Nearly 3 years ago, director James Gunn seemed to be taking Marvel to unprecedented heights through his involvement in one of the biggest franchises to date, Guardians of the Galaxy. However, being fired by Disney over controversial social media posts left him in a state that was eventually reversed after he was brought on board to write and direct The Suicide Squad.

Just before his dismissal, Gunn’s status in both the Marvel Universe and Hollywood seemed very secure. That is until the offensive and extremely controversial tweets that Gunn had posted years prior were illuminated, which included posts that made light of sexual abuse. Once these heinous tweets started to surface, a great divide between Marvel and fans emerged. Testimonies from the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy flooded in as well to show their support and loyalty to Gunn.

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Disney made the decision to fire Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 almost immediately, and this decision not only affected fans but the future of Marvel Studios itself. The resurfacing of the old tweets may have a lot to do with Gunn’s political activism, in which he denounced Trump on social media. He did not bite his tongue when it came to where he stood in that respect. However, many people have also speculated that Trump supporters purposefully went through the archives of Gunn’s Twitter in order to gain some leverage over the major influence that the director does have. After being fired, the filmmaker found himself in a period of stagnation and suspension when it came to his career, which he recounted during an interview with Esquire.

The Suicide Squad James Gunn

Gunn faced his consequences with absolutely no backlash or anger, noting that he agreed with Marvel and had stated that they had every right to fire him. Although it appeared to the public that Gunn was taking this enormous loss in stride, underneath it all, it was one of the most painful times of his life. In fact, Gunn equates it to the loss of friends and his journey towards sobriety. He has recently spoken out about the fact that he got the majority of his love and validation through his career and storytelling. Without that access or support, he fell into a huge creative block.

Gunn was unsure of where the future would take him until another sudden change was dropped on him. It was as if Warner Bros.' phone call asking him to take on The Suicide Squad franchise fell from the sky and onto his lap. Gunn has now said that being involved with the franchise not only rescued him from a period of uncertainty, it also re-ignited his passion and inspiration to keep creating. He stated, “I needed to break outside of where I was, because I was not the healthiest person at this time. With this, I really got back to just this creative spirit, which is why I made movies in the first place. And I think I had forgotten that a little bit.”

Gunn, almost a year later from being fired by Disney, was then asked to return to fulfill his initial project by directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The script for the third installment has already been written and filming is supposed to begin towards the end of this year. The Suicide Squad, however, is making its debut very soon.

The Suicide Squad is set to hit theaters and be available for streaming on HBO Max on August 6th, 2021.

MORE: James Gunn's Other R-Rated Superhero Movie Is A Bloody Offbeat Masterpiece

Source: Esquire