Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn explained why Drax is gray instead of green. The lovably dense alien made his cinematic debut in 2012’s Guardians of the Galaxy, portrayed by WWE star turned actor Dave Bautista. Since the first installment of Marvel’s sub-franchise, Drax the Destroyer has appeared in the 2017 sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame. Drax’s upcoming appearances include the Phase 4 films Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

While Gunn has reaffirmed a few times that Vol. 3 will be his last Guardians movie, Bautista shocked fans and made headlines last month when he said it would also be his last as Drax, citing the shirtless scenes are part of the reason for his exit. Other than being incessantly shirtless, Drax’s gray skin has also become a signature part of the character’s appearance, compared to his comics counterpart, who is bright green. Some have even debated the color of Drax’s skin on-screen as grey, blue, or a combination of the two. Gunn previously cleared up this confusion, saying that he is gray, but can appear blue or green depending on the lighting.

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Now, Gunn is here to explain the reasoning behind the color choice. A fan reached out to the director on Twitter, asking why he made Drax gray instead of green like he is in the comics. Gunn responded, saying there were already too many green characters in the MCU, namely Hulk and Gamora, and “green is the most difficult color to get to look like actual skin.” After multiple screen tests, he decided Drax looked best with gray skin. Read Gunn’s complete response below:

The color of Drax’s skin in the MCU has been a significant point of contention amongst fans, reminiscent of the viral dress phenomenon from a few years back. Still, hopefully, Gunn’s explanation will put the issue to rest. However, some comic book loyalists disagree that his skin should have even been changed from green to gray in the first place. This faction of the debate will likely rage on long after Bautista has retired from the role.

While there have been whispers of recasting Drax, Marvel would probably be wise to hang up the character and the series after Gunn and Bautista’s exit. The debate surrounding the color of Drax’s skin is just one example of how much Marvel fans care about the character, and it would be difficult to imagine anyone else replicating Bautista’s performance in potential installments of Guardians of the Galaxy past Vol. 3.

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Source: James Gunn

Key Release Dates
  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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Adam Bentz
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Adam Bentz is a movie and TV news writer for Screen Rant. From a young age, Adam has been interested in a wide range of movies and television, but it was talented auteurs like Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Aaron Sorkin who ultimately sparked his interest in the craft. Motivated by his love for the screen, Adam studied creative writing with a concentration in screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University.

After graduating, Adam interned as a writer with The Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization working to end extreme poverty. Other than writing for Screen Rant, Adam reviews films on his website adambentz.wordpress.com

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