Summary

• Dave Bautista is open to working with James Gunn again and seems likely to the DCU for future projects.
• While Bautista won't reprise his role as Drax in Marvel, his emotional range and comedy skills make him a great fit for prospective DC characters.
• Bautista's age may affect the role he plays in the DCU, but he could be a perfect choice for the popular Green Lantern, Kilowog, a CGI character that would avoid the makeup process.

DCU releases should the opportunity arise. Though Bautista's time as Drax may be over, the role was the perfect audition for future prospective characters, showing off his emotional range and comedy skills.

A while back, Bautista did discuss the possibility of playing Bane in the DCU, a role that he has always wanted to play. While he made it clear he probably won't be playing the iconic Batman villain, that doesn't mean DC doesn't have other characters that would be perfect for him. Bautista's specific skills seem perfect for a potential leading role in the Lanterns show, and his roles in Dune and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy have also proven he is well-suited for science fiction stories.

Dave Bautista's Comments On The DCU Explained

Dave Bautista made it clear in a recent interview that he would be more than happy to work with James Gunn again, regardless of whether this was as part of the DCU or not. With Gunn taking on so many responsibilities at DC, it does seem like the superhero franchise is probably going to be his main focus for a while. This means if Bautista wants to work with Gunn again soon, he will likely have to be in the DCU. That said, it does sound like Bautista would be more interested in projects that are specifically being led by Gunn himself.

Back when Bautista expressed interest in playing Bane, he mentioned that he had probably aged out of the role for the new DCU. Though he still seems open to being part of the DCU, this age factor will likely impact whatever role he ends up playing. Luckily, James Gunn has a wealth of characters in DC's library, so there are still plenty of options for Bautista. One good solution could be getting Bautista to do a voice role, similar to his Guardians of the Galaxy co-stars Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.

Dave Bautista Is Big And Lovable, Just Like A Certain DC Hero

Given Bautista's skills and his comments on possible DCU roles, he seems perfectly suited to play the popular Green Lantern, Kilowog. Similar to Drax, Kilowog is a big, strong alien who is also very lovable despite his intimidating appearance. However, Kilowog has a very different personality to Drax, so it wouldn't feel like Bautista was being pigeonholed into a specific type of role. Kilowog is slightly gruffer and has better social skills. This also means playing the Green Lantern character would also align with Bautista's stated goal to play more serious characters.

As a massive pig-like alien, Kilowog will likely be a largely CGI character. This would solve Bautista's age concerns, as he wouldn't need to be doing quite as much on-screen work, and could ultimately settle for doing some of the motion capture, or even just providing the voice of the DC hero. Playing a CGI character would also be a good solution to some of the issues Bautista experienced playing Drax.

Kilowog Would Solve Bautista's Drax Problem

When discussing his took hours to get into Drax's makeup, something he doesn't seem eager to do again. Luckily, playing Kilowog would solve this issue, since the character could be created using visual effects instead of makeup. This would allow Bautista to still be a part of the DCU without experiencing similar frustrations he had with Marvel.

As of now, it is unclear if Lanterns will include Kilowog, though it is more than possible. Gunn mentioned that several Green Lanterns will appear in addition to the series leads Hal Jordan and John Stewart, and Kilowog seems like a perfect choice given his popularity. Kilowog would also be a good way to introduce the concept of non-human Lanterns. Though there is likely some time before any casting announcements are made for Lanterns, hopefully, Dave Bautista will be ing the ranks of the Green Lanterns in the distinctive and iconic role.

Key Release Dates

• The Batman Part II

  Release Date:

  2026-10-02