In a mega-franchise that has skyrocketed a number of A-lister careers (Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Anthony Mackie, etc…), you could argue that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the biggest help in the career of Dave Bautista. Though he was already a well-known WWE wrestler before his time as Drax in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, after appearing in those films and a couple of ‘Avengers’ features, suddenly Bautista is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. And even though he has really enjoyed his run in the MCU, Bautista is ready for it to wrap up.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Dave Bautista talked about the “bittersweet” end of his MCU run that is going to happen with the forthcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Though he doesn’t spill the beans about whether or not Drax is going to die in the forthcoming 2023 sequel, he does indicate that the James Gunn film will be the last one he does for Marvel Studios.
“It’s our third film. We’re going to wrap it up,” Bautista explained. “And it’s been a hell of a journey with a few bumps. So I’m looking forward to this, man. My cast and obviously the director, James Gunn, they’re like family to me. This is kind of where my journey started. It’s come full circle and I’m looking forward to wrapping it up. And it’s a bittersweet… I mean, I’ve been doing ‘Guardians’ since 2013. And, you know, when this comes out, you know, it’ll be in 2023, so that’s a, you know, 10-year journey.”
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He added, “You know, all things must end. And, you know, I’m looking forward to kind of wrapping this up with my friends and family.”
As mentioned, Bautista’s Drax character first appeared in the first ‘Guardians’ film way back in 2014. Since then, he’s been a fan-favorite, and Drax has shown up in “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and even a recent episode of “What If?” And because of his character’s popularity, Bautista has found his career reach new heights, appearing in non-Marvel projects such as “Blade Runner 2047,” “Dune,” “My Spy,” “Army of the Dead,” and the upcoming “Knives Out 2.”
Even though Bautista is the first to really spell out the fact that his character is saying goodbye to the MCU in ‘Guardians Vol. 3,’ director James Gunn has indicated that his franchise is reaching an endpoint with the upcoming sequel. So, it’ll be interesting to see if other Guardians join Drax and depart the MCU or if maybe we’ll see some of those characters move on to other franchises? We’ll have to wait and see when “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” debuts on May 5, 2023.