Marvel Show Is Anti-ICE, Star Says He Hopes Show Can Be 'Wake Up Call' For Americans To 'Fight Oppression'
Comparing superhero vigilantes to immigration enforcement is the latest woke Marvel misstep.
With Hollywood, it's always one tiny step forward, one massive step back.
The release of "Project Hail Mary" in theaters this past weekend was a massive, runaway success. A film that focused on quality storytelling, visuals, acting, and directing while completely avoiding politics, it's been a huge hit with audiences. Opening weekend box office surpassed $80 million, one of the two highest in the last decade for a non-franchise film.
There were obvious lessons to take away from this, namely that people are starved for content that doesn't purposefully offend them or insult their viewpoints. Whether that's through the plot of a film or television show, or whether it's through a lead actor or actress from the project purposefully offending them and insulting their viewpoints.
Well, again, for every step forward, there will be a step backward. Just look at the promotion for the upcoming second season of Marvel Studios and Disney+ show "Daredevil: Born Again." Because they are going out of their way to tell everyone just how divisive they intend to be.
Matthew Lillard at the "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 Launch Event held at Drai's Supper Club New York on March 23, 2026, in New York, New York. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
‘Daredevil' Star Says Show Can Help Fight ‘Oppression’
Variety reported on the premiere of the second season, held in New York, and, well, it's awful.
Apparently in the first season, the mayor of New York establishes an "Anti-Vigilante Task Force that's locking citizens up without due process." This, they claim, has "eerie shades" of current efforts to enforce immigration laws after the Biden administration opened the border.
"The brutal police force in Season 2 has eerie shades of ICE detaining people and using violence against protesters, despite being written nearly two years ago," they say.
The executive producer and head of Marvel Television didn't exactly deny that comparison in a conversation with Variety.
"Any kind of reflection on reality is coincidental, but Stan Lee said Marvel reflects the world outside our window. Sometimes things just take on a life of their own," said Brad Winderbaum.
One of the show's lead actors, Matthew Lillard, is perhaps best known as Shaggy from the "Scooby Doo" series. He told Variety that his character, a shady power broker named "Mr. Charles," and the show are great because they are "reflecting what's happening in the world around us."
"It’s incredible to be a part of that kind of project that’s reflecting what’s happening in the world right now," he said. Then went much further, saying that the show is meant to inspire ordinary people to "fight the oppression" in America.
"Our hope is that, in some small part of us, you’re sitting at home and realizing we need superheroes," he continued. "And that’s common people. People standing up for what’s right in the world. Standing up for your neighbors and your friends and doing what’s right. Hopefully, there’s a piece of this that is a wake-up call, that’s a battle cry for everyday citizens to do the right thing and fight the oppression that a lot of people right now are feeling in America."
Absurdity. "Do the right and fight the oppression."
Exactly what oppression are most Americans dealing with right now? Because ICE is enforcing immigration laws and deporting violent people in the country illegally? That's oppression? Obviously, none of what Lillard says makes sense, or has to make sense. It's just a part of the all-too-common left-wing practice of "anytime there's a politician I don't like in office, it's oppression."
And again, this is why Hollywood has struggled so much to retain audiences. The creative and on-screen talent are fanatically dedicated to dividing people alongside political lines. They do not care about telling good, quality stories, they care about injecting left-wing political activism by any means possible or necessary. Unsurprisingly, it hasn't worked. Shows like "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" and "The Acolyte" are canceled. Big budget movies have flopped. Yet here we are, with yet another actor choosing to alienate potential viewers and ultimately customers, because his politics come first. Awful.