Black Panther stars the late Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong'o auditioned for two other marquee MCU roles. Had they landed them, they would've starred in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

In a new Vanity Fair story about alternate MCU castings, it was revealed that Boseman and Nyong'o auditioned for the roles of Drax and Gamora, respectively, in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Those roles ended up going to Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña. They played them in all three Guardians of the Galaxy films and their various MCU appearances such as Avengers: Infinity War.

Meanwhile, Boseman and Nyong'o did just fine for themselves. They were cast in lead roles in the MCU's Black Panther film. Boseman made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War and led the first solo film. Nyong'o debuted in Black Panther and reprised the role in Wakanda Forever.

Outside of their MCU work, Chadwick Boseman was known for roles in 42, Draft Day, Get on Up, and Da 5 Bloods. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars in 2021 for his role in his last film, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Lupita Nyong'o has starred in the likes of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Jordan Peele's Us, and The 355. She will also lead the upcoming A Quiet Place spin-off prequel, Day One.

It's clear now to say that the MCU has made all of the right casting calls. Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña have fit their Guardians of the Galaxy roles like a glove, ditto for the late Boseman and Nyong'o in the Black Panther franchise.