James Gunn credits writer Chris Claremont for saving the X-Men

A conversation about the X-Men is unfurling on Twitter, and director James Gunn is at its core.

Gunn tweeted, in response to an Inverse story crediting Wolverine for reinvigorating the fading X-Men comics, that “if it came down to one person who saved the X-Men, it was writer Chris Claremont, who transformed the comic book landscape in the 1970’s.”

While Gunn did give Wolverine his due, he leaned on the idea that Claremont — one of Marvel’s most beloved writers — was truly behind the X-Men’s resurgence. Claremont reshaped the team of superheroes into real, nuanced characters in the mid-1970s, deviating from the rather dull approach the comic had become mired in.

The X-Men comics were fading fast in the early 70s, thanks to tired plot lines, a stagnant cast of characters, and a reliance on predictable action scenes. They had all but entirely faded from interest when Claremont stepped in, injecting his brand of deep character examination into the declining comic.

In the comment section for Gunn’s tweet, a discussion about the X-Men and Marvel’s history began. People questioned after Gunn’s favorite X-Men storyline — its Days of Future Past, for anyone curious — and shared their own top X-Men picks.

The Guardians of the Galaxy director dug deep into the exchange in his tweet’s comment section, adding his two cents to many of the resulting conversations. He noted that, while multiple artists deserve credit for making X-Men what it is today, “it was when John Byrne was drawing that the title really caught fire.”

Readers roundly agreed with Gunn’s observation, sharing their own impressions of Claremont and insisting that he is “an amazing storyteller who elevated the [comics] genre to the level of great literature.”

Several people also joked about Gunn’s next comic adaptation, with several drooling over the possibility of a Gunn-helmed X-Men film. In response to one commenter’s joking question of “if you were allowed to do one of the main characters (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman. etc.) who would you choose and why is it Superman with Henry Cavill,” Gunn responded that he tends to veer away from the most recognizable characters.

“I would, and have, chosen to do none of them,” Gunn wrote. “I’m much more drawn to taking less popular characters and telling their stories.”