The Real Reason Drax Is Gray Instead Of Green In The MCU

The comic book version of Drax the Destroyer of "Guardians of the Galaxy" fame bears some resemblance to his film counterpart. But one very important thing separates the two of them: Their color. Comic book Drax is, not unlike Gamora or the Hulk, very green. In the films, however, he's only green insofar as La Croix seltzer has a flavor. Sure, there's the phantom of something green-ish to movie Drax's skin, but mostly, the character as portrayed by Dave Bautista is just gray.

As you might already know, people have opinions whenever a live-action version of a comic book character differs, even a little bit, from what long-time fans are accustomed to. On Twitter, @MateoSez15 tweeted to James Gunn, "Me and my roommate are in a heated discussion. WHY DID YOU MAKE DRAX GRAY AND NOT GREEN?" Gunn, who is no stranger to responding to fan questions on social media, went ahead and revealed the truth behind Drax's skin color swap.

James Gunn's explanation for why Drax the Destroyer is gray instead of green in "Guardians of the Galaxy" is pretty simple: It was easier. "Because there were enough green people in the MCU and green is the most difficult color to get to look like actual skin," Gunn tweeted. "We tested a lot of colors and the grey simply looked best for the character."

While Drax may not be green, there is a character on the Guardians team who is: Gamora. If you're wondering if there's a story there, you're not alone. "How hard was [it] to get to [Gamora's skin], color and texture wise?" @marianogv asked Gunn. "The worst," Gunn replied. "A total pain. I almost turned her blue. But, you know, Avatar vibes." Indeed, Zoe Saldana, who plays Gamora, starred in 2009's "Avatar" as Neytiri, one of the blue-skinned Na'vi.

One other interesting note about Gunn's thoughts on Drax's skin surfaced when @NicholasDenmon complimented the decision to make Drax gray. "The red markings were super cinematic — they stood out I think better in an ash grey versus a green," he wrote. That compliment prompted Gunn to remember one other detail. "Oh yeah you just reminded me another reason I didn't like the green was in some early designs Drax looked too Christmasy for my taste (even though I love Christmas)," Gunn revealed.

Now we know why Drax is gray and not green — it's a mix of realism and a disdain for intergalactic Christmas vibes.

"Guardians of the Galaxy," and its sequel, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," are streaming on Disney+.