Dave Bautista expresses ‘relief’ over MCU exit as Drax, says “It wasn’t all pleasant”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will mark Dave Bautista's final performance as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer in Avengers: Infinity War. (Photo: guardiansofthegalaxy/Instagram)

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Professional wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista is relieved to be exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which marks his final performance as Drax the Destroyer, a role that has spanned nearly 10 years.

Bautista recently told GQ magazine, “I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff,” he continued.

Also Read | Dave Bautista on playing Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy: ‘The shirtless thing is getting harder and harder for me’

Bautista said his other 2023 film projects are a step in the right direction when it comes to shaping his post-Marvel acting career, reported Variety.

He is set to have his most sizable speaking role to date in M Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin and an expanded role in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune sequel. Dune: Part Two will mark Bautista’s third Villeneuve movie after Blade Runner 2049 and Dune.

Though Bautista has always spoken fondly of his tenure as Drax, he has also openly expressed frustration over the role. Back in 2021, he told Collider that Marvel “dropped the ball” in terms of doing Drax justice on the big screen.

“I really wished they would have invested more in Drax, personally. Because I think Drax has more of a story to tell. I think Drax has a really interesting backstory, which they dropped the ball on. That’s no dig on Marvel,” he said. As per Variety, he added that if Marvel had explored the character more fully, it “would have given me the opportunity to show different sides of Drax, emotionally. And physically as well.”

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