Batista on no longer playing Drax
Dave Bautista first took to Instagram back in May and announced that his Marvel journey was coming to an end. Now he has talked with GQ’s Yang-Yi Goh about why he has given up the role of Drax the Destroyer.
To secure the role of Drax several years back, Batista endured months of repeated auditions for higher-ups at Disney, amid rumors of bigger names being up for the part. He was driving to the gym when he was told that he landed the gig.
“I had to pull over because I was crying so hard,” Batista told GQ. “I turned right back around and walked into my house shaking to tell my wife I had gotten the role, and we were both standing there freaking out.”
Batista said Drax is how he discovered the ideal vessel for his still-developing acting abilities. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” was a surprise box office hit, critically and financially, and served as confirmation that Batista was wise to bet on himself as he was now an in-demand actor for the first time. However, he is now saying goodbye to the role after nine years, six movies and one Christmas special.
Batista commented on how hard the role was, adding that he now wants to do more dramatic acting work.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” he said. “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.”
The Animal first debuted as Drax in 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” film. Since then he has portrayed the character in the following projects – 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” film, 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” movie, 2018’s “Avengers: Endgame” movie, 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” film, 2022’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” on Disney+, and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which will hit theaters on Friday, May 5 of this year.
Newsflash: Drax IS your legacy. And that’s not a bad thing at all.
Totally right. He was great at the role.
I get not wanting to be pigeonholed and the desire to try other things. Heck, the wrestlers we like best are the ones who make changes, however subtle, every once in a while to keep their characters from growing stale. And he’s right that the makeup for Drax must be murder – it’s half of his body every day they shoot. But even if Drax is all he’s remembered for – and most likely it will be the main thing – he can deservedly be proud of that even as he uses what he learned as a springboard for what’s next. It’s possible to be happy to have done something and happy to not be doing it anymore at the same time.