The Internet Isn’t Buying the Pedro Pascal Hate Campaign

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A flurry of tweets claiming that Fantastic Four actor Pedro Pascal has gotten too close with his co-star Vanessa Kirby aren’t really landing with a lot of social media users.

While promoting the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pascal and Kirby’s affectionate moments have garnered plenty of attention. Kirby even commented on a viral hand-holding moment that happened between them at 2024’s Comic-Con in San Diego.

“What happened is we were both incredibly nervous going out in front of thousands of people who love this comic,” Kirby told Vanity Fair. “He wanted me to know that we were in this together, and I found it a lovely gesture and was very glad to squeeze his hand back.”

As this year’s promotional tour went into full swing, Kirby and Pascal shared plenty of other cute moments, including when he taught her the meaning of the word “cunty.” Their closeness, however, has come under intense scrutiny in the last few weeks, with some people claiming that Pascal is too “handsy” both with her and some of his other female co-stars.

“How does Pedro Pascal get away with heavily petting his female costars, in Hollywood of all places, after the entire industry was upended over MeToo several years ago?” wrote one person, in a post that has garnered almost nine million views.

The backlash has also garnered headlines from a variety of media outlets, including Kotaku and Page Six.

Aside from the release of Fantastic Four, this anti-Pascal sentiment seems to coincide with international coverage of his escalating defense of trans people. Pascal had previously dodged allegations of misogyny when he called J.K. Rowling’s donations to anti-trans causes “heinous loser behavior” in April. While speaking to Vanity Fair about that backlash in June, Pascal doubled down and continued to defend trans people.

“It’s a situation that deserves the utmost elegance so that something can actually happen, and people will actually be protected,” he said. “Listen, I want to protect the people I love. But it goes beyond that. Bullies make me fucking sick.”

Shortly after his bullying comment became public, Rowling and anti-trans tennis legend Martina Navratilova both accused Pascal, once again, of silencing women’s voices. Responding to a headline that framed Pascal as having quieted the Harry Potter author, Rowling tweeted, “Can’t say I feel very shut down, but keep at it, Pedro,” Rowling said, referencing the headline claiming Pascal had shut Rowling down. “God loves a trier.”

Shortly after, Navratilova, using the same screenshot Rowling had, tweeted “Another Johnny Come Lately telling women to STFU.”

While there is no definitive proof the two trends are related, many people on social media have noticed that the Pascal backlash seems to coincide with his vocal support for transgender people.

“The Pedro Pascal hate campaign that suddenly sprung up over night has got to be the most obviously coordinated and botted attack I’ve ever seen,” wrote one person on social media. “It’s literally the Superman monkey meme incarnate,” they continued, referencing an army of monkeys meant to foment hate for the eponymous caped crusader in the latest Superman film.

Several people seem to believe that the Pascal criticism is the product of bot farms, just as some speculated that much of the anti-Amber Heard online sentiment was the product of bots meant to sway public opinion.

Several tweets specifically used a recent Pascal interview against him. Pascal had previously mentioned in Men’s Health that he used engagement with others as a way to ward off his own anxiety. Coincidentally, many of the bots seemed to be poking fun at Pascal’s anxiety and implying that he was using it as an excuse to touch female co-stars.

Fellow Marvel star Simu Liu seemed to tweet in support of Pascal over the weekend, as well, though he didn’t name the Eddington actor specifically.

“Manufactured hate for someone simply because they’re experiencing a moment of extreme visibility (ie a press tour they’re contractually obligated to do) is really fucking boring,” Liu said. Several people in the replies surmised he was speaking about Pascal, as did the celebrity news subreddit Fauxmoi.

While Pascal’s actions might be under the microscope right now, it’s clear that they are not passing the internet sniff test, and that he won’t stop defending his trans sister Lux or Protecting the Dolls any time soon.