Understanding the Joss Whedon Abuse Controversy

In 2017, Joss Whedon’s ex-wife, Kai Cole, wrote a detailed blog post accusing him of infidelity and hypocrisy regarding his self-professed feminist ideals. Despite the seriousness of these accusations, it wasn’t until July 2020 that Whedon began to face claims of abusive behavior on set from people who had worked with him.

Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in the 2017 film “Justice League,” took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to voice his grievances. He described Whedon’s treatment of the cast and crew as “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.” Fisher also mentioned that Whedon’s behavior was enabled by Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, who were then serving as DC Entertainment president and Warner Bros. co-president of production, respectively.

In 2021, Fisher offered more details about Whedon’s actions on the set of “Justice League.” He alleged that the director made racially motivated changes to Zack Snyder’s original script. According to Fisher, Whedon eliminated crucial aspects of Cyborg’s backstory, including his relationship with his late mother. This narrative was later restored in the Snyder Cut of the film. “It represents that his parents are two genius-level Black people,” Fisher told The Hollywood Reporter, emphasizing the rarity of such representation. The actor further accused Whedon of arrogance and dismissiveness when cast members questioned the numerous script revisions.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter