James Gunn responds after Ray Fisher tears into director and calls him 'fake'

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has responded after Justice League star Ray Fisher called him 'fake' in a post on Twitter.

Fisher's accusation came after previous allegations he'd made in 2020, when he claimed Justice League director Joss Whedon had engaged in 'gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable' behaviour on the set of the film.

Whedon didn't respond to the allegation until earlier this year, when he dubbed Fisher's claims as false and said he'd chosen to reduce the actor's storyline in the film because it 'logically made no sense'.

Both fans and fellow stars, including Gal Gadot and Charisma Carpenter, came to Fisher's defence, but Fisher has now claimed that Gunn was not among those offering their support.

Rich Gold / Alamy Stock Photo

Instead, he implied Gunn supported Whedon and backed his argument by sharing a series of screenshots which showed Gunn having liked a tweet from someone who knows Whedon, reading: "Wasn't there, but I have known Joss for 17 years, I honestly can't imagine [abusive behaviour] and I have a pretty good imagination."

Another screenshot showed Gunn later saying he 'shouldn't have liked the tweet', but that his post was then deleted - a sign Fisher claimed was indicative of 'fake grace'.

Alongside the images, Fisher wrote: "The way @JamesGunn uses fake grace on Twitter is really funny. Him going to bat for Joss Whedon, pseudo-apologizing for it, and then deleting it immediately before taking his new DC job is not. Refusing to apologize for toxic behavior seems to be a job requirement for WB/DC."

@ray8fisher/Twitter

Gunn was appointed CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran in October.

After being called out by Fisher, Gunn responded to claim that the deleted tweet had nothing to do with the actor, writing: "ALL my tweets automatically delete every few months, Ray, it has nothing to do with my tweets to you."

The post marked the second time Gunn had to defend himself in a matter of hours after he shared a series of tweets responding to criticism over Henry Cavill's departure from the role of Superman.

@JamesGunn/Twitter

"Our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story & best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years," Gunn wrote. "Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts & integrity & always with the story in mind.

"No one loves to be harassed or called names – but, to be frank, we’ve been through significantly worse. Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions," he added.

Cavill announced he would not be returning to the role earlier this month, despite previously telling fans he would be back.