With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the Marvel Cinematic Universe reached the end of an era. While the final moments of the movie confirm that Star-Lord will return, the fate of the rest of the team seems far from certain. Dave Bautista has made it clear that he’s done playing Drax, which is not to say that he’s done making comic book movies, or has written off a return to the MCU.
Speaking with iO9 ahead of his performance in Dune: Part Two, Bautista reiterates that he is done playing Drax, but says he’s still open to working with Marvel in the future. He says he’s talked with Marvel Studios producers Kevin Feige and Lou D’Espoito, and they know he’s still interested, so we should write off seeing Bautista in the MCU again. He explained…
No, no. When I said that I was done, I was really just done with my journey as Drax. I still have a relationship with Marvel. I’ve seen Kevin Feige again, Lou [D’Esposito] as recently as two weeks ago. And they know that I would be up for a role. I love the universe—the superhero universe, I love it. I’m a fan.
Seeing the same actor play more than one role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t something we’ve seen much of, but as the MCU continues and certain characters see their stories end, it might become more common. Bautista says he’s a fan of the superhero genre and is certainly interested in doing more in it.
While a return to Marvel is certainly possible since Dave Bautista already has a strong relationship with them, he also has a pretty good relationship with the head of DC Films. With Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn running the show, the possibility of Bautista ending up in a DC movie is also pretty good. The one thing the actor says is that if he does play a role in a superhero movie again, he’d like to play a role significantly different from what he already played. Bautista continued…
So Marvel or DC, if they call, I would answer the phone. And if the role makes sense, I’d be all over it. I just would like the opportunity to do a bigger role, a different role. Maybe a deeper role. I’d love to have the opportunity to play, like an ominous villain in the superhero universe. Yeah. But never. I’m not done with it. But my journey with Drax is over.
There are certainly plenty of opportunities for Dave Bautista to join an upcoming Marvel movie or an upcoming DC movie. Fans even have some great ideas for what DC characters Dave Bautista could play. Maybe something that doesn’t require significant time in the makeup chair for Dave Bautista. The actor has admitted he didn’t love the process of becoming Drax.
