Marvel starDave Bautistahas confirmed thatGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3will be his final appearance in the MCU. The wrestler-turned-actor has playedGuardians of the Galaxystaple Drax since the first outing in 2014 and has now revealed toGQthat the upcoming third outing will be his last Marvel performance. And while he is grateful for the high-profile role, he is also excited to move on.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating 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 stuff.”
Bautista has played Drax throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently appearing alongside the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy inThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Specialon Disney+. Bautista has made the character his own since the beginning, with his sheer bulk masking his naive, dry-humored nature underneath.
While we now know thatGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3will be the last time we see Drax, we do not know how his journey will end. Though many have theorized that it will be fatal. “Haven’t found the words yet. It ended so suddenly and I was on to my next film before I could process it all. End of a journey that changed my life,“Bautista said upon wrapping filming on the third installment.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Land in Theaters in May
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is due to hit 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 their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians.
If that didn’t sound emotional enough, James Gunn has revealed that the thirdGuardians of the Galaxywill delve into thetragic backstory of beloved member Rocket Raccoon. “One of the reasons why I came back to [make] this movie was because I felt like I needed to tell Rocket’s story,” he said. “I would’ve been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me. To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies. From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians. They’ve had all these traumas, and it brings them together. I just think that his is more extreme than others.”
Written and directed by James Gunn,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3stars a large ensemble cast that includes 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 featuring Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Gunn, Maria Bakalova, Michael Rosenbaum, Daniela Melchior, and Nico Santos.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is scheduled to be released on July 01, 2025, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.
