Previously, Wendig had written Hyperion and an adaptation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens for Marvel.

Wendig has been outspoken about his liberal political views on Twitter. On Oct. 7, he drew the attention of well-known conservative personalities, such as Ben Shapiro and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, with a series of tweets surrounding the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who had been accused of sexual assault. In one tweet, which he later deleted because he said it had become a "funnel for harassment," he wrote, "Winter is coming, you callous fucknecks, you prolapsed assholes, you grotesque monsters, you racists and rapists and wretched abusers, you vengeful petty horrors."

Wendig's firing comes three months after Marvel parent company Disney fired James Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 over old, offensive tweets that had been resurfaced by conservative personalities.

Wendig is no stranger to controversy within Star Wars fandom, with the writer being targeted by a vocal minority after introducing one of the franchise’s first canonically gay characters in his 2015 novel, Star Wars: Aftermath. His outspoken response to that pushback — calling those that complained "the shitty, oppressive, totalitarian Empire" — combined with his openness about discussing real-world politics on social media, made him a lightning rod within the more conservative elements of the property’s fan base.

Marvel’s removal of Wendig comes a month after the publisher canceled The Vision, a six-issue miniseries, two months ahead of launch, with the creative team — which included another best-selling novelist, Chelsea Cain — only getting a few days’ notice and little explanation as to why, beyond a change in publishing plans surrounding the characters being used in the series. Notably, Cain is as vocal about her politics, and equally visible as a target for right-wing trolls on social media, as Wendig — although that was not given as a reason for the series’ surprise cancellation.

Marvel Entertainment declined to comment.