Star Wars author Chuck Wendig says he was fired by Marvel over ‘vulgar’ tweet

The Verge ^ | October 12, 2018 | Andrew Liptak

[EdnaMode]

Just a week after Marvel announced at New York Comic Con that Star Wars author Chuck Wendig would be penning a Darth Vader miniseries, Wendig says that he’s been removed from the series as well as from an unannounced Star Wars book after he was temporarily suspended from Twitter earlier this week.

In a series of tweets, Wendig noted that he was fired from the remainder of the series “because of the negativity and vulgarity that my tweets bring... It was too much politics, too much vulgarity, too much negativity on my part.” A Marvel spokesperson confirmed that Wendig had been fired but wouldn’t comment further on the record. We’ve reached out to Disney and Penguin Random House for additional comment and clarification and will update this post if we hear back.

Chuck Wendig ✔ @ChuckWendig

So, here’s a thing that has happened – I just got fired from Marvel. Taken off issues 4 and 5 of SHADOW OF VADER, and taken off an as-yet-unannounced SW book.

This might be a long thread, so apologies in advance.

Wendig went on to outline a long-running campaign of harassment that accompanied 2015’s Aftermath, the first novel in the new canon set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Fans of the defunct expanded universe were upset that his books were “replacing” the long-running series, while others took issue with his outspoken, progressive political views. Wendig has written for Marvel before, writing the comic adaptation of The Force Awakens, and he wrote issues of Marvel’s series Hyperion.

Earlier this week, Wendig reported that he discovered on Monday that his Twitter account had been temporarily suspended, which lasted for five hours. He suspects it was due to a tweetstorm about civility in the aftermath of the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh that went viral. It earned him the ire of numerous right-wing personalities, along with threats and calls for him to be fired from his Star Wars gigs, misconstruing his tweets as a literal call for violence.

Chuck Wendig ✔

@ChuckWendig Replying to @ChuckWendig To conclude: this is really quite chilling. And it breaks my heart. I am very sad, and worried for the country I live in, and the world, and for creative people all around. Courage to you all.

I have a dire fear this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

Wendig’s firing sets a disturbing precedent for creators, and it specifically recalls the firing of James Gunn from his director’s position on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after a right-wing troll campaign churned up some offensive tweets that he posted a decade ago. While Wendig notes that this appears to have been Marvel’s call, there are stark similarities and a concerning takeaway: entertainment companies will cave to bad-faith campaigns if the volume is cranked up high enough. While a source close to the matter noted that online campaigning for Wendig’s ouster from the franchise didn’t figure into the decision, it’s impossible to see those circles claim it as anything but a victory.

[kanawa]

Weaponized Nerd Rage's take on it. (NSFW)

Chuck Wendig IS GONE! Sanity returning to Marvel?

[EdnaMode]

Thanks for the link :D