Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn Explains Why Drax’s Backstory Was Changed

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the Holiday Special are well underway, and it definitely feels like director James Gunn is having a good time on set. From the mystery of the Rick and Morty prankster to the random behind-the-scenes pictures he posts, the director is having a ton of fun with the sequel. While you’d think he’d be busy shooting the film, Gunn always has time to respond to fans on Twitter. When a fan asked the director why he’d change Drax the Destroyer from human to alien, he had a very simple response. You can check out the tweet below.

“I didn’t want to make a space opera with a dozen earthlings who just coincidentally found themselves in space,” Gunn wrote. “How could I even explain that in the 1st 20 minutes of a movie? I wanted a group of aliens & orphans from different planets who banded together.”

When The Suicide Squad director finishes up with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he will more than likely focus on Peacemaker’s second season as well as other DC Comics projects. Gunn recently said as much in a recent interview with Variety. So, you can expect Gunn’s tenure with Warner Bros. and the DCEU to continue for the foreseeable future.

“I think I pretty much have decided that after I’m done with Guardians, I’m going to be doing television for at least a year. My mind’s made up on that,” Gunn confirmed with Variety. “Not all the shows that we’re dealing with are things that I’m going to be writing and directing, so some of them may take different amounts of my time. Peacemaker is going to be me writing, me directing, and spending all my time on set. But other shows that may not be writing and directing or not directing all the episodes.”  

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 23rd, 2023, with the original cast set to return. The film will also feature Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, Elizabeth Debecki as Ayesha, Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Chukwudi Iwuji in an undisclosed role. Not much is currently known about the film, but we’re sure it’ll be another amazing film from the mind of James Gunn. 

What do you think of the change? Does it matter to you? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @NateBrail up on Twitter!