Fans of Joss Whedon have endured their fair share of heartbreak over the years, thanks to early cancelations ("Firefly," "Dollhouse") and shocking character deaths. (We still haven't quite forgiven him for killing of Wash in "Serenity"; was that really necessary, Joss?)
But fans were finally able to revel in Whedon's success -- and tell all of their friends, "I told you so!" -- after the staggering success of "Marvel's The Avengers," which has already wracked up more than $700 million in ticket sales and broke the record for the biggest opening weekend in box office history.
Now, Whedon is thanking that passionately devoted fan base. In a letter posted on the fansite Whedonesque.com, the writer-director made it clear that he isn't letting success of his Marvel blockbuster change him.
"People have told me that this matters, that my life is about to change," Whedon wrote. "I am sure that is true. And change is good -- change is exciting. I think -- not to jinx it -- that I may finally be recognized at Comic-Con. Imagine!"
Whedon then joked that the success of "The Avengers" would allow him to finally get started on his real dream project: "The reboot of 'Air Bud' that we all feel is so long overdue."
Kidding aside, Whedon said his previous string of bad luck -- described by some critics as "dark years" -- never felt that way. He thanked his extremely devoted fans for never thinking that way either.
"I have people, in my life, on this site, in places I've yet to discover, that always made me feel the truth of success: an artist and an audience communicating," he wrote.
"So this is me, saying thank you. All of you. You've taken as much guff for loving my work as I have for over-writing it, and you deserve, in this our time of streaming into the main, to crow. To glow. To crow and go "I told you so", to those Joe Blows not in the know."
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