Dave Bautista Says He’s Got To Beef Up To One-Up Josh Brolin In ‘Avengers 4’

Dave Bautista, who plays muscle-bound whack-job Drax in Marvel Studios‘ Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, vowed he “will be in better shape” for Avengers 4 after seeing the physique of co-star Josh Brolin, who plays the big bad of the universe, Thanos.

“I am known for being in shape and being a big guy, and he actually made me self-conscious,” Bautista told The Hollywood Reporter. “I swear to God, I promised him that in November, when I do some work on [Avengers] 4, I told him, ‘I will be in better shape for that because you make me self-conscious, f—ker!’”

Brolin got insanely ripped for Fox’s Deadpool 2, where he’ll play beefy time-traveling master tactician Cable. The 49-year-old actor’s physical transformation shocked Bautista, who admitted to not recognizing Brolin during an encounter at the gym.

“I was out in California in June doing another project, and he walked up to me at Gold’s Gym and goes, ‘Dave,’ and I am looking at him,” Bautista said. “And he said, ‘It’s Josh,’ and I was like, ‘Holy f—k!’ He literally transformed himself in a matter of months. He is a stud. He is not only jacked, but he is shredded. His face is all sunken in like a model. He is like a completely different person.”

Bautista’s Drax will most likely finally face off against Thanos in Infinity War, fulfilling a long time vendetta against the purple space tyrant. Avengers: Infinity War drops May 4, with Deadpool 2 dropping a few weeks later on June 1, 2018.

Avengers: Infinity War is described by Marvel Studios as the culmination of everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Iron Man in 2008. The movie is filming now under directors Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

The expansive confirmed cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bethany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as the villain Thanos.