An executive producer on Marvel’s What If…? has responded to Dave Bautista’s claims that he wasn’t asked to be involved in the Disney+ series.
Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, recently said he wasn’t asked to voice the character in the animated series.
His claim was a surprise considering many actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe reprised their roles; including Sebastian Stan as Bucky, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. James Gunn, director of Guardians Of The Galaxy, even replied “What” underneath Bautista’s post.
What
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 2, 2021
What If…? executive producer Brad Winderbaum has since addressed Bautista’s claim, believing a “miscommunication” may be the root of the issue.
Speaking to Variety about Bautista’s comment, Winderbaum said: “I saw that, too. It’s my understanding that everybody was asked in some way, shape or form, either through their agents or directly.
“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.”
Bautista isn’t the only actor to not return. Josh Keaton takes over the role of Steve Rogers from Chris Evans, while Robert Downey. Jr and Scarlett Johannson are no longer the voices of Iron Man and Black Widow respectively. These absences are more understandable however as they have all left their character’s behind in the MCU.
Bautista has been critical of Marvel’s handling of Drax too, stating his character’s storyline with Thanos (Josh Brolin) was “swept under the rug”.
In NME’s four star review, Marvel’s What If…? Is described as a “special kind of gift” that’s “full of in-jokes and Easter eggs that reference the ripple effect across the rest of the MCU”.
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