GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Star Dave Bautista Believes Drax Can Live On Without Him...But James Gunn Disagrees

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Star Dave Bautista Believes Drax Can Live On Without Him...But James Gunn Disagrees GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Star Dave Bautista Believes Drax Can Live On Without Him...But James Gunn Disagrees

Dave Bautista has elaborated on recent comments that he's close to being done playing Drax, and while he feels the character could live on without him, director James Gunn has a completely different take.

By JoshWilding - May 08, 2021 05:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Vol. 3

Dave Bautista recently revealed that he believes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last time we see him in the role of Drax, and the actor has now elaborated on why he feels that will be the case.

As you can see below, the pro wrestler turned actor appears to be pretty convinced that he'll be too old to continue playing Drax after the threequel is released, and seems confident that the character will live on without him.

Writer and director James Gunn, however, has a different take. 

"There’s no Drax for me without you, buddy!" the filmmaker said. "You ARE the MCU’s Drax the Destroyer and, as far as I’m concerned, could never be replaced. And you have the right to do whatever you want with your acting choices!"

Marvel Studios isn't in the business of recasting actors unless they really have to, and there's really no reason Bautista can't continue to play an older, grizzled version of Drax in the MCU (if he's worried about his physique, there are several different ways that could be disguised, though he still in phenomenal shape). 

We certainly hope that Bautista will stick around as Drax, but that may depend on what happens in Vol. 3...
 

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Blergh
Blergh - 5/8/2021, 5:05 AM
I'd rather have Gunn kill off Drax in glorious dramatic fashion if Bautista wants to retire the role.

No one is ever truly dead in the MCU, if he wants to return further down the line there's always a way to do that.
But rather than recasting I want a send off for the character
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 5/8/2021, 12:09 PM
@Blergh - "No one is ever truly dead in the MCU"

Except Quicksilver.
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 5/8/2021, 1:30 PM
@Razorface1 - And Yondu. And Heimdall. And Odin. And Frigga. And Iron Man. And Black Widow. And Coulson (???) And a bunch of villains. And technically one version of Loki, Gamora and Vision.

Apart from the last 3 which you could argue were brought back, there are currently a fair share of important dead people in the MCU. But yeah with Multiverse at play I guess anything is possible.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/9/2021, 11:23 AM
@Blergh - hopefully the Multiverse provides with the tea Drax the Destroyer, the human turned monster who seeks to Avenge his families murder by the hands of the evil Thanos. This guy...... is not Drax. Not in any way shape or form. I mean he’s just a dumb macho alien in the MCU. Gunn had no real affinity for Abnett and Lannings Guardians as he only truly adapted Rocket and Groot and Gunnafied the others. Don’t get me started on Gamora, the love interest.
Mugens
Mugens - 5/8/2021, 5:05 AM
I definitely believe that Guardians can live on without James Gunn. He did bring a lot to the table, no doubt, but I haven't been as enthused or impressed with his interpretations as others have.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/8/2021, 5:10 AM
I agree. This is such a particular incarnation of Drax that works in part thanks to Bautista. But on the other, Thor is a character that was completely reinvented too with the same actor.
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 5/8/2021, 12:10 PM
@bkmeijer - Then turned back to normal, then reinvented again. The MCU clearly has no major qualms about character continuity, so they might just recast as with other roles.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/8/2021, 3:09 PM
@Razorface1 - or just take a different character from the comics and use in his place. There are enough options really
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 5/8/2021, 5:34 PM
@bkmeijer - Introducing: Drox. Drax's secret brother.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/9/2021, 1:41 AM
@Razorface1 - maybe with a different name, but I don't actually rule that out. The Drax brothers as the Huey, Dewey and Louie of the MCU
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/9/2021, 11:26 AM
@bkmeijer - I can’t stand MCU Thor. He feels nothing like the character from the comics.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/9/2021, 11:53 AM
@McMurdo - and even less like the one from Norse mythology. But like I said, the MCU can just pick another character and use in his place instead
JonC
JonC - 5/9/2021, 2:47 PM
@Razorface1 - I am sure the MCU has a lot of qualms about character continuity... that doesn't mean a character can't naturally evolve or change due to legit events they would experience. What they don't do is put in a new director and have that character act completely different for no reason whatsoever. If anything, the MCU is about continuity and playing the long game on character development and story telling.
NathanielX
NathanielX - 5/8/2021, 5:20 AM
I hope they do more action in the third, this is something that this franchise has been lacking,
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 5/8/2021, 5:20 AM
He needs to be The Destroyer in this movie.
AC1
AC1 - 5/8/2021, 5:37 AM
If Bautista's really done then I'd rather he either have a "walk off into the sunset" moment (ideally after being reunited with his daughter if they're planning to reveal she's alive and eventually set her up as Moondragon) or for him to die in battle saving her/everyone even if that is a bit too similar to a certain non-MCU Marvel character's on screen death from not too long ago
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 5/8/2021, 3:11 PM
@AC1 - I have no idea who you're referring to, so I guess we're safe
JonC
JonC - 5/9/2021, 2:49 PM
@AC1 - He's the one that should have given his life for the soul stone... but would Mantis be the one to retrieve it, or Rocket, or...
xHollywoodx
xHollywoodx - 5/8/2021, 5:38 AM
Bautista is like the biggest star in the world. He made that character for what it is. If He quits then the character is essentially dead. No other person can inhabit the role. *This Is Sarcasm.

The truth is no actor is bigger than the character they're playing. I like Bautista but I can see many different people stepping in and making their mark on the character like he made his mark on the character. In the comics doesnt Drax die and then become reborn?
alibaba3317
alibaba3317 - 5/8/2021, 5:53 AM
Just put a shirt on, Drax, and then you can do it longer if you don't wanna stay in shape in your late 50's
JonC
JonC - 5/9/2021, 2:50 PM
@alibaba3317 - True, it worked for RDJ and his iron man suits... just don't wear them and have them all CGI
Frshcoupe
Frshcoupe - 5/8/2021, 5:58 AM
I think this movie will be able about Drax.
Roodi
Roodi - 5/8/2021, 6:10 AM
Muscle bodysuit.

Now shut up and play Drax FOREVER!
Battabing
Battabing - 5/8/2021, 6:28 AM
Never understood his design. It just looked so messy, plus he was just running around with no shirt.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 5/8/2021, 6:49 AM
Drax without the destroying since the second one
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/9/2021, 11:29 AM
@BlackBeltJones - he’s an idiot who does idiotic things in the first film as well.
String
String - 5/8/2021, 7:21 AM
James Gunn is probably right. Dave Bautista is Drax. But the issue really is has Gunn set up Drax as a character that OTHER creators want to use in the future. With all the cosmic characters Marvel Studios has in publishing, there are far more interesting ones than continuing Drax's journey. Nebula has a better chance of continuing due to her complicated relationship with Gamora. Besides his quest to avenge his family, Drax just isn't that deep an interesting or complicated character. He's used as comedy relief. I think Dave Bautista knows this and is prepared for Guardians 3 to be his last -even if he wanted to continue. The age issue with him is just an excuse to explain away his walking away from the character.

With that said, I hope James Gunn writes a strong story for Mantis in Guardians 3. Because she's another character that could go away after the film. James Gunn took a lot of liberties with adapting both Drax and Mantis for Marvel Studios. He removed many potential connections to future MCU characters to streamline them for his story as alien characters. Mantis is a highly trained physical fighter so I hope she gets a major upgrade in that category. Her connection as the Celestial Madonna was a early major Avengers story. There is so much potential with Mantis for other creators to use in the future. It all depends on how James Gunn sets the character up for life beyond Guardians 3.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 5/8/2021, 8:03 AM
@String - damn this is spot on
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/9/2021, 11:30 AM
@String - Don’t expect Mantis to be anything more than she currently is under Gunn.
TheDpool
TheDpool - 5/8/2021, 7:55 AM
This is exactly what I said yesterday or whenever haha, Gunn loves the Guardians just because Vol.3 is the end of his trilogy doesn't mean it'll be his last.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/9/2021, 11:30 AM
@TheDpool - we can only hope. They deserve so much better.
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