Dave Bautista wants to be in both DC and Marvel's futures, but rules out a Drax return in the new Avengers movie: "The character ran its course"

Guardians of the Galaxy 3
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Dave Bautista has once again ruled out a Drax return in the MCU – but remains surprisingly open to appearances either at Marvel or with his old Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn over at DC.

"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," Bautista told ComicBook.com, while also pointing to Gunn's new position as co-CEO of DC Studios as an underlying reason why that's next to impossible: "If James called me, which obviously is not gonna happen. He’s doing okay, he’s gone a different route."

Bautista continued, "But 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."

While Drax is off the table, Bautista – who has long been fancast as several comic book favorites, including Batman villains Bane and Hugo Strange – reveals he has talked to both Gunn and The Russos ahead of both the beginning of DCU Chapter One and filming of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

"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.”

Bautista appeared as the literal-minded powerhouse Drax in all three Guardians movies, as well as its Holiday Special on Disney Plus. The character then made further appearances in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Avengers: Doomsday, featuring Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, is set to commence filming very soon. According to The Wrap, cameras start rolling on the latest Avengers movie in March – though its cast has been largely kept under wraps, with the exception of some of the Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four team members. Maybe, just maybe, there's room for Dave Bautista too.

For more, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies. Still playing catch-up? You'll need the Marvel timeline and a look at how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
Avengers: Doomsday
Captain America star Anthony Mackie says he really wants to work with Chris Evans again amid Avengers: Doomsday rumors
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
"He is so dialed in": Robert Downey Jr. is coming up with backstory and costume ideas for Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Chris Evans as Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
Chris Evans says it's "not true" that he's returning as Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday: "Happily retired!"
Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds says joining the Avengers will be the end of Deadpool as "his ultimate dream is to be accepted"
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in The Batman
James Gunn says it's "not the plan" for Robert Pattinson to play Batman in the DCU, but he "wouldn't rule anything out"
Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC panel
Marvel fans are sharing their dream Avengers team-ups, including one that would be "the biggest payoff" in the MCU so far
Latest in Marvel Movies
WandaVision
Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen says she's enjoyed playing Scarlet Witch for over 10 years and would "love to keep doing more"
Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers reveal that Marvel has an ingenious way of working out which actors they can use for upcoming Avengers movies
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams dancing during the Netflix series, Wednesday.
Wednesday star Jenna Ortega denies rumors of big Marvel role after her disappointing MCU debut 12 years ago: “I count that and I move on”
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio swiftly shoots down reports of his involvement in Spider-Man 4
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
The Russo brothers finally debunk that Avengers: Doomsday concept art leak: "Nothing spoiling in there"
Gemma Chan in Eternals
Eternals star Gemma Chan is hopeful she'll return to the MCU someday: "There's unfinished business there"
Latest in News
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
MMO scholar puts a $500 bounty on old versions of RuneScape as part of a community archive project: "You might have ALL of the game's lost versions!"
Khazan holding a red glowing sword during the upcoming PS5 game, The First Berserker: Khazan.
"Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting": Lead dev on promising Soulslike RPG pushes balanced difficulty because "if stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
There's never been a better time to play Chrono Trigger than on its 30th anniversary as the all-time JRPG great is just $4 in Steam Spring Sale
The Surrender
The Boys star's new horror movie gets great first reactions calling it "truly terrifying" featuring some of the "best performances" of 2025 so far
Ender Magnolia screenshot showing a spirit shooting at a monster enemy
One of the best new Metroidvanias just got a huge update with New Game+ and heaps more content like a boss rush mode
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic roguelike dev says innovation for innovation's sake is too expensive to survive: "We're a studio of 50 people with bills to pay"