Marvel’s The Avengers Writer Doesn’t Hold Back With Joss Whedon Comments

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios was released this month, and the new book chronicles some behind-the-scenes details about various Marvel films. Authors Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards have shared some surprising information about the franchise ranging from messy histories to deleted storylines. The book also includes some quotes from Zak Penn, who has a story credit on The Avengers. Penn was originally signed on to write the full script until director Joss Whedon stepped in and took over. 

“All the other directors we had been talking about, Joss wasn’t on the list,” Penn revealed. “I heard he was going to rewrite the script himself. He didn’t even want to meet with me – which, by the way, I always call the writer I’m replacing. I feel like that’s courtesy.”

“He said to me, ‘No, it’s not awkward for me. I’m rewriting you.’ It became pretty apparent that he had less than zero interest in, in any way, having me involved with the movie,” Penn continued. “I think he’s a d*ck,” Penn added. “I think he’s a bad person, and it was really surprising. Remember, my bonus is based on my credit. So literally millions and millions of dollars, which is not the issue here, but that just came out of my pocket and went into Joss’s pocket.”

Of course, Penn isn’t the first person to speak out against Whedon. When Justice League star Ray Fisher accused Whedon of mistreatment on the film’s set, Buffy and Angel‘s Charisma Carpenter showed support for the actor by sharing her own similar experiences with Whedon. She wrote a statement that claimed he “abused his power on numerous occasions,” and many of her co-stars from Buffy and Angel offered their support and shared their own stories.

Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Screenwriter Threw a “F*ck James Gunn” Party:

Reading negative experiences about Whedon in MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios wasn’t exactly surprising after so many people have accused him of mistreatment, but there was another MCU director who got thrown some unexpected shade in the book. While sharing details about Guardians of the Galaxy, the new book reveals director James Gunn didn’t want to give co-writer Nicole Perlman credit on the film. However, Perlman fought for her credit and even threw a “f*ck James Gunn” party after she won.

Apparently, a friend of Perlman’s shared information about the behind-the-scenes drama that went down between the writer and Gunn. The book alleges that Gunn used bullying tactics to try to keep Perlman’s name out of the credits in an attempt to get the sole writing credit. Perlman wrote the original story for the film, and many of her original ideas made it into the final cut, including Star-Lord’s (Chris Pratt) backstory.

“Nicole had to knife-fight for her credit on Guardians of the Galaxy. But she is probably the preeminent female action tent pole writer now because she was the first woman to have her name on not just a Marvel movie, but on a Marvel movie that people really love,” Thor screenwriter Zack Stentz shared.

“She threw a party when the movie came out literally called the ‘F*ck James Gunn’ party because she had won that very bruising credit arbitration. The thing that I’m still angry about, and I say this as a fan of James Gunn as a director, was that he very clearly was selectively leaking stuff to his friends and the fanboy media circles to undermine her credit,” Stentz said. “When Matthew Vaughnn decided to have a temper tantrum over the fact that we got screen credit [on X-Men: First Class], at least he did it under his own name.”

The book also adds a quote from Perlman, which says she “credits everybody in the movie, including James, for making it so beautiful.”

You can watch ComicBook.com‘s Phase Zero podcast interview MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios author Joanna Robinson here.