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Overshadowed By Controversy Cleanup

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Overshadowed by Controversy has several examples, particularly under the Fan Works, Webcomics, and Web Original folders, that don't fit the trope as described. The controversy is supposed to overshadow the work, so if it doesn't do that it shouldn't count as a valid example.

The media folders, such as Anime or Western Animation, could also use a look, as some entries deal with shows, while others deal with actors, fans, or creators. Additionally, some of the entries are not controversial anymore or are not known enough to overshadow the show completely, and others seem closer to Never Live It Down.

Some examples even point out that the controversy was debunked or died down eventually, which doesn't fit the trope, as well as examples saying things like "time will tell if [x] can recover." I originally tried the Real-Life cleanup section, and then a TRS thread, but I hope this is the right section to help us clean up this trope's examples. ^^

MOD NOTE: For something to be overshadowed by controversy; it has to have a significant, arguably overwhelming impact on that work/creator/thing that’s provable by pointing to actual evidence beyond social media likes or a news report. The controversy has to be bigger than the thing for it to overshadow the thing.

For a work, did it bomb directly due to the controversy? Was it pulled from shelves or streaming services? Nothing like this? Then it most likely doesn’t count.

For a creator, did they lose their job/get banned or lose all of their sponsorships or are unable to get any work directly due to the controversy? Did they at least retire directly because of the controversy? Nothing like this? Then it most likely doesn’t count.

Valid examples would be people like Gina Carano or Louie CK. As they were both fired and black listed for their controversies. Or Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are now more known for those controversies than their actual careers. Clearly being overshadowed by it.

If only chronically online people like us are going to be aware of something, it definitely doesn’t count. The controversy has to be so big that even people who are rarely online or know very little about something, would still have heard of the controversy.

Edited by kory on Oct 4th 2025 at 10:21:54 AM

VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#3876: Jul 25th 2023 at 5:07:44 AM

Well I've heard of the controversy.

I question whether "some people" in this particular instance constitutes weasel words, but whatever, here's a redraft.

Overshadowed by Controversy: This episode is known less for its portrayal of transgenderism than for the immense backlash over it.

Ukrainian Red Cross
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#3877: Jul 25th 2023 at 5:19:25 AM

[up] I wouldn’t use the term “transgenderism” — the alt-right use that word a lot to delegitimize being trans. I’m not saying you agree with that ideology, just to be careful with wording.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#3878: Jul 25th 2023 at 9:35:56 AM

Is that really OBC though? It reads as the episode being controversial for being controversial as an episode, not for any outside factors or drama. We don't want examples that involve the work being overshadowed by itself, which includes people being mad at the way it portrayed Trans People.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
RayKVega423 Ray from small rural town in Central USA Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Ray
#3879: Jul 26th 2023 at 12:26:14 AM

Should Rovio be included in OBC video game section? They definitely got a lot of flak for removing Angry Bird mobile games among other fan favorites such as Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Rio and they did bring back the original (well, more like the remake of the og Angry Birds), only to remove them from Google Play Store and rename it to "Red's First Flight" a year later, which obviously made lot of people pretty ticked off. I don't know nor do I remember if Rovio is accused of other things though, but them removing their AB games from app stores seem to sour their reputation.

dope slaps you* HEY GET BACK TO WORK! We got a dead body
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#3880: Jul 26th 2023 at 1:52:06 AM

[up][up]I agree with Warjay, "Quagmire's Dad" is all about trans people and jokes at their expense, so it's just inherently controversial.

[up]That sounds like just a controversial decision, as Rovio isn't well known to the public beyond Angry Birds (I had to look it up to see what else they did if anything, lol) and Angry Birds is still a franchise remembered for different things beyond just the game removals.

Edited by mightymewtron on Jul 26th 2023 at 4:53:29 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
IvanovTroping97 Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#3881: Jul 26th 2023 at 2:57:21 AM

I've been debating whether or not Saints Row (2022) should be included in the OBC video games section. Volition said that the reboot promised to be Revisiting the Roots of the Saints Row franchise, but the announcement trailer alienated many Saints Row fans, and Volition went into Dear Negative Reader mode by badmouthing people who were unhappy with the reboot's direction, including allegedly referring to fans of the first two Saints Row games as "terrorists". It got to the point where Embracer Group, the parent company of Deep Silver, who published Volition's games since Saints Row IV, announced that Volition will soon be part of Gearbox Software, another company under Embracer Group's umbrella.

Though, I feel that that the "controversy" of the Saints Row reboot mainly stems from its poor marketing rather than being an Obvious Beta.

Edited by IvanovTroping97 on Jul 26th 2023 at 1:18:44 PM

KUnlimited Since: Sep, 2020
#3882: Jul 26th 2023 at 3:38:28 AM

[up]I feel like it's mostly remembered for being a mediocre game, not for any controversies (the developers being moved to another division is more likely because the game just underperformed). You yourself even put "controversy" in quotes. Besides, I've never heard about the alleged badmouthing.

Avatar by Butterscotch Arts. Used under license.
IvanovTroping97 Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#3883: Jul 26th 2023 at 3:47:19 AM

[up]Well, the marketing did contribute to the game's underperformance.

And, for Volition's record, they made a "haters gonna hate" tweet to mock the fans who disliked the announcement trailer, only to then remove the tweet and apologize, but the damage was done by that point.

Edited by IvanovTroping97 on Jul 26th 2023 at 9:50:55 PM

TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#3884: Jul 26th 2023 at 8:54:13 AM

[up][up] I’ve heard the game was abhorrent rather than mediocre. I’ve considered taking the Play the Game, Skip the Story entry on the YMMV page to the locked pages thread on access of me never seeing anyone say anything nice about the gameplay.

Once Upon A Time.
SkylaNoivern Since: Sep, 2016
#3885: Jul 27th 2023 at 11:41:26 AM

I recall the Saints Row reboot being panned immensely for being a buggy mess that didn't appeal to anyone, but a lot of the "controversy" surrounding it was from "anti-woke" critics. I never heard of the Dear Negative Reader stuff, just that it was poorly received because it was unplayable and outdated.

Edited by SkylaNoivern on Jul 27th 2023 at 7:41:53 PM

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#3886: Jul 27th 2023 at 12:55:17 PM

I've heard a ton of criticism about Saints Row for its glitches, bugs, and unplayable lack of polish, but nothing about the Dear Negative Reader responses. That sounds to me like a fringe complaint.

DDRMASTERM do you wanna have a bad time? from Someplace, Utah, USA Since: Apr, 2013 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
do you wanna have a bad time?
#3887: Jul 27th 2023 at 5:43:25 PM

I've heard that the Saints Row 2022 game was disliked by fans of the previous games for reasons related to its politics. I don't know much about it past that. As for if it's valid, that would come down to if people who know about the franchise mainly associate that particular game with those controversies.

Edited by DDRMASTERM on Jul 27th 2023 at 6:43:45 AM

Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#3888: Jul 27th 2023 at 6:03:53 PM

As someone who's kind of in the Saints Row fandom, there were complaints about politics in Saints Row (2022), but not in a way that would count as OBC: the main one was criticizing how at some points, references to issues like environmentalism, class inequality, etc. felt shoehorned in a failed attempt at sounding "hip". Not really a controversy, just complaining about bad writing.

Some people did whine about the game going "woke" in the sense of having LGBT representation and making the "canon" model of the Player Character a black woman, but this is just a Vocal Minority (these complaints never made sense to me: even the Sacred Cow of the series, Saints Row 2, had gender as a slider rather than a binary toggle, and Saints Row IV makes your character bi/pan and lets you sleep with most of the cast regardless of gender, so LGBTQ stuff isn't new in any way).

SkylaNoivern Since: Sep, 2016
#3889: Jul 28th 2023 at 5:59:48 AM

I'd argue Saints Row would be more a case of Uncertain Audience, since it tried appealing to newer and older players but failed to, and seems to be unsure if its revisiting the series' roots or trying to be a new game.

Edited by SkylaNoivern on Jul 28th 2023 at 2:00:36 PM

Dramatic Since: Jun, 2012
#3890: Jul 30th 2023 at 2:59:42 AM

Probably need to keep an eye on Oppenheimer, which currently has this entry:

  • Overshadowed by Controversy:
    • Shortly after the film's release, many people (including those of Asian-American descent) criticized the movie for not showing the perspective of the Japanese citizens affected by the nuclear bomb. Ryu Spaeth of the New York Magazine states the following.
    "What kind of enemy were the Japanese anyway? The first third of the movie is propelled by the threat that the Nazis could develop the bomb first - and we know all about them. Oppenheimer, a Jew, takes the threat personally, his very vocation referred to derisively by Hitler as "Jew science" because of the number of Jews, famously including Albert Einstein, who specialized in quantum physics. The final third of the movie is preoccupied with the Soviets, who pose both a mortal threat in their own quest for the bomb and an ideological one in the form of communism. We know all about them, too, and intimately so - the movie's framing device of a closed-door, McCarthy-inspired interrogation of Oppenheimer echoes the show trials of America's Cold War nemesis. In the middle come the Japanese, but we get no real sense at all of the adversary who actually bore the brunt of Oppenheimer's terrible weapon."
    • On the other hand, this criticism itself has received backlash, with defenders bringing up that Japan happened to be on the Axis' side in World War II, thus portraying them sympathetically would bring Unfortunate Implications (even though the criticism itself is that the perspective of the innocent citizens isn't shown, not that of the Imperial Japanese Army). Defenders have also pointed out that there has been plenty of media made by Japanese filmmakers and creators over several decades showing the perspective of the people who suffered from the bombings and the lasting trauma, and that there's very little Nolan could have added.
    • Many Hindus felt that Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita during the sex scene was offensive to their religion and demanded the scene be censored in the film's Indian release.

A lot of this feels like an attempt to get around Unfortunate Implications restrictions. I don't personally agree with the idea that the film must show a Japanese perspective, but I also really don't like this Repair, Don't Respond addition. The last one is a regional controversy that probably belongs more in Trivia, and by any means obviously isn't big enough to overshadow the film.

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#3891: Jul 30th 2023 at 3:32:40 AM

Maybe A bad idea to list this. I saw several people bring up imperial Japanese atrocities or the fact an actual invasion of Japan would have killed way more people in repose to this. It's a very touchy subject for Chinese and Koreans who were guys being subjected.

It seems to have generated a pretty big debate. That I dunno if overshadowed is right (also just cut it. We have a six month wait anyway)

Also umh did the person who cited this article not read the article? It even mentions this is a story about Oppenheimer so Nolan is under no obligation to mention it.

Also more importantly I don't think its an example''. I don't think this is the thing people bring up about the film over everything else. That goes to the cast, or performances or especially the barbienheimer phenomenon.

Edited by miraculous on Jul 30th 2023 at 4:21:45 AM

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#3892: Jul 30th 2023 at 6:14:18 AM

It violates the No Recent Examples, Please! rule, since there needs to be a six-month waiting period after the film's release before an Overshadowed by Controversy entry can be added.

So, it should just be cut on principle.

Edited by chasemaddigan on Jul 30th 2023 at 9:14:41 AM

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#3893: Jul 30th 2023 at 1:06:02 PM

For what it's worth, a lot of Japanese in the social activist sphere (so, not the IJA apologist crowd) have encouraged a boycott of the film in theaters due to perceived insensitivity, so it might constitute a form of Americans Hate Tingle.

Acebrock He/Him from So-Cal Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: My elf kissing days are over
He/Him
#3894: Jul 30th 2023 at 9:58:11 PM

I'm going to recommend keeping an eye out for "Try That in A Small Town", as it's currently drawing tremendous flack, including for accusations of promoting lynching. I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to add it even though it was only released two months ago.

When six months pass, though, I think it's a contender.

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TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#3895: Jul 30th 2023 at 10:04:26 PM

[up] The song probably won’t count since the whole point was to stir up controversy. A song cannot be overshadowed by something that was intended.

Edited by TheLivingDrawing on Jul 30th 2023 at 1:06:31 PM

Once Upon A Time.
bowserbros No longer active. from Elsewhere Since: May, 2014
No longer active.
#3896: Jul 30th 2023 at 10:17:24 PM

[up]Seconding; it's more controversial in and of itself, given that its entire premise is thinly veiled glorification of white flight, rather than being overshadowed by a specific controversy.

Be kind.
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#3897: Jul 30th 2023 at 11:09:35 PM

Aldean himself could count if he has become synonymous with being far right (ok to be fair he is already a country singer). I also like how he defends the song by saying “I never said anything about race” as if subtext doesn’t exist and everything is meant to be taken at face value.

Once Upon A Time.
SkylaNoivern Since: Sep, 2016
#3898: Aug 6th 2023 at 4:32:33 AM

Since its nearly six months since its release (10th February, so 4 days away from the time of writing this), would Hogwarts Legacy count given the massive backlash about whether or not playing it supported JK Rowling's anti-trans views?

Edited by SkylaNoivern on Aug 6th 2023 at 12:33:57 PM

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#3899: Aug 6th 2023 at 7:23:25 AM

A boycott didn't really manifest, the game broke sales records for Warner, and the combination of Rowling's transphobia and the game perpetuating her antisemitic goblin tropes doesn't seem to have been much of a blip for either the media, Rowling's supporters or her profit margins.

While Rowling herself overshadows the entire franchise, I don't think the attempts to retaliate against this specific game overshadows it... it just didn't get enough traction.

My understanding is that the game turned out to be both very pretty to look at and very mediocre to play. A lot of people who contributed to the sales success by buying the game ended up discarding it without bothering to complete it because it was so boring and repetitive. I don't think that comes under Overshadowed by Controversy, however, that's just something not living up to its hype.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Aug 6th 2023 at 3:35:10 PM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
SkylaNoivern Since: Sep, 2016
#3900: Aug 6th 2023 at 7:37:52 AM

[up] Are we sure that the game being successful means the controversy wasn't enough to eclipse it? I recall something similar coming up for Pokémon Sword and Shield over the National Dex removal controversy, but people talk about everything else from the game beyond that.

With Hogwarts Legacy I have never seen any discussion of the game that wasn't a massive debate about the ethics of playing/boycotting the game, especially since many creators ended up getting pulled into the debate.

I should clarify that I'm neutral on the subject about playing the game. I just vividly recall the controversy being everywhere at the time.

Edited by SkylaNoivern on Aug 6th 2023 at 3:42:05 PM


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