Dave Bautista has confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be his final appearance in the MCU.
Marvel star Dave Bautista confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be his last appearance in the MCU. The wrestler turned actor has played Guardians of the Universe staple Drax since first appearing in 2014 and has now revealed GK that the upcoming third appearance will be his last Marvel appearance. And while he’s grateful for the high-profile role, he’s also excited to move on.
“I am so grateful to Drax. I love him. But there is a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all fun. It was hard to play that part. The makeup process knocked 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 things.
Bautista has played Drax throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently alongside the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy in The Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special on Disney+. Bautista has made the character his own from the start, with his massive size masking his naive, dry-tempered nature underneath.
While we know that now Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last time we see Drax, we don’t know how his journey will end. Although many have theorized that it will be fatal. “I haven’t found the words yet. It ended so suddenly and I was working on my next movie before I could process it all. End of a journey that changed my life,” said Bautista when wrapping up filming the third episode.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Land in cinemas in May
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters later this year and begins with Peter Quill still reeling from the loss of Gamora, who must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of them. A mission that, if not successfully completed, could potentially lead to the end of the Guardians.
As if that didn’t sound emotional enough, James Gunn has revealed that the third Guardians of the Universe delves into the tragic backstory of beloved member Rocket Raccoon. “One of the reasons I came back [make] this movie was because I felt like I had to tell the story of Rocket,” he said. “I would have been really sad if I hadn’t completed the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like no one would be able to tell their full story if it weren’t for me. To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies. From the start, it’s rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies many of the traits of all Guardians. They’ve had all these traumas and it brings them together. I just think he’s more extreme than others.”
Written and directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars a large cast with Chris Pratt as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Will Poulter as Adam Warlock and Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary, as well as Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Gunn, Maria Bakalova, Michael Rosenbaum, Daniela Melchior and Nico Santos.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for release on May 5, 2023, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.