Fans were pleasantly surprised when WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe inGuardians of the Galaxy. Now, his time with the franchise is officially over afterGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Bautista played the role of Drax the Destroyer inGuardians of the Galaxy,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgame. He is also slated to appear in the not yet releasedGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3andThor: Love and Thunder.
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WithGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3wrapping production, Bautista posted an Instagram photo with a caption that mentions how the franchise changed his life, and it really did. Though he had experienced fame from wrestling and a few film roles before joining the MCU, there was a clear explosion of acting jobs for him after his appearance. Since hisrole inGuardians of the Galaxy, he’s steadily done multiple projects every year, including some very high-profile ones. He was in the James Bond filmSpectre,Blade Runner 2049,Army of the Dead, and Oscar winnerDune. Bautista is also set to appear in the highly anticipatedKnives Outsequel.
Though the character of Drax has a truly tragic backstory and his stature is extremely intimidating, he’s always served as a comic relief character in the franchise.Drax is extremely dry and deadpan, taking absolutely everything as completely literal. He eases the tension in a few very serious scenes, but the depth of his heart can also provide those high stakes and more heartfelt moments. This made him very popular among fans and, while a lot of that is due to some great writing, it’s largely due to Bautista’s performance. The character clearly has meant a lot to him as well given the emotion seen in his Instagram post about leaving the MCU.
Though he will be missed by many, this has been a long time coming. It was nearly a year ago in an episode ofThe Ellen DeGeneres Showwhere he confirmed that thethirdGuardians of the Galaxyfilmwill be his last time as Drax. At the time, he stated that his reason for leaving would be in part due to the physical intensity of appearing in the MCU. They’re very physically demanding roles, and the actor is currently 53 years old.
His departure does have many wondering what exactly will be happening with the character of Drax? Will he reach a tragic end, potentially dying a hero? Will he simply move on and not appear anymore? Or maybe they will even attempt to recast him. Only time will tell, but fans are certainly invested.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is scheduled to hit theaters on Jun 09, 2025.
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