James Gunn's Infamous 'F*** Everyone' Batman Tirade Sparks New Controversy

Another day, another attempt by DC "fans" to fire James Gunn with tweets — and, as per usual, they're mining for ammunition in decade-old social media posts.

What separates this particular firestorm (which spun out of control over the Labor Day weekend) is that the "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" director is not being torn apart for disturbing jokes and sexual commentary (though there's unfortunately still some of that in the mix), but for having opinions about previous "Batman" films — some of which are admittedly strong and bizarrely personal. Seemingly posted on his Facebook account 11 years ago, Gunn took aim at multiple beloved takes on the Caped Crusader while engaging with his comments section (clearly, old habits die hard), including the widely acclaimed Christopher Nolan films "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight."

"I don't think either one is classic, and I don't even really think Batman Begins is good," he wrote. "But they're far superior to the first Batman." That film in question is, of course, Tim Burton's 1989 movie, which many consider a classic that laid the groundwork for the modern cultural primacy of superhero films. And yet, it's for this movie that Gunn reserves his most aggressive ire.

James Gunn began by calling Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" film an "atrocity" before later describing it as "poorly written" and "one of the most boring films ever." He concluded, "It's a ridiculous, awful film. Burton's Planet of the Apes is genius by comparison."

Bruce Wayne actor Michael Keaton — who reprised his role in "The Flash" — was dragged into the guano-slinging after another user compared him favorably to Christian Bale. Gunn responded to the claim by calling Keaton's Batman voice "ridiculous" and his performance "barely worthy of the [1966] Batman TV show" — before going on to trash "Batman Begins" as well.

As for Jack Nicholson's oft-lauded turn as the Joker, Gunn was particularly outraged. "... [T]he reveal of the Joker as the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents spits in the face of Batman's origin," he wrote before continuing in another comment, "Oh yeah, and Jack Nicholson as the Joker is Jack Nicholson in [The Shining] with sh**y clown makeup. F*** you, everyone involved in that travesty."

Of course, driving this newly ignited #FireJamesGunn campaign are the extremely vocal (and extremely online) Zack Snyder fans who seemingly derive their entire sense of self from crusading on his behalf. As of writing, eight accounts responsible for the top 10 tweets under the aforementioned hashtag represent the "Justice League" director in some semi-permanent portion of their profile, such as their cover photo or bio. Ironically, they're now lobbing the same sort of tired fanboy vitriol at James Gunn that they're apparently so scandalized by in his decade-old Facebook posts.

That said, there were more troubling posts unearthed from Gunn's Facebook page. As most know from the infamous set of tweets that once saw him fired from Marvel Studios, the director had a concerning predilection for making jokes about pedophilia and sexual assault — one that extended to his Facebook page. In the past, it's been argued this may have been Gunn's way of turning his horrific experience at a Catholic school into shock comedy.

Arguably more troubling were the posts objectifying female actors, encouraging his followers to vote on and discuss which they found to be the most sexually desirable. Gunn has never been accused of bringing this behavior to work.

Following an attempted security breach, Facebook shut down Gunn's account. The director shared on Instagram that reinstating it was not a priority for him.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).