Like his popular character Buffy Summers, Joss Whedon has returned after you thought he might be gone for good.
The writer and director of hit films such as The Avengers and cult classic shows like Firefly made a very public exit from Twitter last year, deleting his account shortly after Avengers: Age of Ultron hit theaters. But he returned to the social media service on Wednesday, asking, "Did I miss anything? Lol jk the world is on fire."
Hey! Did I miss anything? Lol jk the world is on fire 😂 here's a thing I made https://t.co/g1SE45Rkrv
— Joss Whedon (@joss) September 21, 2016
In that same tweet, he directs people to savetheday.vote, a simple website that, at the moment, hosts only a few photos and a video.
That video, titled simply "Important," started getting attention immediately. It helps that it contains a lot of major Hollywood names, including a bunch of the Avengers that Whedon has directed on-screen.
Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Leslie Odom Jr., James Franco and more stars appear to strongly encourage every citizen to vote in this coming election.
Well, with a catch.
While the video stresses that your vote affects everything and never really tells you who you should vote for, it has an unabashedly clear message about who they think you shouldn't vote for.
The stars in the video say that you only get this many famous people together "if the issue truly matters to all of us," such as diseases and disasters. Or, as the video goes on to say through the words of Don Cheadle, "A racist, abusive coward who could permanently damage the fabric of our society."
If you haven't guessed, they're talking about Donald Trump — even though they don't say his name. If, for some reason, there's any doubt about that, the "You're fired" references make an appearance pretty quickly.
The video attempts to make its message go down easier with humor, some of which leans into Whedon's devoted fanbase. "Some of us aren't as famous, but we're still pretty famous," says Tom Lenk, who will be recognizable to Whedonites for his role as Andrew in later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
There's also the promise that if people get out and vote, a certain actor who plays a certain green Avenger will do a nude scene in his next movie. Much to his displeasure.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Whedon says, "At least one person was like, 'I didn't expect this to be quite so partisan. I don't want to alienate half my fan base.' But nobody backed out. In general, everyone was very comfortable with what we were doing."
SaveTheDay.Vote has a message that reads, "We are a short-form production company dedicated to the idea that voting is a necessary and heroic act. That every voice in this wonderfully diverse nation should, and must, be heard. That the only thing that can save democracy is the act that defines it. We are committed to fighting the apathy, cynicism, and honest confusion that keeps citizens from using their vote. And to reminding an increasingly out-of-touch and compromised set of representatives that they are answerable to the people they were hired to serve."
As of this writing, more than 50 percent of the responses on YouTube (which uses a simple thumbs up vs. thumbs down metric) are negative. One of the top comments, from user Trent Vitri, says, "So 'famous' millionaires are suppose to be relatable to the everyday voter? Sorry, but you're not going to tell me how to vote. Now go out there and dance for my entertainment, monkey."
Another, from user Chartreux, says, "Thanks for this video! I didn't want to go vote initially but these celebrities gave me the ambition to go vote on November 8 and it will be Trump!"
No candidates, including Hillary Clinton, are named. A fine print note at the end of the video says, "Paid for by Save the Day PAC, SaveTheDay.Vote, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."
