Guardians’ Dave Bautista Gets Honest About Future As Drax In The MCU

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a ton of heroes in play, but a few franchises have stood out as fan favorites. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies are definitely in that category, and the fandom adores the motley crew of heroes. This includes Dave Bautista’s Drax the Destroyer, although the wrestler turned actor has gotten honest about his future in the MCU.

Dave Bautista became a bonafide movie star thanks to his work in Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as his crossover moments in the Avengers movies. And while the fans would like to see him play Drax forever, Bautista has been thinking about his time in the MCU. He recently opened up about this, saying:

There were talks for a while about a Drax and Mantis film. It was really because it was James Gunn's idea. He really wanted to do a Drax and Mantis film. He laid it out to me. I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I haven't heard any follow-up from the studio. I don't think they're very interested, or it doesn't fit into the way they have things mapped out. But other than that, no. I mean, as far as my obligations, I've got Guardians 3, and that's probably going to be the end of Drax.

Talk about FOMO. It looks like Dave Bautista’s time in the MCU might be coming to an end with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And while this could end up changing in the future, the Army of the Dead star is clear about how long his contract extends for.

Dave Bautista’s comments to Digital Spy help to show what it’s really like working within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Potential projects come and go, including a movie for Drax to star in opposite Pom Klementieff’s Mantis. And since it seems the studio passed, the Galaxy Vol. 3 might be the final appearance of Bautista as Drax.

Marvel fans can re-watch Dave Bautista’s time in the MCU so far on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Given how complicated the MCU is, especially with the addition of content on Disney+, it does make sense that certain projects would fall to the wayside. Still, a Drax/Mantis movie sounds like a bonkers idea that the fans would love. Luckily, there’s still plenty of Guardians of the Galaxy content coming for the fans.

Aside from Guardians 3 (which just got an official release date), James Gunn will be working on two other projects with the characters on Disney+. He recently finished the script for the Guardians Holiday special, and there will also be a series of animated shorts starring Baby Groot. But after that, it's unclear if the Guardians will exist in the MCU at all.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will arrive in theaters on May 5th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.