How A Failed Guardians Of The Galaxy Audition Led Chadwick Boseman To Black Panther
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) first appeared in Anthony and Joe Russo's 2016 fight flick "Captain America: Civil War," a film about multiple superheroes sectioning off and fighting one another over the issue of governmental oversight. Those fighting for increased oversight were Iron Man, Black Widow, the Vision, War Machine, Spider-Man, and Black Panther. They faced off against several characters who were fighting on the wrong side of the conflict. Boseman would eventually be given his own solo superhero flick with "Black Panther" in 2018.
It seems, however, that Boseman almost became a different superhero in the same series, which would have seen his MCU debut two years earlier. It seems that when James Gunn was casting his 2014 film "Guardians of the Galaxy," Boseman auditioned for the role of Drax the Destroyer. Drax, of course, is the none-too-bright, sage-skinned, near-indestructible space alien who serves as the muscle in the Guardians team. Notably, Drax doesn't understand metaphors or similes, taking everything his compatriots say literally. The role was ultimately filled by one-time professional wrestler Dave Bautista.
Boseman died of colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43, and the world lost a great talent. Through his illness, however, Boseman remained in the public eye, talking openly about his Marvel movies, and even going so far as to appear on talk shows, all while keeping his illness secret. As such, he spoke openly about his Drax audition for a 2019 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." Boseman admitted at the time, he didn't know anything about Drax other than a few script pages. He didn't realize how whimsical the film was to be.
Chadwick Boseman as Drax the Destroyer
Boseman admitted that he wasn't confident that he would land the role of Drax. He also noted that the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while all of a piece, did occasionally have their own unique tones. Not knowing the studio's approach to "Guardians of the Galaxy" meant that it was going to stand apart. Boseman noted:
"I didn't think I was gonna get it. And it's weird, too. It's a testament to Marvel because [...] 'Ant-Man' has a different tone and feel, and we didn't know what that was gonna be. We didn't know what 'Guardians' was gonna be. So, I didn't know what it was. I only had a few pages [of the script] at that time. So, it was just good to come in and play to see what they did with it."
Sadly, Boseman's audition tape has not been leaked to the public, so we can only imagine the actor's approach to a role like Drax. This is amusing, given that Boseman would eventually play a more stoic, regal figure in "Black Panther." T'Challa is a far cry from the comedic brutishness of Drax. Fallon asked Boseman if his Drax audition was what put him on the Marvel ledger for "Black Panther" a few years down the road. Boseman was diplomatic, saying:
"Sometimes that's the way it works as an actor. You go in knowing you're not gonna get it, but you're meeting the people that might be like, 'It's not this, but we'll put him in this other thing.' So I feel like this was one of those moments where they were like, 'Oh, we could use him later.'"
Boseman then credited casting director Sarah Finn for keeping him in mind for "Black Panther."
Well done.