What If…? Who Replaces Dave Bautista As Drax In Episode 2

Warning: SPOILERS for Marvel’s What If…? Episode 2 – “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?”

Drax the Destroyer appears in Marvel’s What If…? episode 2, although he isn’t voiced by Dave Bautista, who portrays him in live-action. What If…? episode 2 focuses on an alt-universe scenario where T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is abducted by the Ravagers instead of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). As a result, T’Challa becomes more successful as Star-Lord than the half-human/half-Celestial leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Dave Bautista was a world-famous former WWE Champion pro-wrestler with some acting credits under his belt when James Gunn cast him as Drax in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Bautista was able to showcase his sharp comedic talents by playing the obtuse Kylosian criminal-turned-intergalactic superhero. Thanks to clever writing and Bautista’s magnetic charisma, Drax became a beloved character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Bautista memorably scored major laughs in Avengers: Infinity War with Drax’s “standing so still” bit that became a popular meme. Unfortunately, Drax did end up in a minor, supporting role within the overall MCU Infinity Saga, and Bautista is correct when he noted that Drax never got revenge on Thanos (Josh Brolin) for murdering his family, so the pivotal arc of Drax’s backstory remains unfulfilled.

In Marvel’s What If…? episode 2, Fred Tatasciore replaced Dave Bautista and he voiced Drax as well as Corvus Glaive of the Black Order (replacing Michael James Shaw). Tatasciore is an immensely talented voice actor with countless credits, including portraying Lt. Shaxs on Star Trek: Lower Decks and playing Tasmanian Devil in Space Jam: A New Legacy. In T’Challa’s What If…? timeline, Drax is now a bartender who is grateful to meet Star-Lord and thank him for helping save his homeworld from a Kree invasion. Drax’s brief scene is as hilarious as his live-action MCU appearances, and Tatasciore does an excellent job mimicking Bautista’s voice, cadence, and delivery as Drax.

The circumstances of why Dave Bautista didn’t play Drax in What If…? are unclear, especially considering how many other MCU actors returned for What If…? episode 2 including Josh Brolin as Thanos, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, and even Kurt Russell came back to voice Ego for a couple of lines. Bautista, who is vocal on his social media accounts, maintains he “wasn’t asked” to voice Drax while MCU representatives say the offer was made but there must have been a misunderstanding. Regardless of what happened, it’s a shame Bautista missed out on this animated reunion of so many of the MCU’s cosmic characters as well as the final MCU performance of the late Chadwick Boseman.

Noting that he is now 52, Bautista doesn’t think he will be able to maintain Drax’s massively tattooed physique, especially since the grey, tattooed super being always appears shirtless. Still, Bautista is slated to return as Drax in live-action in Thor: Love and Thunder before he reunites with the rest of his old gang in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although the actor has hinted that it will possibly be his last time playing the hulking Kylosian.

However, even as he prepares for his eventual MCU exit, Bautista’s career continues to soar with his upcoming roles working with top directors in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2. Bautista will also voice his character Scott Ward in Netflix’s animated Amry of the Dead: Lost Vegas. While Fred Tatasciore did a fine job stepping in to play Drax in What If…?, hopefully, Dave Bautista will return to voice Drax in future Marvel Studios animated projects.

Marvel’s What If…? streams Wednesdays on Disney+.

About The Author