Disney goes after some MCU leakers on Reddit as legal proceedings have caused one of the most popular Marvel subreddits to close its doors. The subreddit r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers is essentially shut down as of yesterday. I’m sure regular readers will be aware that we have shared many leaks that have come directly from that sub. However that’s over, for now.
I guess it began as a way to collate and discuss all the MCU rumors and leaks. Then the sub tried to provide a guide for which leakers to trust and which to not. However as said above, recently we have been sharing some leaks that came directly from the sub itself. In other words the mod team are getting sources coming to them and willing to verify their credentials.
It’s this which has ultimately got the sub into trouble legally. You see a document was shared by the mod team which showed all the subtitles (dialogue) for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This was a link to a Google Doc which was taken down. However once the genie is out the bottle it’s out. I mean you can’t stop u/throwawayjoe from then discussing and re-posting what they remember. Now in an effort to track the internal leaker Disney has taken legal action against the mods of that sub. This has caused the team to simply shut the doors. At least until someone else is willing to take on the reins.
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Is this smart, or daft of Disney? Hmm, I’m not sure, yet. I totally get why Disney has to go after employees who signed NDA’s for leaking them online. However, I am less on board with using strong arm tactics against a Marvel subreddit.
One thing is for sure, this will not stop the leaks. Over 95% of the content in that sub is just links to various social media and website leakers. In other words the usual names you hear in our Barside Buzz articles. It was only fairly recently that we start to get leaks come directly from the sub itself. Therefore, that 95% of stories out there will still be posted and still be collated and discussed, even if it is in a new sub. Perhaps this will put paid to some of the leakers who were going direct to the sub and missing out the middle guy. However, all those leakers would need to do is pick any outlet to contact, set up a relationship and keep leaking spoilers.
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Some fans think this reaction from Disney is due to the poor box office performance of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. I could not tell you if that was the case or not? However I also know most of the users on that sub go and see every Marvel movie opening weekend, whether they’ve been spoiled or not.I Mean we expect Disney to go after MCU leakers, but internally rather than where it ends up. Are they going after 4Chan for having the entire plot of Endgame correct before release, even though no one believed it?
I’m not sure those are the audience Disney has lost in Phase 4. Instead, for me, Phase 4 is when the MCU became for geeks and nerds again. The casuals who had followed the MCU until Endgame just had enough. The new characters introduced, plus the wilder and harder to follow stories have turned off that casual audience. Ultimately I’m not convinced the Multiverse was a great idea to explore this early in the franchise. It should at least have been kept for Phase 5.
What Now?
I now await whatever successor to r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers pops up, and it will. At the same time, I can see why Disney is trying to stop their employees from spoiling their movies and shows. However, when there were less projects and more control, Marvel were lauded as one of the best in the business at keeping secrets. The fact this is now jokingly reversed is both down to the MCU’s growth, and demand. As a result, Disney now employ so many subcontractors to complete effects work etc. I’m not sure what the answer is, but shutting down that sub will not help long term. It may plug a few holes though. There’s been less Star Wars leaks since the great post-Kenobi purge that I call Order 69.
Bye, bye r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers. You will be missed by some.
So, Disney goes after some MCU leakers on Reddit. As a result of legal proceedings a popular Marvel subreddit called r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers has had to close. As always, let us know what you think, if anything below?
