Dave Bautista Reached Out to the Russo Bros. About the Future of Marvel, but Not as Drax
Dave Bautista isn’t shutting the door on the Marvel Cinematic Universe entirely, just on Drax the Destroyer. While promoting his upcoming film In the Lost Lands, Bautista spoke with ComicBook about his time in the MCU and whether he’d ever return.
His answer was clear… Drax is done, unless James Gunn personally asked him to come back. Bautista said: “Drax is completely closed to me. Unless James Gunn called me and asked if I would do something as Drax again, I just wouldn’t be interested. If James called me, which obviously is not gonna happen. He’s doing okay, he’s gone a different route.”
With Gunn now co-head of DC Studios, that scenario seems unlikely. However, Bautista made it clear that he still wants to be part of the comic book movie world, whether that’s Marvel or DC. And he’s already made sure the right people know it.
He explained: “I do wanna be in that world, I’m a fan of that world, I’m a fan of comic books and that whole universe. Marvel, DC, I just wanna be in it.
“I made that known to James, I made that known to the Russo brothers. Personally, I talked to them, all of them, and told them, ‘Don’t count me out. If there’s a character that I’d be right for and that you want me for, man, I’d be totally open-minded to it.’ It’s just the Drax character ran its course.”
So, who knows… maybe one day we will see Bautista in the MCU again as a whole new character. It’s wouldn’t be the first time Marvel cast one actor for two different roles.
Bautista first stepped into the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy, and he won over audiences with his mix of deadpan humor and his brute force. Over nearly a decade, he reprised the role in two sequels, a holiday special, and major crossover films like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Leading up to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023, Bautista was vocal about stepping away from Drax, sharing his desire to take on more dramatic roles. While he’s previously said he’d love to reunite with Gunn for a future project, he admitted those conversations haven’t happened yet.
Is there another character in the Marvel universe you’d like to see Bautista take on.