In the wake of James Gunn's firing from Guardians of the Galaxy 3, fans have come up with a great new suggestion for a replacement: Jimmy Gunnbergo (aka Gunn with a luxurious moustache). Gunn, who wrote and directed the first two installments of Marvel/Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, was expected to continue at the helm for Vol. 3. However, when some old tweets of his were brought to light (including some with very questionable subject matter), Disney was pushed to fire Gunn from the Marvel family.

The reactions to this decision have been mixed, with many fans angry about the dismissal. Gunn himself wrote an apology, explaining the tweets as "shock humor" of a kind that he is no longer interested in, and the Guardians of the Galaxy cast wrote a letter in support of the director. Before he was fired, Gunn had already turned in the script for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and it's currently unclear if Marvel/Disney will choose to use this, or will hire a new director and allow them to write their own script for the film. However, some upset fans have come up with a hilarious way for Disney to save face, and for Gunn to return to the franchise: as Jimmy Gunnbergo!

An image of James Gunn with a photoshopped moustache showed up on Reddit, with a fake headline "Marvel Hire First-Time Filmmaker Jimmy Gunnbergo To Direct Guardians 3". Comments on the post and tweets about it include the suggestion that Gunn recommends "Jimmy Gunnbergo" himself, and that although first-time directors can be dicey, this might just be the one to really understand Gunn's original vision for the film.


Of course, this is obviously a joke post, and no one is expecting Gunn to grow a moustache and pretend to be someone else (his evil twin, perhaps). However, it speaks to the depth of fan feeling around the director's shocking firing, and the issues that Disney currently faces. While it's clear Gunn has a huge amount of support from fans, his own cast, and other celebrities, it's not a simple matter of Disney deciding to welcome him back with open arms. Re-hiring Gunn would mean dealing with a lot of negative publicity surrounding the film, and possibly even boycotts, which isn't something Marvel/Disney will want to attach to one of its most successful franchises. On the flip side, re-hiring Gunn would keep the production on schedule, and allow the trilogy to be completed as originally conceived.

At least while fans wait to see what happens with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, they can enjoy a laugh about the situation - and perhaps Gunn will appreciate the suggestion, as he definitely appreciates the support.

Jimmy Gunnbergo has yet to comment on the photo.