Drax the Destroyer is a member of Marvel’s intergalactic team of superheroes, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and like the Incredible Hulk before him, he’s basically a big green guy who likes to wreck things. Given the character’s stature, where is Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn going to find an actor big enough to pull the part off? According to Latino Review, he must have looked toward HBO’s Game of Thrones, because they’re reporting that Marvel has just offered the role to actor Jason Momoa (meanwhile, THR says he’s only tested).
Momoa was one of the actors who tested for the character alongside names like Isiah Mustafa, Dave Bautista, and Brian Patrick, and apparently the imposing presence and physical charisma that he’s shown in things like his role as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and his turn as Conan the Barbarian in the recent relaunch of that franchise was enough to get him an offer. It should be noted that Momoa’s people were said to have countered the offer, so the negotiations are still in progress rather than the signing being official, but given the fact that Momoa’s initial attempt at starring in a big franchise film, Conan, underperformed at the box office, one can’t imagine that he’s going to be making any unreasonable demands in the face of being offered another role in a big tentpole flick.
Drax is likely going to be an important character in the upcoming phase of Marvel movies, because he’s a heavy hitter who can fly around and shoot concussive blasts out of his hands, and because he has a very close connection to Avengers villain Thanos, who seems to be the new big bad the team will be facing in Avengers 2. A good showing in Guardians of the Galaxy could ultimately prove to be a big feather in Momoa’s cap as far as the race to establish the next generation of big action stars goes. What do you think, does he have what it takes?