Joss Whedon is being criticised for his defence of the allegations made against him by Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher.
On Monday (17 January), the writer-director finally addressed accusations of toxic misconduct on the set of Justice League and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which have shattered his reputation since 2020.
Fisher, who played Cyborg in Justice League, was the first to speak out against the director.
Wonder Woman actor Gadot also spoke about her “issues” with Whedon, telling Israeli channel N12: ”He kind of threatened my career and said if I did something, he will make sure my career is miserable.”
In response to this, Whedon brushed off the criticism while speaking to New York Magazine, stating that Gadot “misunderstood” him as “English is not her first language”.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Avengers: Age of Ultron director denied claims made against him by Fisher, describing him as a “malevolent force” and “a bad actor in two senses”
The interview has been widely criticised, with many saying it’s not the victory Whedon likely views it to be.
Gadot herself shut down Whedon for his suggestion that she couldn’t understand him.
Many accused Whedon’s response of being “xenophobic”, with one Twitter user writing: “I don’t understand why he thinks saying any of this was a good idea.”
Twitter user @TheCSReed added: “Can we talk about the xenophobia in @joss’s quote here. English isn’t her first language so she’s a liar who misunderstood me.”
One other person wrote: “There’s skating on thin ice and then there’s setting the ice on fire beneath your feet. Whedon is actually gaslighting himself and thinks we are going to fall for it.”
“He’s dug himself an even bigger hole,” another said of the interview
Variety’s Senior Entertainment Writer, Adam B Vary, wrote: called the piece a “thoroughly reported and well-written story about Joss Whedon, his rise as a geek god and how his many demons have now effectively obliterated his career”.
In the interview, Whedon, who created Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse, said that he thinks he’s one of the “nicer showrunners that’s ever been”.
