The Marvel Cinematic Universe is massive, and it's full of beloved franchises. A few stand out as fan favorites, including James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The cosmic heroes are beloved by the fandom, in no small part thanks to what the cast brings to the table. Guardians has the perfect cast, but Chadwick Boseman and other eventual Marvel stars were once looked at for roles. Let’s break it all down.
There have been a number of stories about how James Gunn and Kevin Feige cast the first Guardians movie over the years, with some actors sharing their stories. Case in point: Always Sunny actor Glen Howerton auditioned to play Star-Lord. In a piece by Vanity Fair, it was revealed that more familiar names went in for cosmic roles, only to be cast in other Marvel franchises down the line. Black Panther icon Chadwick Boseman originally went for the role of Drax, which would eventually go to Dave Bautista. The late actor’s co-star Lupita Nyong’o also auditioned for Gamora, before eventually being cast as Nakia.
It’s hard to imagine any other actors playing the members of the Guardians, but obviously Kevin Feige and company had to cast a wide net to find the perfect cast. There’s no question that Boseman and Nyong’o are talented enough to play those cosmic roles, but they were probably best used occupying Wakanda in the Black Panther franchise.
In that same story by Vanity Fair, it was revealed that another beloved Marvel actor had originally auditioned for another role. Karen Gillan is pitch perfect as Nebula in Guardians, but she originally tried out to play Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a role that would end up going to Emily VanCamp. I suppose everything happens for a reason, as all of the actors mentioned have been great in their eventual roles.
Of course, the powers that be at Marvel likely had no idea just how popular the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise would become over the years. Despite James Gunn’s movie dealing with a lesser known group of heroes, Gunn’s unique POV and sense of humor helped it stand out among the rest of the MCU’s projects. The box office performance of Guardians 3 shows just how much the fandom loves the cosmic team, especially while other projects like Ant-Man 3 struggled to perform.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear if/when we’ll see these heroes again. The ending of Guardians 3 saw the team all survive and go their separate ways. While title cards confirmed that Star-Lord will be back, there’s no telling when the rest of the heroes will return to the screen.
The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
