KYM Review: Fandoms of 2016

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Know Your Meme’s annual review series looking back at some of the most memorable and popular memes, events and people that defined the Internet culture in 2016 as we know it.

---

n the world of media entertainment, some of the running trends that have taken over Hollywood in the last few years may be, at last, slowing down. This year, many reboots of TV shows and films were met with mixed reception, ranging from lukewarm "mehs" to category-5 shitstorm "hell nos"; Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America continued to run its smooth course with the favorable reception of its latest title Civil War, while Superman vs. Batman, one of the most highly anticipated crossover films of the year turned out to be the laughing stock of superhero movies in 2016, though some would say it was civil in comparison to the fans reaction to the all-female reboot of the 1984 horror comedy film Ghostbusters.

In video game fandoms, Blizzard Entertainment had one of the most outstanding years in its history with the blockbuster reception of Overwatch, which went on to reign the gaming meme world for the first half of 2016 (with the great return of Doom coming in second) while both Nintendo and Sega enjoyed a great year with special events and surprise announcements for the 20th anniversary of Pokemon and 25th anniversary of Sonic the HedgeHog franchises. In contrast, the ever-booming indie gaming community had a rather dispiriting year with two of the most highly anticipated titles, No Man's Sky and Mighty No. 9, falling far too short of the fans' expectations.

And like elsewhere, the ironic appreciation of nostalgic TV shows and films from the early-to-mid 2000s also became visible in the world of pop culture memes, including Cory in the House, LazyTown and Bee Movie, just to name a few. Lastly, Disney's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story broke new grounds in the Star Wars saga as the first stand alone film in its Anthology series, which did remarkably well at the box office upon its release yesterday, despite some angry backlash from the conservatives prior to its release.

The Nutshack

The Nutshack is an American animated sitcom which aired on Myx TV in the United States and Myx in the Philippines. The first animated series geared towards a Filipino American audience, the show received negative reception and is known for its poor quality, juvenile humor, and repetitive theme song. The show gained a minor recognition after the end of GiIvasunner ARG,^[4] along with an ironic fandom after the ARG.

Deadpool

Deadpool is the alter ego of Wade Wilson, a mentally unstable and disfigured anti-hero created by Marvel Comics writer Fabian Nicieza and penciller Rob Liefeld. In 2016, the Marvel Cinematic Universe seized the growing cult status of the character with a blockbuster superhero film and a viral marketing campaign in the lead up.

DOOM

Doom is a first-person shooter video game series created by id Software. In the game, the player assumes the role of a space marine who fights against hordes of demons to thwart an invasion from Hell. In 2016, the classic pioneer of the first-person-shooter genre made a grand return with a modern reboot titled DOOM, spawning a cover art parody meme as well as an absurd hacking trend of running the original 1993 title on various electronic devices.

Cory In the House

Cory in the House is an American television series broadcast on the Disney Channel from 2007 to 2008 as a spin-off of the Disney series That's So Raven, which focused on the exploits of the character Cory Baxter as he and his father take up residence in the White House. In 2016, the ironic fandom behind the show reached its peak with a viral joke that intentionally miscategorizes it as an anime, as well as 4chan's /v/ (video games) mischiefs raiding a GameFAQs poll in an attempt to get the show's Nintendo DS video game its own most-wanted FAQ page on the site.

Zootopia

Zootopia is a 3D computer-animated comedy film set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals that follows the adventure of a bunny rookie police officer and a fox con artist as they try to solve a missing persons case together. Produced and released by Disney in March, the film became a huge success at the box office and inspired a cult-tier volume of fan artworks centered around the protagonists Juddy Hopps and Nick Wilde.

Steven Universe

*_Steven Universe_ is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network that has steadily grown one of the broadest and most vibrant fan communities in the fandom world, as previously recognized in our 2015 report, and its momentum certainly didn't slow down this year.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is an American supernatural science fiction thriller web series written and directed by Matt and Ross Duffer and released through Netflix in July 2016. Critically acclaimed for its craftful reimagination of nostalgic thrillers and science fiction by the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Stephen King and the 1980s pop culture in general, the series quickly became the talk of the town across TV/film communities online, as well as inspiring several retro video game projects and a viral text generator in the style of the show's iconic logo.

Bee Movie

Bee Movie is a 2007 Dreamworks computer-animated comedy film about the adventures of Barry B. Benson, a disillusioned bee who leaves his hive and goes on a journey in search of a new career. Despite its moderate commercial success and mixed critical reception, the film gained a significant ironic fandom on YouTube and Tumblr in 2016.

Overwatch

Overwatch is a team-based first-person shooter video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment in which the player assumes the role of a Hero with unique abilities, and work with others on the same team to defeat the opponents. Since its release in January, Blizzard's fourth major franchise immediately captivated the team-based FPS players from all around the world, including many Team Fortress 2 fans, and received universal acclaim from the players and critics alike. Throughout the first half of 2016, Overwatch dominated the meme game in the gaming world (prior to the release of Pokemon GO in July), and by November, it had grown into a widely recognized esport with the kickoff of the first Overwatch World Cup organized by Blizzard Entertainment.

Pokemon GO

Pokémon GO is an augmented reality game for mobile devices developed and published by Niantic in which the player can capture, train and battle digital avatars of Pokémon characters in real-world locations using a GPS-enabled and camera-equipped smartphone. Upon its release in July 2016, Pokémon GO quickly became one of the most downloaded mobile apps to be ever released.