Dullness vs. going overboard: Should I be calling people 'enfants terribles' in an academic paper?
If I understand correctly, you are supposed to be evaluating the work and/or ideas of some other academic or writer.  You are wondering whether it will be funny and/or more efficient to, in lieu of a more careful explanation of the limitations of that person's work, dismiss them by calling them a (standard, even cliched) name.

This is not a good use of humor in an academic paper.  I find it juvenile.  And many academics would find this to be a terrible personal swipe.