James Gunn Responds to Dave Bautista Stepping Away as Drax After GOTG Vol 3

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Director James Gunn responds to Dave Bautista's comments that he's stepping away from playing Drax the Destroyer after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. On the heels of the threequel officially getting a release date from Marvel Studios also came the news that the wrestler-turned-actor is planning on retiring the character once the cosmic-based trilogy is finished. Expectedly, this new comment received varying reactions, including one from Gunn.

Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, the character is part of the original lineup of the fan-favorite MCU superhero team. Drax was motivated to seek revenge for the death of his family, going after Thanos, who was ultimately to blame for the crime. After the first film in the sub-franchise however, this hasn't been revisited aside from a brief moment in Avengers: Infinity War referencing his grief. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marking his sixth outing as the hero (including the upcoming appearance in Taika Watiti's Thor: Love and Thunder), Bautista says that he plans to walk away from the role after the threequel given his age. So while the character may still be in the universe, he won't be played by Bautista.

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In response to this comment, Gunn revealed that as far as he's concerned, Bautista IS Drax in the MCU and can never be replaced. That said, he offered the actor support, saying that he has every right to decide what his next acting endeavor will be following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Check out the director's full reply below:

Just like Bautista, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might be Gunn's final project in the MCU. The filmmaker has repeatedly said that the threequel will conclude the trilogy that he began in 2014. While it's taken a bit of time for the project to move forward due to several factors, including the director's brief firing and eventual rehiring, its story has long been locked. Plot details are still scant at the moment, but Gunn has offered clues about what to expect, including the film featuring a major character death in the franchise. Couple that with the presumed search for Gamora, which was set up at the end of Avengers: Endgame, as well as the much-hyped origins for Rocket Raccoon, and it is shaping up to have an emotional narrative.

As for Drax, in particular, it's difficult to gauge what his arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be. Since Thanos has been defeated, there's really not much to his character that has been established prior in the MCU. A heroic death might be a great way to send off the hero, but based on Bautista's comments, it sounds like he will survive. If that's the case, it will be curious how the movie will leave him. In terms of recasting, chances are that Marvel Studios will opt out of that unless it's a version of the character from a different universe.