Dave Bautista, who WWE fans more widely recognize as Batista, entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 2014 film “Guardians of the Galaxy,” where he portrayed Drax the Destroyer. This role served as a major launchpad for his acting career.

Bautista reprised the character in more MCU films, including Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, Avengers Infinity War, Avengers Endgame, and Thor Love & Thunder.

He eventually bid farewell to the role, appearing one last time in Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

During a recent interview with Variety, Bautista stated that he would not take on the character again unless asked by James Gunn, the creative force behind the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

However, Bautista remains open to taking on another superhero role.

He said, “Drax is completely closed to me. Unless James Gunn called me and asked if I would do something as Drax again, I just wouldn’t be interested. If James called me, which obviously is not gonna happen. He’s doing okay, he’s gone a different route [with DC]. But I do wanna be in that world. I’m a fan of that world. I’m a fan of comic books and that whole universe. Marvel, DC, I just wanna be in it. I made that known to James, I made that known to the Russo Brothers. Personally, I talked to them, all of them, and told them, ‘Don’t count me out. If there’s a character that I’d be right for and that you want me for, man, I’d be totally open-minded to it.’ It’s just the Drax character ran its course.”

Bautista’s portrayal of Drax launched his Hollywood career, paving the way for roles in Blade Runner 2049, Dune, My Spy, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and other films.