Joss Whedon Responds to “Militant Feminist” Twitter Attack After ‘Avengers 2’ “Rape” Joke

Feminism is one of those concepts that seem simple enough on the surface, but gets all twisted up the deeper you look. It seems that there are very different versions of what feminism should be, and different rules for how to portray women in fiction, depending on who you ask. Joss Whedon has been praised by many for his strong female characters like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, some feminist have attacked the writer/director for his use of The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, and Tony Starks (Robert Downey Jr.) Prima Nocta (rape) joke. On Monday, following the US open of Avengers 2, Joss Whedon deleted his Twitter account. Many believe that this was because of the harsh backlash he received from “militant feminist.’ However, Joss has another explanation.

Prima Nocta was the "right" of the King to bed any female on her wedding night. This was seen by many to an inappropriate rape joke.

Joss Whedon has opened up to BuzzFeed about the rumors that he left Twitter, because of angry feminist:

“That is horsesh*t. Believe me, I have been attacked by militant feminists since I got on Twitter. That’s something I’m used to. Every breed of feminism is attacking every other breed, and every subsection of liberalism is always busy attacking another subsection of liberalism, because god forbid they should all band together and actually fight for the cause.”

Whedon went on to declare the real reason he left Twitter, adding:

“I just thought, Wait a minute, if I’m going to start writing again, I have to go to the quiet place. And this is the least quiet place I’ve ever been in my life. … It’s like taking the bar exam at Coachella. It’s like, Um, I really need to concentrate on this! Guys! Can you all just… I have to… It’s super important for my law!”

As for the feminist backlash, Whedon added that is a side effect of having a cause, stating:

“I’ve said before, when you declare yourself politically, you destroy yourself artistically. Because suddenly that’s the litmus test for everything you do -- for example, in my case, feminism. If you don’t live up to the litmus test of feminism in this one instance, then you’re a misogynist. It circles directly back upon you.”

What do you make of Whedon’s comments? Do you the Prima Nocta joke was out of line? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.