Gladiator 2 is set to be released on November 22, 2024, and the popcorn bucket for it is out! Fans have quickly pointed out that the popcorn bucket for Gladiator 2, one of AMC's promotional products, has a striking resemblance to the iconic mask worn by the late rapper MF DOOM.
One fan after the reveal of the popcorn bucket on X commented,
“That’s MF DOOM!!”
The confusion arises because MF DOOM’s mask was actually inspired by the original Gladiator film, where Russell Crowe’s character wears a similar piece of armor. Let’s look at the origin of the mask and then jump right into what fans had to say about the popcorn bucket.
Is the Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket really a rip-off of the rapper's mask?
People on the internet have had some fun with the new Gladiator 2 bucket, saying it looks a lot like DOOM’s famous mask.
It’s no coincidence though! In an interview that resurfaced on Passion of the Weiss, this is what MF DOOM said when asked about how he got those masks and if he got them custom-made:
“You know the movie Gladiator? Well around that time, they started selling these “gladiator masks” that were replicas from the movie. So what it was is that a friend of mine told me he saw this mask that would be perfect for the DOOM character.
I trusted him, even though it was kinda expensive. So he went and bought the mask, which was this collector’s item thing that came on a wooden stand and all that. It was a total replica that came on a stick with a stand for displaying and sh*t. There was this top piece on it too that my friend just tore off.
He took off the stick and everything else and just kept the faceplate. You know how construction hats have a plastic thing on the inside that you can tighten? Well, he just took one of those and fastened it to the mask. So he rigged it up for me. Since then, I chromed it out, added a ruby to it too. That’s how the mask came about.”
Hence, this led to some funny mix-ups.
Fans' reactions to the Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket
When AMC revealed the Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket, the real buzz kicked off on the internet. Many fans felt like it looked like MF DOOM’s famous mask. Naturally, the internet was full of reactions.
Another commenter wrote,
“MF DOOM popcorn bucket let’s go”
One other commenter hilariously remarked,
“MF Doom's estate should get a cut of this”
A commenter sarcastically asked,
“They got MF Doom in the new Gladiator?”
While many comments were similar as they all had the same opinion that the popcorn bucket looked like MF DOOM’s mask, one commenter wrote,
“I thought this was an MF Doom promo 😂”
The comment comes from the fact that the popcorn bucket was intended for the Gladiator 2 promo but ended up looking like the MF DOOM promo.
Some people commented that they would rather buy it for MF DOOM,
“ABSOLUTELY 0% PEOPLE BUYING THIS FOR THE GLADIATOR AND 100% PEOPLE BUYING THIS FOR MF DOOM”
All in all, fans had a lot of fun with the Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket’s resemblance to MF DOOM.
This goes to show the legacy of both the movie and the rapper and how it continues to live in people’s hearts in more ways than anyone could have expected.
Read this to know about Russell Crowe's upcoming movie.
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