He was hailed as a feminist hero and a geek icon, and a popular T-shirt was emblazoned with the words (in the Star Wars typeface) “JOSS WHEDON IS MY MASTER NOW.” (Decades later, when it emerged that Whedon had run his show cruelly and capriciously, and had taken advantage of his position to sleep with various young women, fans regarded it not just as a disappointment, but a betrayal. Whedon was far from the worst #MeToo offender in Hollywood, but he had always presented himself as someone better than the average sleazy TV producer.)
