Guardians of the Galaxy officially became 2014's highest grossing movie in the US over the weekend, but Marvel's latest adventure isn't all about talking raccoons, dancing trees and big numbers.
The movie, which stars Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Dave Bautista as a rag tag gang of misfits out to save the world, has been a mega hit for the studio who so far have made billions from their Avengers and Iron Man franchises. But in amongst the big success story, is a smaller tale of how the comic book caper has touchingly helped a little boy.
Guardians director James Gunn has shared a Tumblr post from blogger Merry Weather Blue, who details a trip to the cinemas with his little brother, who falls on the autism spectrum. In the film Dave Bautista's character Drax the Destroyer has trouble understanding metaphors, something which made Merry Weather Blue's little brother "light up like a Christmas tree". The little boy "screamed 'He's like me! He can't do metaphors!' And for the rest of the film my brother stared at Drax in a state of rapture," reads the blog post.
Drax the Destroyer (Marvel)
Merry Weather Blue adds that "for the last 6 days I have heard my brother repeatedly quote all of the Drax lines from the movie verbatim (one of his talents), begin studying vocabulary test words, and tell everyone he knows that people with autism can also be superheroes. Now I am not saying that Drax the Destroyer is, or was ever, intended to be autistic. All I am saying is that it warmed my heart to see my brother have an opportunity to identify himself with a character known for his strength, badassness, and honor."
Good work Guardians.
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