Dave Bautista Talks About Joining James Gunn’s DC Universe (Exclusive)

Dave Bautista talked about joining James Gunn’s DC Universe. ComicBook.com spoke to the former Guardian of the Galaxy ahead of his appearance in Dune 2. We asked him if he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame first or enter James Gunn’s DC Universe. Bautista admitted it would probably be that wrestling honor. However, as a former James Gunn collaborator, the actor said that if the opportunity came knocking he would absolutely listen. Bautista reaffirmed his connection with the Guardians of the Galaxy director. Clearly, the entire cast loved their experience with the DC Studios head man and wouldn’t let any Marvel brand loyalty get in the way of the right role.

“I couldn’t give you an honest answer to that because I think…” Bautista began. “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.” 

“I would love to work with James again, whether it’s DC Universe or not. I just love James Gunn. He’s an incredible director and we have a camaraderie that’s priceless,” he added. “So to work with him again ? I mean I’d do it for free. But, we just haven’t had the conversations. He’s on top of DC now. He’s doing his thing. I’m trying to grind along in my processing. But, I’m always open-minded too and I’ve expressed that to him.”

Bautista Talks About The End of His MCU Journey

In the lead-up to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Bautista did a lot of reflecting on his time as Drax the Destroyer. His proclamation of a Marvel retirement sent shockwaves through social media. Despite that fervor, Bautista and his co-stars remained resolute that fans would be satisfied by the ending Gunn was cooking up. The fan response to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 proves that the MCU actor was correct in those assertions. 

The Drax actor told The Tonight Show, “I think, yeah, it’s weird, I don’t know why it’s news. I feel like it’s…so this is my seventh film as Drax, and my third ‘Guardians’, and it’s like our trilogy, and that’s kind of what we all signed up for, to do a trilogy. This will be the last version of our Guardians of the Galaxy.”

“It’s hard, but it’s time, and it’s the perfect exit. We all had those perfect kind of character arcs and such a storybook ending,” Bautista continued. “I constantly relate it to the way I finished my wrestling career, I ended it on a storybook note and I would never go back and tarnish that, and it’s the same with this, with Drax. I just got to end it in a perfect way, and I would never sign up for another job as Drax just to get a paycheck, I wouldn’t tarnish that and I won’t do it.”

Drax Changed Bautista’s Life

There’s no secret that being in Guardians of the Galaxy changed the trajectory of these actors lives. Bautista himself spoke on that fact when he talked to IGN back in 2021. He told the outlet how hard times were when the former champion decided to walk away from WWE. It’s no wonder they defend and support him at every turn.

“For people to really understand how much my life has changed, they would have to understand where I came from, what I went through when I was in wrestling, what I left behind to take a chance on going into acting,” Bautista explained.

“And when I got the role of Drax in Guardians, I barely worked in three years. So I’d really left wrestling behind and I could have gone back with my tail between my legs, but I still [would] have been just stuck in a place that I never would have gone any further, but I just took a chance,” the actor shared. “And then when I got [cast], not only because I was broke, [everything changed]. When I say broke, my house was foreclosed, I had nothing, man. I sold all my stuff. I sold everything that I made from [when] I was wrestling. I had issues with the IRS. I was just lost in everything.”

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