Not really a “fandom”, but Science Fiction. My two most controversial takes:
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In Alien 3, Hicks and Newt had to die in order to thematically be an Alien film. Alien (the original trilogy) was always Ripley’s story; a woman who has had everything taken away from her and ends up an outsider where the only real touchstone left to her is the very xenomorph that she battles. In Alien, she’s an outcast among the crew. In Aliens, she’s a civilian amongst a bunch of mega-macho mercenaries. In Alien 3, she’s a female among male prisoners. Thematically, Ripley simply can’t have an ensemble cast around her at the beginning or the end of each film. Fincher understood that.
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In Blade Runner (before future movies retconned it), not only is Deckard a replicant, he’s a very specific replicant. Gaff was the original Blade Runner on the case, and he got wounded in the leg during the escaped Replicant’s first attempt at getting into the Tyrell Corporation. Supposedly one of them got fried going through an electric fence, but in reality, that replicant was captured and reprogrammed with Gaff’s life; Gaff’s memories in order to continue the investigation. Meanwhile, Gaff himself is forced to babysit this “replacement” that everyone else thinks can do just a good a job as he can, and so he’s bitter about it through the whole film and taunts the replicant with cryptic hints about his memories.
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Furry. As for how controversial this is, I couldn’t give a definitive answer, but if you are fursuiting, do your best within your limits to always keep your head on, regardless of the situation. At the very least keep that head on when in a furry con and don’t ever take it off unless it’s an emergency, you are in the headless lounge, or are somewhere where it doesn’t matter if you ruin the magic, like a hotel room or somewhere outside the con. The head is the bare minimum you should be wearing of a suit. And I don’t see a fursuit as a status symbol but more of a fandom obligation to adhere to that type of usage.
Otherwise, it’s either that, or that people need to stop buying things like those cheap Halloween animal masks and sprucing them up because that signals to greedy corporations that they can waltz in here and start stealing the jobs of fursuit creators. How? By eventually just cutting the middle man and stealing their designs and printing cheap copies that the younglings will have their parents buy instead of originals, pushing creators to charge more. It’s a vicious cycle I don’t wanna see happen, like we have been seeing for regular fursuits.
I don’t really have a fandom… It’s just a never-ending string of temporary hyperfixations, although some of them do get reruns.
But hmm, what about:
- Synthesis is the best Mass Effect ending, or
- Chloe Decker is the worst character in Lucifer, and there is zero chemistry in Deckerstar, or
- Dragon Age 2 is the best DA game.
I really love Ghostbusters, as in the first film, not as in anything that’s in the universe.
I thought Afterlife was awful.
Webcomics I guess?
It’s the one niche interest I have the most often online discussion about
Blakes 7, but its hard to think of a genuine controversial take that isn’t just disagreeing with crusty old misogynists.
Ironically, I think I’m going to come to the partial defence of a writer that many perceive as a misogynist.
I think Ben Steed is more of a chauvinist, but I dont see him as a misogynist. There is a recurring theme of burly men mishandling women, but aside from the first occasion it is pretty clearly depicted as an objectionable and awful thing. (One of the men in question is literally called Grose for crying out loud).
Steed had an utterly fascinating insight into the overreliance and fixation on technology, and more specifically computers that do the thinking for people, that feels so shockingly relevant in today’s society.
I think it’s just a real shame that he also had an obsession with battle of the sexes as a theme, and that tends to get in the way of deconstructing person vs machine. Its at its worst in his third and final story, which includes a pretty grim metaphor for female circumcision that seems to get ignored by the ‘hero’ once it provides a ‘solution’ to a problem for him.
Tl;dr, Ben Steed more chauvinist than misogynist, lets it get in the way of genuinely fascinating commentaries on AI ahead of his time.
Not exactly a fandom but more of a sub/counterculture identity- the punk movement. It’s not a monolith, it’s not dogmatic, but it is pretty well defined that it’s a leftist movement. Some punks express that through solidarity and unity with other likeminded and values holding individuals that share beliefs but don’t consider themselves personally to be punk, some are utter anarchists to the point their self-expression is self-destruction, some enjoy the music and ideals but don’t commit to it as if it’s a full lifestyle and not appreciating the art of artists’ whose style and message they enjoy.
It’s also fueled by youth and living in the present, not forgetting the fights that came before but confronting the wrongs of society right now, as they are. There’s always been older folks in the scene, even in the early years, but now it’s a 50yr old counterculture with folks who grew up after it began, have lived through a couple of cycles of relevancy, and have children they raised in it when they themselves found it as a source of teenage rejection of their parents.
We have a problem of revisionist history. Punk and feminism and Pride have always gone hand in hand, but it wasn’t always a perfect road. We’ve had predators, “gay is okay but be gay over there”, and it’s been a fairly white, male dominated scene, especially the most successful and influential. Some of the earliest founders wore swastikas for shock value, and while that got nixed pretty quick, it’s still an example of “we’ve made some poor decisions for the sake of rebellion”. Which is fine, it doesn’t mean sweep it under the rug or pretend like those times didn’t happen, it means reflect on the who/what/when/where/why and decide from the actions of that person then and going forward after being confronted about it- did they make a choice to do better and move on in a better way.
Punk seems to blossom when the youth born on the cusp of a “generation” come into their teens, Gen Jones fueled 1st wave, Xennials are the Warped Generation, Zillenials are American Idiots, and Zalphas who’ve basically grown up under this regime are showing up in increasing numbers. Each comes with a different perspective even if we tend to agree on the bigger picture, but we also have gatekeepers who have forgotten nothing lasts forever and it wasn’t always “better back in the day”, and youth who, while fighting the fight as best they can, try and fight a certain fight we’ve tried before and lost because that method doesn’t win, or the win is temporary and the system will adapt before we can lock in the change. We’re also not fighting Regan/Thatcher/W type conservatives who want to maintain the system anymore, we’re up against regressives that are breaking it to achieve something far worse. We might have been calling them Nazis for the past five decades but they were Diet Fascism. Here’s the real deal, and I’m sorry we couldn’t stop it, kid, but we’re still around and we got your back as best we can.
Biggest hot-take on the scene- battlejackets don’t have to be bands only, and they don’t have to be the most obscure bands to be legit. It what you like, and if it’s a bunch of handmade slogans and virtue signaling, so what. As long as the wearer lives the slogans they’re fronting and strives to make the virtue they signal a reality, who gives a shit. The act of constructing your jacket is your dedication. Giving feedback on construction and suggestions on design are fine if they ask, not everyone has been taught how to sew or knows how to paint/dye fabric. But unless they’re bigots appropriating the style or bought all their patches off Temu… eh, we all had a hodgepodge of statements and opinions when we were 15 and figuring ourselves out. And it’s not like those of us over 40 have our shit together or without slip-ups and skeletons, hopefully we’ve amended and strive to do better.
and it’s been a fairly white, male dominated scene
It’s weird to me that such a progressive movement has not progressed much in this regard…
Been going to shows since the early 90s and as a visible minority, i still stick out like a sore thumb at punk shows in 2026
and to be clear i’m not accusing anyone of racism or whatever. Clearly the music promotes anti-racism, anti-facism, etc… so what is it about the scene that makes it so unappealing to some of the marginalized groups that the scene seeks to defend? It’s baffled me for years
Just my thoughts as someone who came of age in the 90s era as well. Punk has long relied on the idea of violence and aggression, antagonism and “fuck authority” as a mindset. It’s not always as violent as it talks, but it is also far more violent physically than average social norms and is fueled by adolescent male machismo, rule breaking, and recklessness. It’s got codes, social etiquette, unspoken rules, and a message, but since most youth coming into punk, particularly in the 90s, are not emotionally and mentally adults, it’s kind of a wild and dangerous environment sometimes. Plus there’s alcohol, drugs, bad actors, and real violence. Some times it’s idealistic, sometimes it’s edgy, sometimes it’s legit.
When 90s punk hit the mainstream it found its way into suburbia, where, like gangster rap, people singing about inner city violence were now talking to white picket fence kids who’d by and large never seen such violence. But it pissed their parents off and the flocked to Warped Tour in droves. This is where punk split into “listening to the message” and “here for the summer” crowds. The jocks and preppies that popped in a tourists were still assholes, and going to a show where you’d expect the crowd to be welcoming based off the band’s message but find trust funders still spouting their dad’s bigotry and treating a circle pit like football practice; I can see why minorities, women, and LGBTQ found it not as safe as it presents itself.
It wasn’t just the poseurs either. Justin Geever did incredible damage to the credibility of the scene by spending decades singing about respect for women while using his reputation to rape fans. He’s among the worst, but the “16 is old enough” attitude was prevalent at Warped and is the reason a lot of the early 00s emo/pop punk bands are never going to make a comeback. Homophobia was also at a crux. There were a lot of us who loved and embraced our queer friends, didn’t care, but still joked and made snarky comments, we appreciated them but we hadn’t come to appreciate our manner of interacting was residue from our parents’ lessons and basically we were dicks. Not a lot of 90s punks grew up with punk parents, we had the opposite, so our adolescence was a constant struggle of figuring out what we were unwittingly holding on to that was shit lessons from our childhood and how to actually be the people we wanted to be. If I were a minority I can see why punk has failed to produce a multiethnic tossed salad instead of white, male dominated. I can see why women don’t entirely trust the scene.
I do think one of the biggest changes in the past decade or so is open LGBTQ representation in the scene. My best friend came out quietly and privately in the 90s, but the nature of society at that point meant he wasn’t comfortable being totally out. I have know for decades I’m bi but didn’t come out until my late 30s, and still I don’t talk about it irl much. Both of us were still advocating for years. Now it’s paid off. Queer youth seem to be less cautious about being open about who they are when they come out in public, and I’m glad we were a part of the history of the scene that made it possible.
There’s also demographics. I grew up in state that is incredibly white majority, Hispanic our second largest, and almost no percentage of everything else. We were consistently 70% white, 30% Hispanic, and Ghost, the one black dude, and Ninja, the one Asian dude (side note, we called him Ninja because he literally dressed like a ninja at every show and hid in the shadows to film everything). I’ve noticed that legacy acts still tend to be the old mix, but bands with members half my age draw far more diverse crowds. There’s some good up and comers but nobody of this gen has become the new Bad Religion, NOFX, Dropkick, Bouncing Souls, or Green Day, so punk is still a bit dependent on nostalgia (which would appear to still be relevant to youth audiences) and while it’s resurging, hasn’t yet hit the apex we got in our youth.
When 90s punk hit the mainstream it found its way into suburbia, where, like gangster rap, people singing about inner city violence were now talking to white picket fence kids who’d by and large never seen such violence.
i feel personally attacked lol
Thank you for your long form deep dive… i think your points about the machismo make sense and lack of emotional maturity really hits home for me
The jocks and preppies that popped in a tourists were still assholes, and going to a show where you’d expect the crowd to be welcoming based off the band’s message
definitely saw the jocks and rich kids but overall i never felt unwelcomed at shows… and in hindsight, we shouldnt be judging them as tourists and assholes… we all just immature kids looking for a place to belong.
A lot to digest. Thanks again
40k I approve of female Space Marines.
What about male Sisters of Battle?
Homestuck. 'Nuff said.
Actually I do have a Harry Potter view. Everyone who likes slitheren must be an asshole. That house has no redeeming story arc at all. They are just “the bad guys” if you relate to that house the most you must be a crappy person.
The fact that certain characters are inherently just evil underlines how childish the books were. The author wrote these stereotypical villains as coded as marginalized groups (fat, racialized or queer) and a generation enthusiastically nodded along. Don’t push against the natural order because slaves enjoy being slaves. The heroes are always heroes because even if they do the literal same exact actions as the villains, they aren’t overweight so it’s for hypocritically described as heroic.
Here you are citing this bigoted text to claim others are categorically crappy people, which only demonstrates your uncritical acceptance of those biases as “fact” and anyone who disagrees with you as inherently a lesser form of person.
My controversial take is Potterheads will ignore the real life explicit bigotry of the author so they can continue to cite her bigoted fiction as bigoted fact. You’re all far too old to be talking this childishly.
A character is simply defined as evil and a person wants to be that. Thats problematic to me. Nothing childish about it. The books aren’t a grand timeless masterpiece. You let a children’s book author live rent free in your head. You’re barking up the wrong tree with me buddy. I also like the works of lovecraft. Was he a cool dude? No. Was he a great writer? No, he sucked at writing. The stories are intriguing. I have the ability to judge a work separately from the source. You scolding people for enjoying a book as children. Grow up.
I also like the works of lovecraft. Was he a cool dude? No. Was he a great writer? No, he sucked at writing.
Leaving out the most important factor. Lovecraft is long since dead, unlike Rowling who is alive and is devoting her considerable financial and social resources to explicit bigotry.
Not a great example.
You scolding people for enjoying a book as children. Grow up.
Nope, I read the books as a kid too. There is nothing wrong with a child not understanding the nuance of what their reading. I’m scolding an adult who is old enough to know better yet is citing the books as a indicator of morality.
I think you’re overthinking it. I didn’t take away a hatred of Jews just because goblins were just stereotypes. It’s not that easy to sway a child. I wasn’t imagining them as Jews. It’s fine.
So you didn’t come away with a hatred of Goblins as a Jewish stereotype you just think someone is a crappy person if they relate to the characters? Interesting.
Come to think of it I read the books in the library and pirated the movies. I didn’t even financially contribute to her.
Back before I stopped everything with that entirely, me and twin would take those “which house are you” quizzes and twin always got slytherin. It upset twin a lot! We decided it helped for twin to think they had to protect my hufflepuff ass.
Note that the books really only cover a few individuals from the house. Pretty much everybody else is ignored, just like the majority of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.
True but huffle puff and ravenclaw have nice things said about them, and the characters they show aren’t “the bad guys “ even the founder of slytherin was “a bad guy “
I think you are mostly right, but I have known a few people where it was more like them cosplaying as an asshole for the roleplay. Still, you’re right, if you legitimately see yourself as that, then wff
Not to get too Matt Damon or anything, but I’m an unapologetic Weezer fan. And I’ll say that I think they released their strongest album after Blue 20 years into their career with Everything Will be Alright in the End.
As a 50 year old, Pinkerton has become so cringy and uncomfortable to listen to. I won’t say it isn’t still a great album, but ugh.
Robotech / Macross
Both the original Japanese edition and the American adaptation are equally good.
I love Sailor Moon. I know that it is an important franchise for the LGBTQ community. But I disagree with the popular takes that claim that all the seshis are bisexual/pansexual. I won’t hate on anyone’s ship either, but seeing every hug of two characters as proof that there is romantic/sexual chemistry between them is not only tiring but puts it into a light where any kind of physical touch or emotional connection between two people has to be romantic or sexual and cannot be platonic, friendship based, or simple kindness. It has an “oh look Timmy is hugging Susie he must have a crush on her haha!” energy that tainted tons of friendships in my youth.
I think part of that annoyance comes with the fact that there are canonically very gay characters in the franchise already. Two senshis are literally lesbians. They include a third one (non sexually tho) in a rainbow family construct to raise a reborn senshi. You have gender switching senshis. It is quite versatile as it is. For what it’s worth, I am talking about characters who canonically have straight love interests in the main story or in some side story.
But that being said, if you find strength, support, or comfort in your headcanon and interpretation of any fictional character being a closeted gay, that’s obviously great and more power to you. If this is what you need in your life that’s absolutely fine.
Well, my wife’s fandom is My Hero Academia and my most controversial opinion on it is that All Might should have died in the USJ incident at the end of season 1. He was pretty useless anyway after that, and it would have been a great “holy shit” moment that would have motivated Midoriya more.
Most in the fandom don’t agree. I stand by it.
Excellent take, couldn’t agree more
I was never super into it, but now thinking about it… Why did he stay around? I guess i always just assumed he’d make a comeback ir something
Well, the reason All Might stuck around is kinda spoilery, it’s revealed in the last season. But it’s also not really plot crucial. In the last season, we learn that Midoriya no longer really reveres All Might. He did when he was younger, but since he’s inherited his power and made it his own, he now has his own goals and ideals. He still wants what All Might wanted, to be a Symbol of Peace, but there’s more to it. He outright states that Uraraka is his hero because she’s kind of an underdog and she fights for reasonable things, for personal goals. She goes above and beyond, but she isn’t over the top like some of them (and not just Bakugo). Also, All Might reveals that Midoriya is his hero now, because Midoriya carries his own power. So, that’s why All Might stuck around, he was genuinely concerned for Midoriya’s advancement.
He was never really gonna make a comeback since he was getting worse and worse. He did, however, come back a little in a Batman or James Bond sense with a bunch of gear. It was cool to see but was a little extra and kind of unnecessary. So I stand by my assertion that Horikoshi should have killed him off.
Agreed
Not sure if this counts but I like clowns. Not party clowns. Professional cirque de solie kind of clowns.
The controversial view: only crappy clowns talk. Real clowns don’t talk. No that doesn’t make them a mime. Clowns can have sound elements in their routine just no voice. I will die on this hill!
