Top 10 Times Fans INSTANTLY Hated Something

“The Acolyte” (2024)

A significant portion of social media is ready to hate anything “Star Wars,” especially if it even remotely pushes the franchise in a more diverse direction. “The Acolyte” was thus the biggest target of the Disney era yet. While review bombing was inevitable, many still thought this prequel series had potential. How could it go wrong with Carrie-Anne Moss in a major role? Well, Moss’ character, Trinity… er, we mean, Indara, is immediately killed… and it’s a pretty lackluster defeat. Seriously, she couldn’t sense the other knife headed toward her? While Indara would appear in flashbacks, the direction they took her character and the Jedi Order only further enraged viewers who made it past one episode. Although not without defenders, the show’s cancellation surprised nobody.

“Halo” (2022-24)

A TV adaptation of the hit first-person shooter games sounded like a surefire success. Steven Spielberg was executive producing, the budget was sizable, and early footage suggested it would faithfully recreate the games’ aesthetic, right down to Master Chief’s suit. After Master Chief removed his helmet, the internet denounced Paramount+’s flagship show as a lost cause. Although the character hadn’t shown his face once in over 20 years, actor Pablo Schreiber argued, “You’re not going to be able to bring an audience along in a long-form story without having access to a character’s face.” To that, fans would say, “Really? Because the games are technically a long-form story and even in shows like ‘The Mandalorian,’ rarely seeing the protagonist’s face worked out fine.”

“The Walking Dead” (2010-22)

“The Walking Dead” Season 6 finale was frustrating for various reasons. The ending left us on a shameless cliffhanger, which was only made more obnoxious for comic book readers. Many already knew that Glenn would be on Lucille’s receiving end… unless the Season 7 premiere took the story in a new direction. And it did… kind of. Instead of selecting Glenn, Negan beats Abraham to death… first. Allow zero breathing room, the showrunners basically told us, “Ha, ha, just kidding! Glenn also dies!” As far as social media was concerned, the show’s credibility died with this fakeout, which subverted expectations while subsequently delivering exactly what everyone expected. If Glenn’s demise didn’t immediately make you rage quit, Carl’s death the following season would.

“Death Note” (2017)

“Death Note” has gained one of the most passionate followers in anime, even reaching audiences who don’t regularly watch Japanese animation. When a live-action film version was announced for Netflix, fans were cautiously optimistic at best. Virtually everyone turned sour with the casting announcement, namely Nat Wolff as Light. The internet was quick to accuse the film of whitewashing. Co-star Masi Oka, who’s Japanese, said that the casting directors “did an extensive search to get Asian actors,” but “the actors we did go to didn’t speak the perfect English.” This didn’t help, as fans had a hard time believing they couldn’t find any Asian or Asian-American actors to play Light. Once the film debuted, viewers found that Wolff’s casting was just one of numerous problems.

“Mass Effect 3” (2012)

“Mass Effect” was so close to completing a triple crown before fumbling at the last minute. In what was otherwise a phenomenal gaming experience, the trilogy’s final installment left us with a choice that truly wasn’t a choice at all. Your previous choices didn’t matter either. No matter how you chose to play, the protagonist you’ve spent hours developing is going to make a thankless sacrifice while the supporting cast you’ve grown to love is given little closure. EA tried doing damage control with an expansion that softened the blow, but didn’t fix the ending’s core issue: a lack of choice. EA’s reputation has yet to recover and we’re still waiting for another good “Mass Effect” game. We said a good game, “Andromeda!”

“Ghostbusters” (2016)

From the first trailer on YouTube to its IMDb rating, 2016’s “Ghostbusters” was torn apart before anyone saw it. Some, including a future U.S. president, couldn’t get past the notion of rebooting the franchise with an all-female cast. Not everyone who prematurely hit the dislike button was driven by sexism. Others boycotted the film because the original cast was relegated to cameos, playing new characters. Those who initially didn’t care either grew annoyed with the discourse or were compelled to defend the film if only to stick it to the haters. When the movie finally came out, the consensus was, “Eh, it wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t that good either.” While the instant hate might’ve been unwarranted, even defenders didn’t demand a sequel.

“Spider-Man: One More Day” (2007-08)

When it comes to superheroes, fans often look to the comics as sacred text. Even comics aren’t always as flawless as fans make them out to be, however. Anyone who has read “One More Day” will admit that. This infamous storyline undid years of development, reviving Aunt May, undoing Peter Parker’s marriage to Mary Jane, making Spider-Man’s true identity a secret again, and erasing the daughter Peter and MJ would’ve had. We understand the desire to restore the status quo, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do this. “One More Day” is the wrong way while “Spider-Man: No Way Home” got it right. It’s a rare case where a comic everyone instantly hated inspired a film that was almost universally beloved.

“Batman v[a] Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)

Remember when it was rumored Bryan Cranston might play Lex Luthor? Fans were excited to see Batman and Superman go up against Heinsberg, only to get stuck with Jesse Eisenberg. Okay, so a lot of great casting choices were initially hated. Internet fans ate their first words about Heath Ledger playing the Joker and if online communities were more prominent in the 80s, Michael Keaton’s Batman would’ve received the same treatment. Eisenberg didn’t defy expectations, though. If anything, his portrayal of the iconic supervillain was more far removed from what viewers anticipated. Even the biggest Zack Snyder apologists who will go to the grave proclaiming this movie as a misunderstood masterpiece have a tough time justifying Eisenberg’s awkward blend of Mark Zuckerberg meets Woody Woodpecker.

“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)

Although the final season had issues from the get-go, some “Game of Thrones” fans tried seeing the glass half full. That was until Daenerys emptied the glass, smashed the glass on our heads, and then tried replacing the glass with a Starbucks cup, hoping we wouldn’t notice the character assassination that just transpired. There was no overlooking Daenerys’ sudden shift from hero to villain, however. While the character wasn’t without morally gray moments in the past, her decision to incinerate King’s Landing felt less like a natural descent into madness and more like the showrunners wanted to wrap the series as abruptly as possible so they could develop a “Star Wars” movie that never got made. Unfortunately, a Change.org petition couldn’t undo Daenerys’ actions.

“Velma” (2023-)

In today’s online climate, it’s hard to tell when something legitimately deserves hate and when social media is just being hateful for the sake of being hateful. In the case of “Velma,” we aren’t going to act like racism and sexism weren’t huge factors in the review bombing. Of course, many shows have been review-bombed, including 2019’s “Watchmen.” That show nonetheless found a genuine following, drowning out the hate. This hasn’t been the case with “Velma.” By the first season’s conclusion, those willing to give the show a fair chance were generally turned off by its disrespect to the source material, overreliance on shock humor, and bizarre disdain for adults who watch cartoons (the supposed demographic). It’s the internet’s easiest punchline for good reason.

What immediately brought out your online hate? Have there been any cases where your initial instincts were proven wrong? Let us know in the comments.