Tweet Sleep: Neil Gaiman Shades Elon Musk Down Over ‘The Rings of Power’

Neil Gaiman is no stranger to literary critiques. The celebrated author of American Gods, Coraline, Good Omens, and The Sandman has several adaptations and a mantle full of awards to his credit. In short, the guy knows what he’s doing when he puts pen to paper.

So, the thought of anyone outside of Stephen King, Jack Kirby, or even Ernest Hemingway telling Gaiman about what makes good writing is comical. Other revered authors or critics have permission to pitch a curve ball at the man, but stand down when your claim to fame is solar panels, electric cars, and naming children after kitchen appliances.

The hubbub began with Elon Musk opening his yap and probably puffing on some hippie lettuce after watching The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime. Neil Gaiman came to the rescue of someone else’s universe. Then, what ensued between the two gentlemen was funnier than watching Gollum get his mack on picking up some fine elves at the club.

It’s Time to Pull the Plug on Musk Talk

Not that anyone asked, but Elon Musk dislikes Amazon Studios’s path on the Tolkien prequel. The wealthiest man in the world was seething that even he couldn’t buy happiness over the Prime Video series. To ease his pain, he took to Twitter. You know? That evil contraption he tried to purchase for $44 billion and ran into a wall of buyer’s remorse?

That’s how I like my irony served–cold with a steaming side of stupid.

Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2022

Naturally, his literary discourse went viral, inspiring Gaiman to hurl a fastball at Musk’s dome.

Elon Musk doesn't come to me for advice on how to fail to buy Twitter, and I don't go to him for film, TV or literature criticism. https://t.co/WpyXhQlqIh

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 6, 2022

And boom goes the dynamite!

That’s the nice thing about Twitter — direct access to admired bigwigs. A fan tagged Gaiman in a post, and he answered! That’s also unfortunate about Twitter- direct access to certain fandoms. Gaiman is the referred person in the first instance. Musk would be the yutz from the other.

(Not for nothing, but isn’t it a shame the viral tweet includes the dude’s egregious typo in the hashtag?)

Neil Gaiman: Champion of Inclusion

Dark elves–we’ll call Twitter Trolls–have been after The Rings of Power since its inception.

• Yes, $1 billion is a ton of cash to spend on a series, but gamble or go home.
• Morfydd Clark is Galadriel and one big target of so-called Tolkien acolytes who aren’t fans of the casting.
• Some trolls had a problem that the prequel takes place so far in the past
• And now, they’re hating on the premier in nasty fashion, “wanting to commit bloody Mordor.” (That’s a New York Post headline, and chef’s kiss worthy!)

It all started with Tolkien enthusiasts issuing claims of hackery. They believe Galadriel being more like a female Aragorn is a travesty. Instead, she should have been shaped after Cate Blanchett‘s ethereal, bewitching character version. It turns out that Musk pitched a tent in that acne-ridden camp, bringing us to Gaiman.

Here is a guy who has no problem switching things up when a book goes from page to screen. Take Lucifer in The Sandman, for example.

In the acclaimed graphic novel, Lucifer is what most consider the being to be–a gruesome male with anger management issues. Fast forward to the Netflix series, the 6’3″ flume of hot smoke known as Gwendoline Christie takes over. She’s a commanding presence and superb in the role. Moreover, she joins what appears to be a slight gender-neutral or -fluid cast, which is admirable and superbly cast.

Despite the series premiering with the largest audience ever for an Amazon original at 25 million nerds, people have an issue with the series’ gender- and racial-swapping roles. That’s the troubling aspect of Musk’s one-tweet tirade–chauvinism and an old-fashioned way of watching TV.

Would Musk have felt inclined to say something had half of the Internet’s misogynistic dinosaurs hadn’t already been crowing about it? It didn’t hurt that another persnickety billionaire, Jeff Bezos, knew it was a pot-shot subtweet directed at him.

That Twitter courage sure is contagious. Neil Gaiman didn’t have a problem clapping back at Elon Musk. The Sandman’s creator is somewhat of a champion of inclusion. Gender-swapping roles for fandom intrigue. Race-swapping roles for transformative skill. It’s his story, so who else would be better to help cast it for the screen?

But here comes Commander SpaceX, who tweets something out of Antebellum America. Nice.

Gaiman and Netflix should be applauded for casting the series on merit and skill instead of what “looks best.” The same should be said for J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay down at Prime Video. Yet, the trolls hide behind the nerd force field of “CANON” and praise his pioneering thoughts.

Sit down, troglodytes. The people from the big people’s table are enjoying this series—Kinda’ like with The Sandman.