Dave Bautista says Drax is ‘completely closed’ for him unless James Gunn ‘asks him to do something again’

Dave Bautista has not totally ruled out a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he has one condition.

In a recent chat with ComicBook.com, the former WWE star revealed that he would only consider playing Drax again if James Gunn - now co-head of DC Studios - was involved and personally asked him to do it.

He said, “Drax is completely closed to me. Unless James Gunn called me and asked if I would do something as Drax again, I just wouldn’t be interested.”

However, he admitted the scenario is unlikely.

He added, “If James called me, which obviously is not gonna happen. He’s doing okay, he’s gone a different route.”

That said, Bautista is still open to working in the comic book movie world, whether with Marvel or DC.

He went on, “I do wanna be in that world, I’m a fan of that world, I’m a fan of comic books and that whole universe.”

The actor even confirmed that he has directly told key filmmakers including Gunn and the Russo brothers that he’d be interested in a different role if the right opportunity came along.

He explained, “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.”

Bautista first joined the MCU as Drax in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, quickly becoming a fan favorite due to his mix of action and comedy.

He went on to reprise the role in two sequels, as well as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Holiday Special.

Leading up to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023, Bautista made it clear he was retiring from the character, expressing a desire to take on more dramatic roles and expand his acting range.

While he has stated that he would love to collaborate with Gunn again, he admitted that no discussions have taken place yet.

When asked if there were any official talks about him joining the DCU.

He admitted, “I couldn’t give you an honest answer to that because I think.

“And, I’m only gonna say this because we’ve had conversations, over the years, it would the WWE Hall of Fame. I was supposed to go in last year and I was on a film and I just couldn’t travel. I was on a film in South Africa and logistically we just couldn’t make it happen.

“So, you know, and I haven’t talked to James about the DC Universe.”