Fede Alvarez, the director of Alien: Romulus, was recently banned from the Alien subreddit, r/LV426, after moderators mistakenly believed he was impersonating himself. The incident occurred on August 20, 2024, as Alien: Romulus was topping the U.S. box office, surpassing expectations.
Alvarez shared the amusing situation on social media, posting a screenshot of the notice he received, which stated that he had been permanently banned for "trying to impersonate" himself. Alvarez found humor in the misunderstanding, writing, “Got banned from the ALIEN subreddit for apparently trying to impersonate, myself.”
The error was quickly recognized by a moderator of the r/LV426 subreddit, who explained that the ban was the result of an overzealous response to a report claiming Alvarez’s account was fake. The moderator later posted an update on the subreddit, stating, “Fede, of course, was immediately reinstated and had a very friendly conversation with us. Awesome guy.”
The incident highlighted the challenges of verifying identities in online communities, especially when high-profile figures participate. Despite the mix-up, Alvarez’s account, under the username “fedalvar,” is now recognized as legitimate by the subreddit’s moderators.
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