Disney investor Nelson Peltz Criticizes ‘Woke’ Marvel Films That Keep Bombing

Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz is calling out The Walt Disney Company's propensity for wokeness as he battles with CEO Bob Iger for control over the company.

Peltz — who already has a $3.5 billion stake in the entertainment giant — is campaigning for two seats on the company's board.

One of the things in his crosshairs if he gains more control? The unmitigated wokeness that has tanked the last few years' worth of Disney films, specifically the once surefire Marvel movies.

In an interview with Financial Times, Peltz talked about Disney's habit of cranking out movies dripping with identity politics.

"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?" he said.

First of all, did we ever think we'd arrive at a time when octogenarian billionaires are lamenting the casting decisions of Marvel movies? I sure didn't. But it's such an obvious failure on Disney's part that it has to be mentioned.

While there were probably more than a few ways to word that better than Peltz did, his criticism holds water. 

Investor Nelson Peltz slammed Disney's habit of going some which is quite clearly not translating to box office success. (Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Peltz Is Right That Disney Is Headed Down The Wrong Path

He alluded to the recent film The Marvels, which is now quite famously a bomb in every sense of the word. That movie featured characters hardly anyone knows (I saw a guy outside a theater point at the poster and say to his grandson, "There's Wonder Woman", and given Disney's recent track record, you just knew the flick would continue the trend of putting a social agenda instead of a compelling movie.

Peltz is a businessman and is strictly looking at the situation from that perspective, and he has obviously picked up on the great irony of this kind of "inclusivity".  That is the way it paradoxically promotes exclusivity, which in turn means lower box office returns.

That's especially dumb since for over a decade, Disney's Marvel movies ruled at the box office. Now, they've had numerous flops.

"[Disney] say we [Trian Partners] know nothing about the movie business – we don’t claim we do – but I don’t think they do, with five big losers in a row," Peltz said, per The Independent.

"They’ve lost first place in animation, they’ve lost first place in features. Maybe it’s time to change management in those divisions."

Tough to argue that. It's no secret that Disney has lost its fastball when it comes to feature films.

Disney has yet to realize something that Peltz has firmly grasped. 

"People go to watch a movie or a show to be entertained," he explained. "They don’t go to get a message."