Since his introduction in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Drax the Destroyer has been one of the characters fans love most. His time in the MCU could be coming to an end, though. In a new interview, Drax actor Dave Bautista says Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to be his last time playing the role.
Speaking to to promote his new Netflix film Army of the Dead, the wrestler-turned-actor said that at one point a Guardians spin-off movie was pitched, but it never came to fruition and now he’s nearing the end of his contract. “There were talks for a while about a Drax and Mantis film,” he said. “It was really because it was James Gunn’s idea. He really wanted to do a Drax and Mantis film. He laid it out to me. I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I haven’t heard any follow-up from the studio.”
Bautista continued, “I don’t think they’re very interested, or it doesn’t fit into the way they have things mapped out. But other than that, no. I mean, as far as my obligations, I’ve got Guardians 3, and that’s probably going to be the end of Drax.”
In a way, it makes sense. Upon his introduction, Drax’s driving force was killing Thanos to avenge the deaths of his family. Now, with Thanos finally dispatched after Avengers: Endgame, the Destroyer might finally be ready for a little bit of peace. Of course, it’s hard to imagine Drax doing anything but repeatedly stabbing his enemies. Still, with Bautista’s career continuing to grow–in addition to Army of the Dead, he also appears in the upcoming remake of Dune–it’s possible his schedule could become simply too busy to also star in Marvel movies–should the Guardians team continue after the next movie.
That said, even though the actor thinks it’ll likely be his last time getting painted a Drax shade of green, he has no real idea of what the movie will be about or what will happen to his character. “I don’t know what the script of the third film is, to be honest with you,” he admitted. “There was a script years ago that obviously is going to have to change because the whole direction of the Marvel universe has changed.”
Unfortunately for fans, it’ll be quite a while before Drax’s fate is revealed. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to begin production later this year for a May 5, 2023 release date.
