Disney and Marvel stars are coming to Chris Pratt's defense in a bizarre move after criticisms of the actor were trending on Twitter

• Chris Pratt's name was trending on Twitter over the weekend after a joke meme about the "Four Chrises of Hollywood" went viral.
• People began discussing criticisms of the actor, including a recent post about the importance of voting for the People's Choice Awards and how he wasn't among the "Avengers" stars at a Joe Biden fundraiser.
• Now James Gunn, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and Josh Gad are posting on social media about their personal positive experience with Pratt.

On Tuesday evening, Marvel and Disney stars started coming out of the woodwork to comment on the personal character of the Hollywood actor Chris Pratt.

What began as a joke meme on Twitter over the weekend has now spiraled into a celebrity-defending-celebrity news story. If you're out of the loop on the evolving conversation around Pratt and his critics (and defenders), we're here to break it down for you.

The story began over the weekend with a prompt meme about the 4 Chrises of Hollywood

On Saturday, the TV writer Amy Berg tweeted a set of four photos with a simple prompt: "One has to go."

The photos showed Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, and Chris Evans, aka "The Four Chrises of Hollywood."

People have been ranking, comparing, and contrasting those Chrises for a few years. The meme began when all four actors were prominently starring in comic-book movies like "Avengers: Endgame" and "Wonder Woman."

The prompt format of "one has to go" is also a common Twitter meme, usually spurring discussions within fandoms about why certain actors or characters are essential to a story or media franchise. Sometimes it's a prompt about something as innocuous as Halloween candy or beloved chain restaurants.

In other words, it was a common meme building off a years-old discussion.

Most of the replies to Berg's tweet identified Pratt as the Chris who should "go" and highlighted that it wasn't a particularly difficult choice (the way many "one has to go" memes often are).

One tweet, from the writer Ira Madison III, who hosts the "Keep It!" podcast, had more than 50,000 likes.

Many of those people brought up Pratt's seemingly Republican-leaning beliefs, as well as his attendance of a church accused of anti-LGBTQ practices, as a core reason for picking him to go.

The Jezebel writer Joan Summers wrote in a recent article investigating the actor's political record that Pratt was "not an avowed Republican" but "rather his politics seem informed by something much more apathetic and cynical."

"I've learned, in this brief investigation, that Chris Pratt is a man who stands for everything and nothing at all, depending on who is looking at him," Summers wrote. "His blank canvas politics make him the perfect focal point for everyone's collective projections. In turn, that vagueness protects his Hollywood interests, removing the risk of alienating prospective viewers and fans entirely. Personally, I find that much more frightening."

The Twitter trend was followed the next day by news that some stars from 'The Avengers' were fundraising for Joe Biden, but Pratt wasn't among them

On the heels of the "one has to go" trend going poorly for Pratt, news broke that a group of Marvel stars would be in attendance at a fundraiser for former Vice President Joe Biden, supporting his 2020 presidential campaign.

"'Voters Assemble!' will feature 'Avengers' cast members Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana," Variety reported.

Pratt's name was not among the list of stars who would be there, which helped continue the wave of tweets about Pratt. People were discussing the possibility that he was supporting President Donald Trump in the election.

Pratt's recent Instagram post about the importance of voting for the People's Choice Awards also added to the fire

This past weekend's discussions about Pratt didn't happen in a vacuum. Back on October 2, the actor began an Instagram caption with a seemingly serious plea for eligible voters in the US presidential election:

"With all that's going on in the world it is more important than ever that you vote. Just ask any celebrity. They will tell you. Every day. Several times a day. To vote. But me? I will tell you EXACTLY who to vote for."

Then Pratt used the hashtag for his recent Pixar movie, "Onward."

"The heroes before us did not spill their blood only to have their sacrifices wasted by your apathy," Pratt's caption continued. "The upcoming 2020 People's Choice Awards is the most consequential vote in the history of mankind times a million infinity. Vote for #Onward for family movie of the year. Or else. You WILL die. No hyperbole. Click the link in my bio. Let your voice be heard."

The joke wasn't taken well by some people.

"I get this is supposed to be a cute little joke but it comes off as really insensitive," one person commented on the post, garnering more than 1,000 likes. "The upcoming election is really important and everyone should vote and for you to try and take that and turn it into an ad for your movie is low."

All of this culminated in a group of Pratt's costars and colleagues defending him on social media starting Tuesday evening

Mark Ruffalo was among the first to chime in Tuesday in defense of Pratt, tweeting out to his followers and saying the discussions about Pratt were "a distraction."

Robert Downey Jr. also came to Pratt's defense via an Instagram post.

"What a world... The 'sinless' are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt," the caption said. "A real Christian who lives by principle, has never demonstrated anything but positivity and gratitude... AND he just married into a family that makes space for civil discourse and (just plain fact) INSISTS on service as the highest value."

Pratt is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of California's most recent Republican governor, the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"If you take issue with Chris,,, I've got a novel idea," Downey continued. "Delete your social media accounts, sit with your OWN defects of character, work on THEM, then celebrate your humanness."

James Gunn, the director of Pratt's biggest hit film, "The Guardians of the Galaxy," also joined the conversation.

"Sorry. Just finding out about this nonsense," Gunn wrote. "@prattprattpratt is the best dude in the world. I've spent hours & hours sharing my deepest truths with this man, as he has with me. Please stop assuming what he believes, politically or in any other way, because he's a Christian."

The Disney star Josh Gad also retweeted Ruffalo's comment, endorsing what the fellow actor had said.

Now critics are taking issue with the way some of Marvel's biggest male stars are defending Pratt

It didn't take long for the Marvel stars' defense of Pratt to itself come under scrutiny.

People questioned why Pratt's defenders didn't virulently speak up for the women of Marvel who were harassed online, like Brie Larson or Zendaya, who were targeted in misogynistic harassment campaigns. Some of Marvel's other Black stars, like Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, and Tessa Thompson, have also been subject to harassment online.

In those cases, Ruffalo, Downey, and other actors did not group together to specifically defend their Marvel costars against criticisms.

And so, by Tuesday evening, Pratt's name was once again trending on Twitter, this time as a result of his defenders chiming in.

Insider reached out to a representative for Pratt but did not immediately hear back.