Dave Bautista has confirmed that he won’t be back in the role of the MCU’s Drax after the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. Director James Gunn had previously stated that this would not only be his last movie for Marvel but would be the last Guardians installment featuring this lineup of ragtag characters, with some fans speculating that some of them would die. Is it possible that Drax will be among those that don’t make it to the post-credits stinger?
Well, that isn’t clear, but what is clear is that Bautista is ready to walk away from the most lucrative franchise in cinematic history. In an interview with GQ, he stated:
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy—it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”
It should be pointed out that even though Bautista is built like a monster, he is 53 years old. As he stated that the makeup process for Drax “was beating me down.” The former WWE superstar may also be looking to shift away from physical action roles.
Drax, along with Mantis (Pom Klememtieff), was one of the main characters in the Disney+ Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special which premiered in November. That same month, Bautista was among the ensemble cast of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery-comedy The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, for which he received acclaim for his boisterous role of Duke Cody.
In February, he will star in M. Night Shyamalan’s mysterious thriller A Knock at the Cabin, for which Bautista states he had more lines than he has had in any other role. He will close out the year by returning in Denis Villeneuve Dune: Part Two, which will more heavily feature his character, Glossu Rabban.
However, in between, Marvel fans can look forward to Bautista’s last outing as Drax in Guardians 3 which opens on May 5.
Bautista seems determined to evolve as an actor and isn’t as concerned with becoming a huge movie star, unlike a certain other former WWE wrestler.
“I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good fucking actor. A respected actor.”
Do you think Bautista has what it takes to become a respected actor? Is he making a mistake by leaving Drax behind? (Of course, it’s possible that the decision wasn’t his to make.)
