Trisha Paytas Trolls Spider-Man Fans, Reminds Them She’s a Marvel Superhero
Sure, she may be one of the internet's biggest trolls, but did you know Trisha Paytas is technically (sorta) a Marvel superhero?
If not, she's here to remind you.
The conversation all started when the oft-viral web star posted a TikTok with the text, "Didn't realize there was another Spider-Man after the first Tobey McGuire [sic] movie," as Rihanna's "You look so dumb right now" lyric from "Take a Bow" played in the background.
Of course, some Marvel fans got annoyed — who doesn't know at least the basics about Spider-Man??? — but Paytas is known for trolling her followers and creating controversy.
After people flooded her comments with indignation, convinced there was no way Paytas wasn't aware of either Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man franchise or Tom Holland's take on the character in the MCU, she clapped back with a simple fact in a follow-up TikTok: She's kind of Marvel cannon, you guys.
Long before her viral YouTube and TikTok career, Paytas got her reality TV start on Season 2 of the 2007 Syfy series Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, alongside the Marvel OG himself, Stan Lee.
The show had contestants create their own unique comic book characters. Each week Lee would give them various challenges to show off "what superheroes are all about." At least one contestant was eliminated each episode.
The winning superhero was featured in a Dark Horse comic written by Lee himself. The winner also got to appear in a Syfy Network original movie and received a trip to Universal Studios.
"I was actually one of Stan Lee's superheros. This is not click-bait," Paytas told her followers.
The influencer also shared that in the second episode of Season 2, Lee personally helped Paytas develop her character's powers and backstory.
Paytas later tweeted a promo image of her and Lee from the show, as well as the mock-up comic book cover for her superhero character, Ms. Limelight, who could absorb the skills of action movie stars and blind foes using a mirror.
"Found my comic book cover of Ms. Limelight, my superhero on Stan Lee's Who Wants to be a Superhero ... First tv show, I was just 18 yrs old," she tweeted.
Though Paytas didn't win her season of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? — that distinction goes to Jarrett Crippen, a.k.a. the Defuser — her ability to troll and her innate talent for stirring up controversy on social media has made her something of a digital age anti-hero or villain, depending on how you look at things.
If you want to watch Trisha Paytas on Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, the show is currently available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video.