Biggest DCEU Star Missed Out on Important Marvel Role
For the majority of actors who star in Marvel films, the roles they play in the movies are the biggest of their career and shoot them to global stardom.
As of 2022, the 29 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe make up the highest-grossing film series of all time. Many big-name actors have tried for years to land a role in one of their films, but one actor actually turned down a role offered to him by Marvel.
Jason Momoa was born in Hawaii in 1979. He is the child of a photographer and a painter. He landed his first acting role at 19 years old in Baywatch Hawaii whilst living and working in Honolulu. Momoa would go on to act in other films and series but really stepped into the spotlight for his role in Game of Thrones as Khal Drogo. After that Momoa was landing bigger and bigger roles and fans were shocked to hear that he turned down the chance to play Drax the Destroyer in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
When asked about his decision to turn down the Marvel role, Momoa explained that he was tired of playing the brute, relying on physical strength and aggression to portray his character. Momoa saw himself falling into a pattern of playing the same type of barbaric character, in Stargate: Atlantis, Conan the Barbarian, and of course Game of Thrones. The actor expressed his desire to be silly, to get to play in a comedy or romance, or if he has to play a brute let it be one with depth or a soft side.
Marvel Studios’ Head of Visual Development, Charlie Wen, dropped some concept art of what Momoa might have looked like in the role
After Momoa passed on Guardians of the Galaxy, the role of Drax the Destroyer was given to WWE Superstar Dave Bautista. The recently retired professional wrestler had previously appeared in smaller roles in films and series such as Smallville, Neighbors, Chuck, and The Man with the Iron Fists, but it was his role in Guardians of the Galaxy that shot him to stardom. It is undeniable that Bautista fits the role perfectly, and fans loved his character and his acting. Although initially a grumpy, vengeful alien, Drax the Destroyer quickly became a fan favorite because of his humor and inability to flirt or understand sarcasm, his loyalty to family, and his tragic backstory. His character is strong and powerful with depth, although David Bautista was outstanding as Drax, Jason Momoa would have also been a perfect fit.
So, what was he doing if he was not playing Drax the Destroyer?
Jason Momoa's next big role was in a DC film, he was cast to play the lead in Aquaman. Momoa plays Arthur Curry/ Aquaman, a half-human half-Atlantean who can communicate with the sea among other superpowers passed onto him from his mother Atlanna, queen of Atlantis. Momoa's portrayal of Aquaman was praised by fans and critics, with the first Aquaman released in 2018 ending up being the DCEU's highest-grossing film.
When it comes to his role as Aquaman, Momoa has expressed feeling deeply connected to his character and actually had a hand in writing the script for the second movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, saying "It's got my heart in it."
Although some fans still think that turning down a Marvel role was crazy, it seems that in Momoa's case, trusting his heart and his gut worked out for him, as well as for Dave Bautista, with both actors landing roles that fans today couldn't imagine anyone else playing.