To this day, I'm still kind of amazed that Guardians Of The Galaxy was the success it was. Before James Gunn's 2014 movie, even the most hardcore Marvel fans would've struggled to tell you much about the likes of Rocket Racoon and Drax. Now? Now they're up there with the likes of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain America.
A huge part of this comes down to the performances. The Guardians were all perfectly cast, but perhaps none more than Dave Bautista as Drax The Destroyer. The former WWE man made Drax imposing, sympathetic, and downright hilarious. It's also wonderful to see how much the actor clearly adores the role, even if he's said before he's not sure he can do it for much longer.
Take a look at a trailer for Marvel's What If...? below!
For now, Bautista is still Drax - which is why a lot of fans were surprised to learn he won't be reprising his role in Marvel's upcoming What If...? series. The new animated show, which airs August 11 on Disney Plus, is all about diving into the Marvel Multiverse and exploring possible alternate realities.
Advert
One episode looks at what might have happened if T'Challa was picked up by the Reavers and became Star Lord instead of Peter Quill. Naturally, this means the Guardians - including Drax - will appear in some capacity, but Bautista won't be playing him. He explained on Twitter that he was simply never asked.
A lot of fans, including Guardians director James Gunn, expressed their shock at this. It's no secret that What If...? has a mix of original actors and new voices in established roles. Hayley Atwell and Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Agent Carter and Doctor Strange, for example. The show will mark Chadwick Boseman's final performance as T'Challa. Ant Man, Wong, Nebula, Bruce Banner, and so many more are also being played by their original actors.
Advert
But there are notable absences, too. The likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel will all be voiced by different actors. In these cases, the assumption from fans was that the original actors weren't available (or money was an issue). Bautista's claim that he simply wasn't asked seems like a seriously odd omission, given his popularity as Drax.
If I had to guess, I'd say Drax's role in What If...? is so small that Marvel didn't think it was worth asking Bautista. Let's hope that's the case, anyway.
Featured Image Credit: Marvel
