Dave Bautista: Drax Has the Perfect Exit in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

It’s no secret that Dave Bautista will step away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. According to the actor, the ending to his time in the MCU is so perfect, he can’t see himself ever returning.

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Bautista spoke about his last time playing Drax. Bautista joked that he didn’t know why it was news that he’d be done, but noted that while it’s hard to walk away, he believes this film is “the perfect exit” for Drax.

“Yeah, it’s weird. I don’t know why it’s news,” Bautista said. “This is my seventh film as Drax and my third Guardians. It was like our trilogy. That’s kind of what we all signed up for, to do a trilogy. And I think this will be the last version of our Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Bautista went on to relate his time as Drax to his time as a WWE superstar and said that he would never come back in the role and “tarnish” what he’s been able to do.

“It’s hard, but it’s time,” said Bautista. “We all had those perfect character arcs and such a storybook ending. I constantly relate it to the way I ended my wrestling career. I ended it on a storybook note. And I would never go back and tarnish that. And it’s the same with this, with Drax, I just got to end in the perfect way. I would never sign up for another job as Drax just to get a paycheck.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to premiere in theaters on May 5, 2023.