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Director James Gunn Mocks Mike Pence After VP Announces That Space Force Members Will Be Called ‘Guardians’

   DailyWire.com
HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 25: James Gunn attends the Los Angeles Global Premiere for Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man And The Wasp" at the El Capitan Theatre on June 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

After Vice President Mike Pence revealed on Friday that members of the United States Space Force will be called “Guardians,” director James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) expressed outrage on Twitter.

“Can we sue this dork?” tweeted Gunn.

When one user inquired about the soundtrack that James Gunn would put together for the Space Force “Guardians,” the director “You Suck” by Strapping Young Lad.

In a statement on Friday, the USSF said that the name “Guardians” has a long history with space operations.

“Today, after a yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public, we can finally share with you the name by which we will be known: Guardians,” the statement said. “The opportunity to name a force is a momentous responsibility. Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, tracing back to the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier.’”

“The name Guardians connects our proud heritage and culture to the important mission we execute 24/7, protecting the people and interest of the U.S. and its allies,” the statement concluded. “Guardians. Semper Supra!”

In 2018, Disney fired Gunn from the hit Marvel franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy” when some conservatives unveiled several old tweets in which the writer/director made many sexually offensive references. “I like when little boys touch me in my silly place” was just one of many shocking examples. At the time, Gunn said his jokes were from a different era of his life — as a shock jock and provocateur.

“My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative,” he said in a statement. “I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.”

The “Guardians” cast concurred with James’ apology in an open letter addressed to fans. “The character he has shown in the wake of his firing is consistent with the man he was every day on set, and his apology, now and from years ago when first addressing these remarks, we believe is from the heart, a heart we all know, trust, and love,” read the letter. “In casting each of us to help him tell the story of misfits who find redemption, he changed our lives forever. We believe the theme of redemption has never been more relevant than now.”

One year later, Disney reversed its decision and hired Gunn back to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.” Speaking with Deadline after the fallout, James Gunn said he hoped to become more compassionate in the ways he spoke about other people online.

“I feel and have felt bad for a while about some of the ways I spoke publicly; some of the jokes I made, some of the targets of my humor, just the unintentional consequences of not being more compassionate in what I’m putting out there,” Gunn said. “I know that people have been hurt by things that I’ve said, and that’s still my responsibility, that I wasn’t as compassionate as I should be in what I say. I feel bad for that and take full responsibility.”

Related: Space Force Reveals What Their Personnel Will Officially Be Called

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