Dave Bautista is officially closing the book on Drax the Destroyer—but that doesn’t mean he’s done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe just yet.
With the MCU moving full speed ahead, recently adding its 35th feature film, Captain America: Brave New World (2025), Phase Five is rapidly approaching its conclusion. Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* (2025) will serve as the capstone before Phase Six kicks off with Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). That film will set the stage for the next major crossover event, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), which will reintroduce Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
With the Multiversal narrative coming to a head, speculation continues about which past and present MCU characters will play a role in the saga’s conclusion. While some names are all but confirmed—Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, the new Fantastic Four lineup, and likely Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man—others remain in limbo. The future of the Marvels, Thor, Deadpool, and the Guardians of the Galaxy remains uncertain.
James Gunn wrapped up the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy in 2023 with a definitive sendoff. Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) made his way back to Earth, while Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) each went their separate ways. Meanwhile, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) assembled a new iteration of the Guardians, joined by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) and Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova). Though Pratt’s Star-Lord was confirmed to return, the fate of the rest of the team was left ambiguous.
For Bautista, however, there’s no ambiguity. The actor had long expressed frustrations about Drax’s trajectory, making it clear ahead of Vol. 3 that the film would be his last as the beloved character. But while his time as Drax is over, he’s keeping the door open for a different MCU role. Speaking with Comic Book, Bautista confirmed that he had spoken to the Russo Brothers about the possibility of playing someone new.
“Drax is completely closed,” Bautista stated definitively. He added that the only scenario in which he’d reprise the role would be if James Gunn—now co-CEO of DC Studios—reached out to him with a project in mind.
The In the Lost Lands (2025) star, who will appear alongside Milla Jovovich in the upcoming fantasy epic, went on to say that his passion for superhero films hasn’t waned, and he’s eager to remain part of the comic book movie landscape.
“I’m a fan of that world. I’m a fan of comic books and that whole universe,” Bautista said. “Marvel, DC, I just wanna be in it. I made that known to James, I made that known to the Russo Brothers. 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.”
With Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the shoes of Victor Von Doom after more than a decade as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Bautista’s willingness to take on a new persona isn’t unprecedented. The MCU has already reimagined several past characters, and the franchise’s ever-expanding Multiverse leaves the door open for reinvention.
Avengers: Doomsday is slated to arrive on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.
Would you like to see Dave Bautista return to the MCU in a new role? Let us know in the comments!
