Drax creator Jim Starlin sees a recasting in the warrior’s MCU future

Marvel writer Jim Starlin knows a thing or two about Drax the Destroyer, having created him, and wouldn’t be shocked if they recast him in the MCU soon.

No actor playing a comic character will play one forever, not even Hugh Jackman or Michael Keaton. Recasting happens and it is guaranteed everywhere, including the lauded Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s only a matter of time.

And some will occur sooner than others. The 50-something Dave Bautista, for one, doesn’t think he’ll play Drax much longer and he is far from the only one. Drax’s creator, veteran comic book writer Jim Starlin, agrees.

Will Drax be recast in the MCU?

Starlin told Inverse during a recent discussion that he foresees somebody else portraying the character pretty soon.

“The Marvel Universe is going to keep trucking along and they found that they have made money on cosmic stuff,” he said. “So they will more than likely are going to do more of it.”

Starlin would add that “There may be another Drax down the line” with the hope whoever the new guy “has half the comedic timing of Bautista.” Noting the formerly christened “Animal” is getting older, he also added that he “understand[s] hitting 54 and not wanting to take your shirt off anymore.”

Bautista has consistently been in better shape than most people so he probably won’t have to worry about a dad bod. That’s a cosmetic issue de-aging CGI can fix.

Still, as he tells Collider, the actor thinks they left a lot of Drax’s backstory on the table and leaned into the comedic elements he became known for in the movies:

"“Now that I’m four films in… I really wished they would have invested more in Drax, personally. Because I think Drax has more of a story to tell. I think Drax has a really interesting backstory which they dropped the ball on. That’s no dig on Marvel. They had their slate, I know what they’re focused on, that’s what they have slated out. But man, I think they really missed the ball on Drax. He has such a great backstory. Selfishly, as a performer, that would have given me the opportunity to show different sides of Drax, emotionally.”"

Starlin concurs on this too. “Rocket got more in his retelling, and Gamora got the lion’s share of it,” he said to Digital Spy. “But I thought Drax was the best of the lot of those characters. He’s certainly the comedic star.”

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However, the celebrated writer feels the Guardians films got the essence of Drax and Marvel doesn’t need to develop him more as a big player. “I didn’t think he needed any more to tell you the truth… It’s pretty simple,” Starlin said. “He’s a big hulking brute who lost his family.”

If you’ve read the comics, there is enough to draw from in Drax’s backstory for a Disney+ series. In reality a human, Drax was nearly killed in an accident by aliens and then reconstructed into an android designed to kill Thanos.

He had a daughter too who, presumed dead, turned up alive and was upgraded by interstellar beings to become the character Moondragon. With a few alterations, that story can be adapted to bring Moondragon into the MCU which is allegedly in the cards going forward.

Dave Bautista’s final appearances as Drax could very well be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy: The Holiday Special. Both productions are slated for mid-2023.

Do you think Dave Bautista will be finished as Drax in the MCU soon? Leave us a comment.