found themselves at the center of some heated controversy when people started freaking out about an image that was being used in promotional materials for “X-Men: Apocalypse.” The image features Apocalypse strangling Mystique and people are freaking out about it. Fox issued an official statement via EW and they say that they’re taking steps to remove the marketing materials.
“In our enthusiasm to show the villainy of the character Apocalypse we didn’t immediately recognize the upsetting connotation of this image in print form. Once we realized how insensitive it was, we quickly took steps to remove those materials. We apologize for our actions and would never condone violence against women.”
The ad has been catching a lot of heat as of late but things really picked up this week when actress Rose McGowan spoke out about a billboard that featured the image with the following statement:
“There is a major problem when the men and women at 20th Century Fox think casual violence against women is the way to market a film. There is no context in the ad, just a woman getting strangled. The fact that no one flagged this is offensive and frankly, stupid. The geniuses behind this, and I use that term lightly, need to to take a long hard look at the mirror and see how they are contributing to society. Imagine if it were a black man being strangled by a white man, or a gay male being strangled by a hetero? The outcry would be enormous. So let’s right this wrong. 20th Century Fox, since you can’t manage to put any women directors on your slate for the next two years, how about you at least replace your ad?”
In any case it looks like the ads will be removed sooner that later. “X-Men: Apocalypse” is in theaters now.
