“All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided,” filmmaker James Cameron said in an interview with The Guardian on a promotional tour for Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 3D.

“She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing,” the Avatar and Titanic filmmaker added. “I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie, but to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female.”

It’s those words that has raised eyebrows across social media as James Cameron and his Wonder Woman comments are trending. They come from a filmmaker who was one of the first to empower a lead female on the big screen in the action genre with Terminator‘s Sarah Conn0r (played by Linda Hamilton) in 1984 — a character who rose out of weakness to become a kick-ass role model.

Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot in the sexy Xena: Warrior Princess-type patriotic costume and directed by Patty Jenkins, was heralded as a role model for girls everywhere and both male and female audience helped propel it to over $800M at the worldwide box office for distributor Warner Bros.

Cameron’s comments came as he is promoting this weekend’s immersive 3D release of his 26-year-old sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hamilton reprising their roles. The film, which featured groundbreaking special effects in 1991, opens in theaters Friday in 3D, hoping to wow old and new fans alike.

Right now he’s getting punched around on social for basically stating the obvious. I mean, Wonder Woman is basically Raquel Welch’s Loana in One Million Years B.C. as a superhero. Wonder Woman was heralded at the Women in Film event this year, largely for the fact that a woman directed a film that was knocking down box office records, but there also was plenty of talk from women about whether the fictional character was a step backward, too.

So, what you think?

Is this the same James Cameron who routinely polled his all-male crew to ensure a lady alien was fuckable, or is that a different dickhead? https://t.co/9AXfkVacD0 — Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) August 24, 2017

James Cameron: "Wonder Woman objectified it's lead & was a step backwards from Sarah Connor."

Linda Hamilton: pic.twitter.com/jUeaNjOVpd — Cher (@thecherness) August 24, 2017

The James Cameron who made fun of his Titanic star by calling her "Kate Weighs-a-Lot"? That James Cameron? https://t.co/puCLt3jIHu — Mrs.BearJew (@andizeisler) August 24, 2017

I don't entirely agree with James Cameron's WONDER WOMAN remarks, but I shall defend unto death my right not to give a crap. — Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) August 24, 2017