Dave Bautista Misses This About The MCU

Dave Bautista, known for his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, has expressed mixed feelings about his departure from the role. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bautista admitted that there was a real loss in the end, thanks to scheduling conflicts and issues.

Bautista told The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn’t miss playing Drax but deeply misses the camaraderie he shared with his fellow cast members and director James Gunn. Bautista’s dissatisfaction with his character arc in the MCU has been well-documented. He has previously stated that Marvel Studios didn’t fulfill their promise to pit him against Thanos more meaningfully, and Drax’s character gradually became more comedic, deviating from the actor’s initial vision.

Bautista has confirmed he is finished with Marvel, but he’s already gone to Gunn’s new DC Universe. The actor’s primary regret stems from the lack of a proper farewell to his Guardians of the Galaxy family. His final night on set was during the filming of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which was shot concurrently with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He had to rush off immediately after wrapping to start another project, which left no time for closure with the cast and crew.

I never really got to say goodbye to everyone. I got rushed off set to another film. I was then on another film, and I didn’t do press or make the premiere for Guardians 3. So there’s just a huge part of me that feels like there was no closure. I never really got to say goodbye to that character and that cast, and there’s always going to be some sadness involved when I start thinking about that.

Dave Bautista

Unfortunately, Bautista couldn’t attend the premiere or participate in press events for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 because of scheduling conflicts with another film. Whether Bautista would consider returning to the MCU, even for a brief appearance, is still up in the air.