A few people who know me will be happy to hear that James Gunn has been reinstated to direct the third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (see The Inquisitr’s coverage). Not simply because they love me and want me to be happy –seriously, this made my day — but because it means I’ll stop complaining about the ridiculous circumstances that got him removed in the first place (see The Inquisitr’s coverage). It also means my Disney/Marvel Studios boycott can end and I can finally see the second Ant-Man movie and will get to see Captain Marvel and Avenger’s: Endgame in due course (yay!).

If I’m being candid, by no means do I think those respective companies were hurting from my decision not to give them any of my hard-earned money. We’re talking a couple of water molecules in a massive ocean. But I can’t, in good conscience, give any financial support to or promote the works of a company I don’t believe in, and I lost all faith in both Disney and Marvel Studios when Gunn was shown the door. Some may find it paradoxical that people can take issue with the soul(lessness?) of a company and refuse to patronize its art based on the decision to fire someone for the sake of morality, but here we are. The gods of irony rolled big for damage.

Putting it thusly, of course, ignores the fact that Disney’s decision was never a matter of ethics; it was about economics, and the risk not cowing to the weaponized, faux-moralistic outrage drummed up by arch-conservative charlatans– and firing Gunn — posed to its bottom line. Disney was put in an impossible situation and chose what it felt was the lesser of two evils because it would be considered the right thing by the greatest amount of people. I totally understand it as a business move and expected no different. That doesn’t mean I was happy about it and I certainly would not let them have my money as a reward, regardless of how infinitesimal their losses would be.

I must firmly plant myself in the #BoycottDisney crowd; #ByeBye annual pass, so much for seeing @AntMan. @JamesGunn has shown grace & remorse throughout. Firing him with this feigned morality to appease the duped/outraged masses is hypocritical, reactionary & cowardly #WeAreGroot — Kevin Tall (@KevinTall) July 23, 2018

Like I said, Disney doesn’t need me. It does, however, need people like James Gunn, brilliant creative minds who can take an obscure property and turn it into a limitless supply of fried gold, which is, essentially, what the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is. Gunn’s mind got him the job, but his politics — he’s liberal and not shy about it — seem to have cost him it. His heart, however, seems to have gotten it back.

According to Deadline, “Walt Disney Studios president Alan Horn met with Gunn on multiple occasions to discuss the situation. Persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation after, Horn decided to reverse course and reinstate Gunn.”

Look, I don’t think his poor attempts at humor, ones made years ago, were funny at all. His airs of the provocative were in poor taste. But he seems to have experienced tremendous spiritual growth over the years, and it was disheartening to see his redemption diminished by those who oppose his politics and outspokenness. James Gunn was a scalp, served up by Disney to the the trolls under the auspices of morality to placate the outraged masses. But in reinstating him, Disney is showing it’s more interested in doing the right thing than the right-vs.-left thing.