To the shock and dismay of Marvel fans, writer and director James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 last weekend. The decision was made when decade-old tweets about child-rape and pedophilia were unearthed by conservative personalities Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec.

While the tweets were repulsive, they were made at a time when Gunn was a different person. Still, they were troubling enough for Disney to take quick action. Since then Guardians of the Galaxy stars and others have come to Gunn’s defense. Check out what they had to say below.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
4K Ultra HD | Blu-ray | DVD | Digital HD
Written & Directed by James Gunn
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: August 22, 2017

By 2014, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was already an unstoppable juggernaut. Still relishing in the success of 2012’s The Avengers making over $1.5 billion at the box office, the MCU took a chance on a rag tag group of not-so familiar superheroes, The Guardians of the Galaxy. For 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, director James Gunn (Slither) blended the perfect mixture of action and comedy, and made some of the best gambles in the history of film casting. The doofus from Parks and Recreation, a WWE wrestler, Vin Diesel to voice a walking tree who says three words”¦ this bizarre recipe generated $773 million in domestic profits and proved that the MCU was borderline infallible. Guardians just felt different from the other good, yet generic superhero outings and it remains one of the most beloved films of its genre.

Come next year, Marvel Studios will be celebrating their tenth anniversary. Quite an achievement for a superhero movie studio owned by Disney. And what better way for them to commemorate such an occasion then to release the ensemble of ensembles, an Avengers film featuring heroes from not only across the globe but from galaxies far away as well. We were at D23 to see the very first look at Avenger: Infinity War, and as you can imagine, there was a lot to take in and a lot to get excited over. Check out our description of the footage here below.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the 15th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The sequel continues the adventures of Star-Lord aka Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper), and Baby Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) as they travel across the cosmos in search of their next job. Peter struggles to keep his new family together while also trying to discover the secret of his mysterious father and stopping an enemy from destroying the entire galaxy. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

We, along with our fellow members of the press, were recently invited to attend the film’s press day and chat with the cast, director James Gunn, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige about the sequel, working with new co-stars, and the future of the MCU. Find out more about the film below.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Director: James Gunn
Screenwriter: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Rated PG-13 | 136 Minutes
Release Date: May 5, 2017

James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy was once considered one of the riskiest films that Marvel Studios could ever release. It was an unknown property which cast three relative unknowns and gave two A-listers voice roles. However, the film’s surprising success proved that a quirky, hilarious, musically-charged space opera could work as a superhero property. Who would have thought a roguish space outlaw, an alien assassin, an alien manic, a gun-toting raccoon, and a talking tree would be our favorite a-holes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Now they are back for round two in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. As with all sequels to a universally loved film, expectations run unbelievably high. Fortunately, Gunn never misses a beat. It’s absolutely terrific and just as fun, if not more fun, than the first. But it’s also one of the few Marvel films that’s emotionally driven. Check out my full review below.