It looks like all that training Michael B. Jordan did for Black Panther paid off. Not only does he come across as a physically formidable opponent for the titular hero to fight, but his shirtless scenes are inspiring record levels of thirst in a certain percentage of the audience. In one case, the sight of Jordan’s pectorals caused an 18-year-old to clench her teeth so hard that she broke her retainer. The actor then did the only honorable thing and offered to replace the orthodontics equipment he broke by being too damn hot. That’s just the kind of guy Michael B. Jordan is.
This insane story began earlier this week, like all great internet stories, with a post on Tumblr:
“One of my patients came in for an emergency visit, because she snapped the wire on her retainer watching the movie when MBJ took his shirt off she clenched her teeth so fucking hard,” reads the post from Tumblr user nitramaraho. Soon, a screenshot of the exchange starting to make the rounds online, either because people could relate to this MBJ-worshipping teen or they were just marveling at the idea of an orthodontist on Tumblr. But, before long, 18-year-old Sophia Robb from California came forward with the horrifying realization:
What could have easily been the most mortifying moment of her life quickly turned into its own sensation as Robb, seeing the humor in it all, gracefully accepted her new mantle of “horny teen in need of dental surgery” and gave interviews to Teen Vogue and Buzzfeed. When asked what she would think of Michael B. Jordan himself seeing all the hubbub about his muscly bod, Robb told Teen Vogue, “I would scream. The idea of him even seeing the post is so insane to me.”
Within 24 hours, that insanity became a reality as Jordan not only followed Robb and messaged his thanks for the praise, but responded publicly that he would replace the retainer since he “feels partly responsible” for breaking them in the first place.
One of the more underreported aspects of this heartwarming tale of a teen connecting with their Hollywood crush is the fact that Robb’s cool-as-hell dad is also on Twitter and keeps responding to each development in classic dad fashion.
The year is 2018. Literally everyone is online. Despite that, cool things still occasionally happen.