Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced several new characters to the Star Wars universe, with one of the most notable being scavenger heroine Rey.
Some of the fans of Daisy Ridley's character were disappointed to see her omitted from a new Star Wars Monopoly game that features an all-male lineup of character tokens: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren and Finn.
Why feature Finn (John Boyega's good-hearted stormtrooper) and not Rey, who's arguably the star of The Force Awakens?
Hasbro tells Entertainment Weekly the decision was one made before many movie details had been revealed:
"The Star Wars: Monopoly game was released in September, months before the movie's release, and Rey was not included to avoid revealing a key plot line that she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance," a Hasbro rep said.
Sure, Disney, which now owns Star Wars, famously takes near totalitarian measures to keep any spoilers about its franchise properties from leaking. But it seems odd that the same logic wouldn't apply to Finn, whose role was also shrouded in mystery.
Like The Avengers and its merchandising exclusion of the Black Widow, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Gamora, the exclusion of Rey in tie-ins has continued to stoke debate about why so many female characters are marginalized in marketing.
In this case, there's even a hashtag, #WheresRey, that fans have been using to document her absence.
Apparently Rey is featured in other Hasbro games like Hands Down, Guess Who, and chess. But we all know Monopoly is the only game worth buying for particular character tokens.
Still, "fans will see more Rey product hitting store shelves this month, including 6-inch and 12-inch Rey action figures," said the Hasbro rep. "We are thrilled with the popularity of this compelling character and will continue to look for ways to showcase Rey across all of our product lines."
