20th Century Fox issues an apology for their choice of X-Men: Apocalypse marketing imagery that sparked controversy.

The studio came under fire for billboards that featured Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) choking Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) as a visual promotional banner for the movie. Critics of the billboard bashed the imagery as another representation of domestic violence in Hollywood.

The negative response to using male-on-female strangulation imagery to promote the movie has prompted the studio to apologize and admit the advertisement was “insensitive.”

“In our enthusiasm to show the villainy of the character Apocalypse, we didn't immediately recognize the upsetting connotation of this image in print form. Once we realized how insensitive it was, we quickly took steps to remove those materials. We apologize for our actions and would never condone violence against women.”

The apology came quickly after actress Rose McGowan bashed this type of marketing as using g “casual violence against women” as a disgusting advertising tactic. “There is no context in the ad, just a woman getting strangled,” argued McGowan. “The fact that no one flagged this is offensive and frankly, stupid.”

So all of the advertisements are gone.

Related:

• ‘X-Men Apocalypse' is Now Casting Three Lead Roles

• It's a WRAP! ‘X-Men: Apocalypse' Wraps FIlming

• ‘X-Men: Apocalypse' Extras Open Casting Call

Via Deadline

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