This past week, video game voice actress Laura Bailey shared some of the death threats she has been receiving for what her character Abby did in the story of The Last of Us Part 2. Laura Bailey has received support from others in the industry, including from the game’s director, Neil Druckmann. But now Hollywood director James Gunn has commented on it as well.

This article will try to be as spoiler-free as possible, but those who haven’t played The Last of Us Part 2 yet and don’t mind spoilers can read an explanation of the content people are sending death threats over here. The basis of the death threats center around Laura Bailey’s character Abby and what her character does during the story of the game. Bailey shared the death threats she was receiving on July 3, all of which are quite disturbing.

RELATED: How Abby Brings the Story of The Last of Us 2 Full Circle

Director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel, James Gunn, responded to Bailey’s tweet by saying “I get being bummed when something happens to a character or story you love that that you don’t like, but this is outlandishly lame.” He goes on to add that these people sending death threats are, “confusing fiction with reality in reality AND in fiction." and need to "Grow up.”

When asked by another Twitter user why Gunn chose to focus on those sending death threats instead of the content they are “critiquing,” Gunn responded, “Because online abuse in all its forms is a much bigger issue than the perceived lack of quality of any particular work.”

Unfortunately, death threats in the video game and entertainment industries are nothing new. The sad fact is that many online feel that because the internet provides a degree of anonymity online, they can say whatever they want without consequence. These are things many of these people would never say to someone’s face in person, so some feel that that when they say these things online, they shouldn’t be taken as seriously. But many seemingly do want their threats to be taken seriously, and there is no way to discern the fake death threats from the serious ones. So all it leads to is people who are targeted living in fear of what could happen and devastated that people want to hurt or kill them over the art they’ve shared with the world.

What’s more concerning and upsetting about this instance of online abuse, as Gunn pointed out, is that these people seem to be genuinely unable (or unwilling) to separate the actress of Laura Bailey from the fictional character of Abby. Hopefully this is a trend that will not continue.

On the lighter side of things, Bailey has received an outpouring of support for sharing her online abuse from fans and others in the industry, and these abusers are in the minority of people who played the game. The game continues to break sales records, currently holds a 94 on Metacritic, and is by and large being celebrated online as being a strong game of the year contender.

The Last of Us Part 2 is out now, exclusively for PlayStation 4.

MORE: Here's Why Abby's Dynamic Doesn't Work in The Last of Us Part 2