Chris Pratt has broken his silence, following calls for his dismissal from the Marvel Cinematic Universe over comments made about the recent death of Charlie Kirk.
Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University on 10 September.
Kirk was a good friend of President Donald Trump with whom he shared political ideologies.
He’d been touring the United States as part of his American Comeback Tour; during this specific stop in Utah, Kirk was answering a question on gun violence when a shot rang out from the 3,000-strong crowd.
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A suspect has since been arrested, with 22-year-old Tyler Robinson now in custody.
Given Kirk’s far-right leaning stance, his death prompted an unprecedented level of conversation on social media.
While some people offered condolences, others took the shooting as an opportunity to address Kirk’s controversial views.
Chris Pratt, best known for playing Star-Lord in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, opted for the former.
“Praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country,” he wrote. “We need God’s grace. God help us.”
While Pratt has always argued that he doesn’t align himself strongly with either right or left-wing politics, he’s long been considered to be right-wing leaning.
The actor previously had ties to a far-right church.
He also notably missed a 2020 October fundraiser for Joe Biden which many of his MCU co-stars attended including Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.
His comments regarding Kirk’s death immediately alienated a large number of MCU fans.
“Oh now you wanna say something like there hasn’t been anything worse happening in the world,” one fan wrote.
Referencing Kirk’s previous statement that gun deaths are an “unfortunate” result of Americans having the right to bear arms, another fan wrote, “Where was Chris Pratt when Charlie Kirk was saying this?”
Many called for his dismissal from the MCU.
Well, the backlash appears to have caught Pratt’s attention who took to social media to post a prayer.
Appearing in a video, Pratt said, “Hey guys, just stop real quick and pray with me,” before launching into said prayer.
“Okay, now you can continue scrolling or you can turn your phone off and go outside. Might I suggest the latter. Go get some sunshine. Go look at a tree, touch grass. Call a friend. If you’ve got time to be on your phone right now, you’ve got time to do your to-do list and you’ve got time to reach out to somebody in need. Share this prayer with them,” he finished.
There are many who seemed to enjoy Pratt’s message.
“God bless you Star Lord,” read one such comment.
“Thank you for that! Phone is hitting the table now,” added another, seemingly showing that the earlier fury relating to Pratt’s position may have quelled.
Topics: Marvel, MCU, TV And Film, Disney, Avengers