Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman Originally Auditioned to Be Part of the Guardians of the Galaxy

Before he was Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman nearly played a pivotal role in Guardians of the Galaxy. With the launch of Disney+ earlier today, Marvel Studios stealth dropped Assembling a Universe on the service, giving fans a look into some of the casting choices made by the studio. The special was initially unveiled in 2014 and just now, one of the clips from the show has started making the rounds online for a pretty good reason — it reveals Chadwick Boseman originally auditioned to play Drax the Destroyer.

That’s right, instead of playing the King of Wakanda, the 42 alum could have been one of the major players in the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the same clip, it’s revealed Boseman isn’t the only Black Panther star that nearly joined the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. At one point, Marvel Studios also wanted to get Lupita Nyong’o on board to play Nebula, the estranged daughter of Thanos. Eventually, Marvel got the best of both worlds at they got both Boseman and Nyong’o in Black Panther and filled the Guardians roles with Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan, both of which who’ve had portrayals that have become fan favorites.

Boseman’s been in the news as of late for his response to filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s controversial Marvel comments. According to the Black Panther star, Scorsese’s comments are nothing short of suspect. “I have to respect his opinion because he’s a genius at what he does,” Boseman said. “At the same time you’ve got to think about when he’s saying it. He’s saying it when he’s possibly campaigning for an award. He’s saying it at a time when he’s making a Netflix movie, so that’s how eyes get on his film and it’s not going to be in the cinemas. It’s not going to be seen the best way. So, he again is speaking to the time period. He is speaking also to his advantage. So you have to take the truth of it. You also have to say, well, for me, the statement doesn’t, like you’re asking me also because I did the first, the superhero movie that was nominated for a (Best Picture) Oscar. I’m secure in that.”

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. Ant-Man 3 and Blade are also without theatrical release dates.

Do you think Boseman would have made a good Drax? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!