Dave Bautista: Marvel responds to Guardians of the Galaxy actor’s Disney claim about What If...? involvement
Show’s executive producer says there was a ‘miscommunication’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Marvel has responded to Dave Bautista’s recent claim about Disney.
The actor, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), recently said he was not asked to voice his character in new animated seriesWhat If...? on Disney Plus.
In the series, popular Marvel characters are shown in alternate Marvel plots to their live-action counterparts. The majority of actors returned to voice their roles for the series.
What If...? executive producer Brad Winderbaum has since cast doubt on Bautista’s claim, stating that every Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was asked to play their respective character “in some way, shape or form, either through their agents or directly”.
When asked about Bautista’s comment by Variety, Winderbaum said: “I saw that, too. I don’t know really what happened behind the scenes there, but certainly, we would have loved for him to be in the show. So there’s probably some miscommunication somewhere.”
In response to an inquisitive fan on Twitter who asked: “Hey, Dave!! Why won't you be voicing Drax on #WhatIf?”, Bautista replied: “Let’s start with I was never asked.”
James Gunn, who directed Bautista as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, was clearly shocked by the news, simply commenting underneath: “What.”
Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson also won’t be returning to voice their roles of Iron Man, Captain America and Black Widow, respectively, but their absence is more expected considering their time as part of the MCU is over.
Bautista’s lack of involvement could be attributed to the fact that Drax has a minimal role in the series and the studio did not want to pay the actor a large fee. However, Bautista’s comment suggests the studio failed to discuss the project with him in any capacity.
The Independent contacted Bautista and Disney for comment.
Last month, Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney over the studio’s simultaneous release of her standalone film Black Widow in cinemas and on Disney Plus.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
The studio responded by stating that Johansson’s lawsuit had “no merit” in a heavily-criticised statement that disclosed the actor’s salary. Bautista was Johansson’s only Marvel co-star to comment on the situation.
He quipped that Disney should have made a Drax standalone film instead, which led to a divisive reaction among fans.
What If...? is released weekly on Disney Plus.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments