After being fired by Disney this past July, writer/director James Gunn has been rehired to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

After years of obscurity outside the pages of comic books, the superteam was brought to life in 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” which served as the tenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in 2017, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” followed  Both films were well received by critics with 91 and 83 percent scores and Certified Fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences reacted strongly to the film with the original and the sequel grossing 773 million dollars and 863 million dollars worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

A few months after the dysfunctional team reappeared in “Avengers: Infinity War,” James Gunn came under fire after Tweets ranging from 2009 to 2012 resurfaced. The content of the Tweets were mainly jokes made about rape, pedophelia and other shocking subject matter. Just days later, Disney fired Gunn from directing a “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” film, according to a July 20, 2018 article by the Hollywood Reporter.

Gunn’s termination announcement was immediately met with backlash from both Marvel fans and the cast of the first two Guardians films. In a July 30, 2018 open letter from the cast, Guardians stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff, Michael Rooker and Vin Diesel openly called for Gunn’s return.

The letter partially states “We are not here to defend his jokes of many years ago but rather to share our experience having spent many years together on set making Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. 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.”

Part of what made the Guardians of the Galaxy films successful was James Gunn’s humor laced script which earned it the reputation of a comedy as opposed to more serious Marvel films. The films’ soundtracks, which popularized songs like “Hooked on a Feeling,” “Come and Get Your Love” and “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” were all hand-picked by Gunn as well. While Disney was still planning to use Gunn’s completed script for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” according to Chris Pratt in an article by Collider, few directors could replace Gunn’s unique vision.

Gunn publicly confirmed his return to the project on Twitter by stating on March 15, “I am tremendously grateful to every person out there who has supported me over the past few months. I am always learning and will continue to work at being the best human being I can be. I deeply appreciate Disney’s decision and I am excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all. I have been, and continue to be incredibly humbled by your love and support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Love to you all.” This tweet marks Gunn’s first statement on the platform since his five part apology on July 19 in which he addressed the infamous Tweets.

Between his firing and rehiring, Gunn was picked up by Marvel’s rival DC who hired Gunn to write and direct “The Suicide Squad” which will be a sequel to the 2016 DC Extended Universe film “Suicide Squad.” Due to Gunn’s commitment to the project, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is expected to not start production until Gunn is finished with “The Suicide Squad” which currently has a release date of Aug. 6, 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

While fans may be grateful for Gunn’s return, his journey remains a lesson in the dangers of social media and how people need to be conscious of what they post online. With actor Kevin Hart losing his chance at hosting the Oscars and Roseanne Barr being fired from her titular sitcom, it appears Gunn is the absolute best case scenario of this Twitter fallout.