A recent trailer for Marvel’s What If…? confirmed that Drax would be appearing in an episode of the series opposite T’Challa’s re-imagined Star-Lord. Unfortunately, Dave Bautista won’t be reprising his role as the green-skinned Guardian of the Galaxy. And when a fan asked him why he isn’t lending his voice to the show, Bautista offered a blunt response: Marvel never asked him.
Let’s start with I was never asked. https://t.co/HwrnMrEajh
— Poor Kid Who Chased His Dreams. (@DaveBautista) August 2, 2021
Marvel has at least 25 MCU vets coming back to voice their characters on the upcoming series. However, Bautista isn’t the only one they didn’t reach out to. The official cast list has some pretty major absences, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Tom Holland, Scarlett Johansson, Brie Larson, and Elizabeth Olsen.
Omissions like Downey and Evans aren’t surprising, given their retirement from the franchise after Avengers: Endgame. But everyone else is still part of the Marvel Studios family (or at least they were when What If…? was still in production). So barring a scheduling conflict, it’s strange that actors like Bautista weren’t even contacted about the show.
RELATED: What If…? Producer Confirms Season 1 Will Have Nine Episodes
In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, executive producer Brad Winderbaum explained how he and his fellow creators approached casting new voices for the series.
“One early decision was we were not going to let the show be defined by the actors we thought we could get,” said Winderbaum. “Part of the fun of What If…? is being able to tell stories in any corner of the universe you want to and that means that you need that infinite canvas, you need that infinite potential. Also, I was afraid we wouldn’t get any actors to come back. The fact that we got as many as we did, 85% of the actors came back or something like that. It’s incredible and it’s a real honor and privilege to work with all of them.”
What If…? will premiere next Wednesday, August 11 on Disney+.
Are you sad to hear that Bautista isn’t voicing Drax on the series? Tell us what you think in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 1
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