By now, we all know about James Gunn‘s firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to the resurfacing of some (well, a lot of) unsavory jokes he made on Twitter several years ago. Since then, the central cast of the cosmic Marvel franchise have shared a joint statement making clear that they stand by their director and want to see him reinstated for the upcoming third installment in the series.
Now, another Marvel star from a very different corner of the MCU has come forward to show solidarity with Gunn. Mike Colter, who plays Luke Cage on Netflix, replied to the director’s apology over the outrage that his past comments caused with a positive message of support, saying:
“Hey James. I feel like in time they will reinstate you. Fingers crossed. I don’t feel like every past comment from years ago should be grounds for dismissal. Everyone is on notice now. You deserve a fresh start and a clean slate. And i bias bc you make great films”
Colter’s wading into the stormy waters of the Gunn controversy is especially interesting, as two other Marvel actors seem to be keen to distance themselves from the Guardians filmmaker. In case you missed it, fans noticed recently that both Captain America and Thor, Chrises Evans and Hemsworth, have unfollowed Gunn on Twitter. Though they’ve not publicly responded to the situation, it’s fair to assume that they don’t support him in the same way that the Guardians cast and Colter do.
And it’s not just superhero stars that’ve spoken out against Gunn’s firing, either, as social media users seem to be split right down the middle on the matter. Still, a huge portion are calling for Disney to reverse their decision and rehire him for Guardians 3. It may actually happen, too, as word has it that Mouse House execs may be meeting with Gunn to rethink his dismissal amid the outcry that’s led to over 300,000 people signing a petition calling for his reinstatement.
Perhaps if more Marvel stars like Mike Colter get behind James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might just get its director back. Fingers crossed, eh?
