Dave Bautista Will Retire as Drax After 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3'

Dave Bautista confirmed that his final appearance as Drax the Destroyer will be in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3.

In a recent interview with Ellen, the Marvel staple explained that he is getting older and that it's "getting harder and harder for him" to film the shirtless scenes as Drax. “...and I'm also going to be 54 years old by the time Guardians 3 comes out, and the shirtless thing is getting harder and harder for me," Bautista said with a laugh. "You know, the journey's come full circle and I'm ready to kind of step aside and wrap it up."

He also shared that he was quite surprise with fans' reaction upon hearing that he will be hanging up the role of Drax, especially considering that Marvel tends to work in trilogies. "I didn't think it was going to be news because I figured everybody assumed it. This is how this works — we work in trilogies, and James Gunn has already announced that it's his last film and when James is done, I'm done."

Earlier this May, Bautista hinted at the idea of retiring Drax in a separate interview. “There were talks for a while about a Drax and Mantis film. It was really because it was James Gunn‘s idea. He really wanted to do a Drax and Mantis film. He laid it out to me. I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I haven’t heard any follow-up from the studio,” he shared. “I don’t think they’re very interested, or it doesn’t fit into the way they have things mapped out. But other than that, no. I mean, as far as my obligations, I’ve got Guardians 3, and that’s probably going to be the end of Drax.”

Watch Dave Bautista's interview with Ellen above. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to premiere May 5, 2023.