If you follow any movie journalist on Twitter, chances are you’ve seen an uprising byDC Comicsfans who have becoming more and more agitated by all the bad reviewsBatman V Supermanhas gotten since its release this past March. Fan outrage against critics is nothing new, but this current batch of detractors has taken it to the next level. They are angry and prone to threatening violence. But one individual took it a step too far today when he threatened to kill one particular journalist, issuing his statement with an emoji of a woman and a gun pointed at her head.
While most of these threats aren’t being taken seriously, this is one of the uglier tirades to rise up in recent weeks. The man in question has no problem giving his full name,Kevin Valeem. His remarks were shared by journalistClarke Wolfe, who quickly Tweeted about this threat against her onInstagram. She explained that it was because she gaveMan of Steela bad review. Here’s what the threat initially said before it was removed.
“You fcking fake btch ass whre, no wonder you got fired from AMC. How can you not like Man of Steel!?! BvS is fair to acknowledge it has some problems, BUT Man of Steel!?! That movie is a fucking masterpiece! If I ever see you in Burbank, I will fucking kill you bitch!”
As we mentioned above, this threat was earmarked by a gun emoji, indicating just what type of threat this was. While it may have been a joke onKevin Valeem’s part, this is not being taken lightly, as these kinds of threats are no laughing matter. Especially with such a rise ingun violenceandshooting spreessweeping across America.
Clarke Wolfe, who currently works for Nerdist Industries and is also a freelance journalist, actor and Podcast host, didn’t hesitate to file a threat against her would-be attacker. She thanked her fans for support in the matter, and said this about the situation.
“I have filed apolice reportregarding the threat that was made against me this morning and the detective I worked with was very helpful. I can see that online harassment, violent language, and serious threats are something that a lot of you take seriously and condemn, as do I. Unfortunately, I am not the first person that I know to receive a threat on their life or their body for discussing a topic - pop culture, entertainment, politics and others - publicly. You all proved to be incredibly powerful by using your voice to say, ‘This is wrong and went over the line.’ I cannot thank you enough for that. But I know that we’ve all been there on comment boards, social media, or even in real life, where this type of language is used in varying degrees. What I would say is please do not stop using your voice to stand up for people being bullied or threatened. It makes a difference to the people being bullied, and hopefully, to the bullies themselves, We’ve heard it time and time again: words matter. And they do. The bad ones, and the good.”
At this time, it isn’t known what type of action is being taken againstKevin Valeemfor his threat. But the police are taking it very seriously. The man’s Instagram and Facebook accounts have been removed. Though, you may still see his photo in the tweet below. Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of these threats shared on social media by fans who are outraged that critics and other audience members didn’t likeBatman V Superman, and they have been especially defensive about the movies that make up DC’s Cinematic Universe.
Right now, these threats may seem minor. But as we’ve seen in the news over the past few years, it’s not beyond someone to kill for these exact reasons. So it’s not merely a joke, as some ofClarke Wolfe’s detractors might suggest. A quick google search forBatman V Supermanon Tweeter will show that these threats are running rampant. This one seemed more serious than most.
