Dave Bautista
Rounding out the trio was Dave Bautista appearing on the third day of the convention to talk about his acting and wrestling career.
Bautista, who grew up in DC in a poor family, said he enjoys coming back to the city and hopes he can inspire others to chase their dreams despite their circumstances.
Speaking of his upcoming work in Avengers: Infinity War, he mentioned still working with James Gunn who is credited as a producer on the film and wrote some of the dialogue for the Guardians in the upcoming film.
A fan asked if Bautista has read the Drax comic by CM Punk and Bautista said they had talked right after he got the gig. He has all the first editions of the book.
Originally not all scheduled to appear together, Dave Bautista remedied this misstep by bringing out his two costars for part of his panel. It was a love fest between the actors as they complimented Bautista on his acting.
Michael Rooker took to the audience to get questions, similar to his own panel. It was a pleasant surprise for fans to see the costars get to interact and joke around. When a young fan asked if they all liked being part of the Guardians of the Galaxy family, it was a resounding “yes” from all three actors.
Additional Reflections
There was no official presence on the comics side of Marvel, though several creators did appear independently including Matthew Rosenberg (The Punisher, New Mutants: Dead Souls) and Charles Soule (Daredevil, Poe Dameron). With DC Comics having its own booth on the floor and starting to reach more local cons, it’s possible Marvel will follow suit in the future.
Awesome Con, now in its sixth year, has continued to grow into one of the premiere local cons on the East Coast. Additional guests this year included a slew of film and TV stars including John Boyega, Tom Welling and Stephen Amell. (And yes the crazy internet rumors are true…sort of. John Boyega did say during his panel he had taken a meeting with Marvel in the past but would still love to do a Marvel film later in his career).
While Awesome Con may to never reach the size of the Comic-Con International or ReedPOP conventions, it offers a wide selection of guests, panels, and exhibitors for fans attending.