James Gunn has a well-known reputation for shutting down trolls on Twitter, and he recently brought that same energy to Instagram when a “racist” user came at the writer/director for a casting decision in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It all started when Gunn shared a photo of Chukwudi Iwuji as the classic Marvel Comics villain High Evolutionary. Gunn and Iwuji worked together on the HBO Max Peacemaker series, and that experience prompted Gunn to bring the actor over to his final Marvel project.
“Can’t wait for you all to meet this guy,” Gunn captioned the photo of High Evolutionary below:
Because this is the internet, it didn’t take long for someone to complain, but this particular user took things way too far. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
“Damnit…another white guy they made into a black guy. Why couldn’t they just leave him white or i dont know…pick a different minority? How about Asian or gasp! A Latino? (how many Latinos and Asians in MCU? Like total of 5??) Or make him an Indian or something…because they don’t and won’t, that makes them ‘woke.’”
The user continued, “Next time, a major character (hero/villain) will be a trans or homosexual or non-binary (when in comics they are not). Sad and pathetic. They’re picking based on race and what’s PC and not on acting and what’s established.”
James Gunn was not having it.
“I chose the best actor, period, and the best person for the role,” Gunn responded before calling the commenter out. “I don’t give a sh*t what ethnicity @chukwudi_iwuji is, so stop with your racist presumptions on WHY he was chosen. (And, by the way, he’s playing a guy who’s almost always purple in color.)”
When is the internet going to learn that James Gunn will not let your wild accusations go unanswered? Just talk to the guy who tried to call Gunn a “professional liar.” It didn’t end well for him either.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)