Investor Nelson Peltz, who wants to secure two seats on Disney’s board, faced criticism for his remarks about Disney’s efforts to include more women and minorities in movies. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, the 81-year-old businessman, who isn’t familiar with the media industry, questioned why films like ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Black Panther’ need to have all-female or all-Black casts. Peltz wondered aloud why these movies couldn’t feature diverse casts with both genders, expressing his opinion against exclusively female or Black-led Marvel films.

Why do I have to have a Marvel [movie] that’s all women? Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?

In recent years, there’s been a shift in the entertainment industry. While ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Black Panther’ don’t feature all-female or all-black casts, people like Peltz aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed the change. Some fans have criticized Marvel Studios for focusing more on female-led projects, dubbing it “M-SHE-U.” Similar mockery has been aimed at the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, also owned by Disney.

However, there’s another aspect to consider. Recently, movies like ‘Madame Web’ and ‘The Marvels,’ led by women, didn’t perform well at the box office. Some media outlets responded by criticizing misogyny in the entertainment industry and urging fans to improve. Interestingly, statistics for ‘The Marvels’ revealed that most of its audience was male.

Movies featuring female superheroes are not a recent phenomenon, and they’ve had significant success in the past. Examples include DCEU’s ‘Wonder Woman’ and MCU’s ‘Captain Marvel,’ both of which were both critical and box office hits. ‘Captain Marvel’ even earned over $1.1 billion. Got anything to add? Share your thoughts in the comments!