Source: Rich Fury / Getty
One viral tweet asked for Chris Pratt to be replaced in the Marvel Cinematic universe, because of his alleged political affiliation and his church’s anti-LGBTQ views. However, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn clapped back with a series of tweets to defend the Marvel star.
Chris Pratt is booked and busy. The popular actor is set to voice several animated characters in a heap of upcoming franchises. Surely, he is not concerned about one fan’s viral tweet. Pratt can rest assured that his job won’t be given to someone else, as director Gunn jumped to the actor’s defense on Twitter Monday (April 25).
Gunn said he would never replace Pratt, and if the studio decided to, that all the crew involved would be leaving with him. The two are set to reunite in a third Guardians of the Galaxy film next year.
The viral tweet read, “Marvel. Hear me out. Just… replace him.”
Gunn responded two days later with, “For what? Because of your made-up, utterly-false beliefs about him? For something that someone else told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him.”
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1518621994429784065?s=20&t=pIz-Qg28FCib7Oc-nFvQLQ
Pratt is facing backlash in recent years due to his rumored political affiliation. He first sparked controversy ahead of the 2020 presidential election for mocking the significance of voting. While the actor has mostly stayed out of political conversations, he previously said he doesn’t feel represented by Democrats or Republicans.
Pratt has also been ridiculed online for his connections to churches that have a history of discriminating against the LGBTQ community.
In 2019, actor Elliot Page publicly pointed out Pratt’s attendance at an infamously anti-LGBTQ church, which prompted him to make a statement about his personal beliefs.
“It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates a certain group of people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ,’” Pratt posted on social media at the time. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone.”
Director Gunn followed up his initial tweet with a similar notion about Pratt’s personal beliefs saying, “I know the church he currently goes to. Do you? (The answer is you don’t, but you heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone where he goes to church, so decided, ‘yeah, okay, I’ll believe this terrible thing I heard online about this celebrity!’).”
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1518635085943164928?s=20&t=pIz-Qg28FCib7Oc-nFvQLQ
Gunn is clearly indebted to Pratt. Gunn was once under fire and booted from the Guardians franchise over past offensive tweets that resurfaced by far-right figures in retaliation for his opposition to Donald Trump. Pratt and the rest of the cast wrote an open letter, pleading for Gunn to be recalled as director for the upcoming third film in the franchise. Marvel has given Gunn an opportunity to redeem himself as he’s set to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 along with a holiday special about the ragtag group of heroes set to be released in the coming years.
Pratt will next appear as Star-Lord in the studio’s upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, which will be released in theaters in July. Why does Everybody Hate Chris… Pratt? Comment your thoughts below.
