Wow. Thanos really does control the universe. Netflix just started streaming Avengers: Infinity War on Christmas Day, but it wasn't quite received with a loving embrace. First, there were issues finding the title on Netflix. Then, when fans did find it, some took issue with the description of Thanos as a "sociopath." Apparently Netflix changed the description for a few fans, labeling Thanos a "so-called savior."
Really?
Here is the original Netflix synopsis for Avengers: Infinity War:
Superheroes amass to stop intergalactic sociopath Thanos from acquiring a full set of Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe.
For the record, that is still what I see on my screen. But some fans took to Twitter to complain that Thanos was not a "sociopath," asking Netflix to change the description. Comicbook documented some of those tweets, and later revealed the streamer's updated description for the MCU movie:
Invader. Annihilator. So-called savior. As Thanos moves ever closer to omnipotence, the fate of the universe rests with the Avengers.
Comicbook shared a screenshot showing that is indeed what was posted, whether just for a select group or only for a limited time. Either way, I don't see it.
But Netflix clearly bowed to some Team Thanos pressure out there. Heck, maybe the Russo Brothers nudged them to do it. This seems like their kind of fun fan trolling. And there are definitely Thanos defenders out there, arguing that he had a point in snapping away half the population to achieve supply-and-demand balance. I'm particularly fond of a Quora thread asking "How would you defend Thanos if you were his attorney?"
At any rate, Team Thanos scored a minor victory with that Netflix description change, for whoever can see it when they log in.
But that's another issue. Fans expected Avengers: Infinity War to have prominence when they logged into Netflix, but instead they had to search around for it. Netflix addressed the issue, pointing out that it's also just for U.S. viewers, which ticked off the international users:
All this Thanos worship! So U.S. fans who couldn't find Avengers: Infinity War were mad. International fans who didn't have it available were mad. Team Thanos fans were mad. And now those of us who are pretty darn sure Thanos is actually a (fictional, but still) sociopath are not mad, but we're just shaking our heads at this world.
The insanity will continue with Avengers: Endgame, which arrives in theaters April 26, 2019. If you're curious about what Thanos is up to post-Decimation, he's apparently just chilling. Maybe Netflix and chilling at this point, chuckling as he watches his children defend him online.
Here's what else is headed to theaters in the very busy 2019 season, and here's what else you can find on Netflix. If you can actually find it.
