Dave Bautista Says Marvel Dropped The Ball On Drax’s Backstory

Dave Bautista thinks Marvel dropped the ball with the backstory for his Guardians of the Galaxy character Drax the Destroyer. Bautista has appeared in four MCU films so far, including both Guardians films and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. With one more slated appearance, Bautista has hinted that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be Drax's last, something that director James Gunn has said he would support.

Most casual MCU fans may know Drax as the comedic relief in Guardians of the Galaxy and during his appearances in Infinity War and Endgame, but his backstory is just as interesting. Touched on briefly in the aforementioned films, fans come to learn that Drax's family is one of Thanos' many victims. In fact, Drax even gets a chance to confront Thanos in Infinity War before the Titan subdues him while using the Reality Stone. Unfortunately, this is as close as Drax gets to vengeance before that emotional story is left on the cutting room floor.

Bautista sees this as a missed opportunity, as he explains to Collider that he thinks Marvel missed out on exploring the emotional side of Drax. While the actor is appreciative of everything the role did for his career, he says he would have welcomed the chance to explore the backstory of his character in a way that lended itself to a satisfying arc. Bautista doesn't think that the opportunity will arise again to explore his character in this way, but he is excited to finish out Drax's story in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 nonetheless.

That role changed the trajectory of my life. It's always going to be special to me. Now that I’m four films in...I really wished they would have invested more in Drax, personally. Because I think Drax has more of a story to tell. I think Drax has a really interesting backstory which they dropped the ball on. That’s no dig on Marvel. They had their slate, I know what they’re focused on, that’s what they have slated out. But man, I think they really missed the ball on Drax. He has such a great backstory. Selfishly, as a performer, that would have given me the opportunity to show different sides of Drax, emotionally. And physically as well. Because, if you notice, Drax, although he looks like a badass, you look at him and he looks terrifying, but Drax gets his ass kicked more than any other Marvel character...The whole “Destroyer” thing they just threw that out the window...people just fell so in love with the comedic side of Drax they tapped into that, then they tapped into it more, then they really dug a hole into it. But we missed a huge boat on that character and I don’t think it’ll ever come back around. But I’m really just looking forward to finishing out this whole journey.

Drax fighting enemies in Guardians of the Galaxy

Bautista isn't wrong in his assertions - Drax's story would've been a perfect one to explore during the culmination of the Infinity Saga. Unfortunately, the pitfalls of such a massive franchise mean characters like Drax ultimately fall to the wayside in service of the larger story. Marvel did not necessarily make a mistake in exploring Gamora and Nebula's relationship to Thanos, as their connection to the Titan is much more prominent than Drax's, but it does show that such an expansive cast can ultimately lead to pivotal emotional plots being left out.

Fortunately, as Bautista says, Drax's story isn't over just yet and neither is the actor's. In fact, Bautista is only beginning to really receive the recognition he rightfully deserves. On top of his leading role in the upcoming Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead, Bautista was just cast in Knives Out 2 opposite Daniel Craig and Edward Norton. It's clear that Guardians of the Galaxy and the character of Drax will always have a special place in Bautista's heart, but luckily, that role seems to only have brought forth more opportunities for the actor.

More: Every Upcoming Dave Bautista Movie & TV Show

Source: Collider