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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive franchise, and there are a few properties that stand out as fan favorites. Chief among them is James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, which made the unknown characters household names. Gunn assembled a killer cast to make up that titular team of Marvel heroes, but it turns out that he had to fight for one actor in particular to be considered.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are made up by a variety of colorful characters, each portrayed by very different actors. While most fans would agree that the cast is picture perfect (especially considering the franchise's success), it turns out that James Gunn had to fight for one particular performer's inclusion. Namely, Drax the Destroyer actor Dave Bautista. Gunn recently revealed this on social media, saying:
Well, that was honest. It looks like James Gunn had to advocate for Dave Bautista to be included in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. And it's a good thing he did, because the wrestler turned actor has become a serious scene stealer, as well as Gunn's biggest defender when he was briefly fired from the franchise.
James Gunn revealed the news about Dave Bautista's casting over on Twitter. While the social media service got Gunn fired by Disney when offensive tweets from a decade ago resurfaced, he's since reclaimed his Twitter account. The visionary filmmaker regularly uses social media to directly communicate with the fandom, and peel back the curtain regarding the production of the Guardians movies as well as his upcoming DC blockbuster The Suicide Squad.
It's truly hard to imagine anyone else but Dave Bautista playing Drax the Destroyer in the MCU. He's made an impressive appearances within the shared universe so far, and he's always able to steal scenes and function as a source of comedic relief. What's more, Bautista brings heart to the character, as the audience learns more about his trauma and past with his late family.
Obviously Dave Bautista's performance speaks for itself, and he's able to bring a ton of heart and character to Drax through each of his appearance. And while James Gunn advocated for his inclusion in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the wrestler turned actor did end up returning the favor years later when Gunn's future as an director was unclear.
Marvel fans can re-watch Dave Bautista's tenure as Drax on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
James Gunn was fired by Marvel for a number of months following his Twitter controversy, seemingly putting the entire Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in jeopardy in the process. The filmmaker's point of view is intrinsically connected to those movies, down to his dance movies and taste in music. During the period leading up to his reinstatement, Dave Bautista was the most vocal defender of Gunn, continually campaigning for him to return. What's more, Bautista claimed he would drop out of his role as Drax if James Gunn's scrpt for Vol. 3 wasn't used.
Luckily both James Gunn and Dave Bautista will be working on the long awaited Guardians threequel. But the movie is arriving much later than originally anticipated, as Gunn took a gig directing The Suicide Squad for DC. But considering how the Guardians were affected by the events of Infinity War and Endgame, there are a ton of narrative threads to pull from.
The next installment in the MCU will be Black Widow on November 6th, taking The Eternals' original release date. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
