Marvel's Dave Bautista says he won't play Drax the Destroyer after 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'

• Dave Bautista told IGN that he wouldn't play Drax the Destroyer after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
• Bautista on Twitter defended the revelation, saying, "I'll be 54 yrs old for god's sake!"
• Bautista has appeared in four Marvel franchise movies since 2014.

Dave Bautista said he wouldn't reprise his role as Drax the Destroyer after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

Bautista has delighted fans with his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer since 2014, but the "Army of the Dead" actor explained he plans on stepping away from the role. In an interview with IGN's Joseph Knoop, Bautista opened up about the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie and the future of his character.

"I don't know what the script of the third film is, to be honest with you," Bautista, 52, told IGN. "There was a script years ago that obviously is going to have to change because the whole direction of the Marvel universe has changed."

Bautista said director James Gunn had previously pitched a spin-off movie between Bautista's Drax and Pom Klementieff's Mantis.

"There were talks for a while about a Drax and Mantis film," Bautista said. "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. I don't think they're very interested, or it doesn't fit into the way they have things mapped out."

Bautista told the outlet that Vol. 3 is "probably going to be the end of Drax."

The actor on Friday doubled down on his comments on Twitter, saying, "Drax isn't going anywhere. He just won't be played by this dude!"

"By the time G3 comes out I'll be 54 yrs old for gods sake! I'm expecting everything to start sagging any second now," wrote Bautista.

-James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 8, 2021

Gunn responded to the tweet by saying Bautista could "never be replaced."

"There's no Drax for me without you, buddy! You ARE the MCU's Drax the Destroyer and, as far as I'm concerned, could never be replaced," Gunn wrote. "And you have the right to do whatever you want with your acting choices!"

Bautista replied: "And there's no Drax for me without you brother! #EndOfAJourney. I love you dude!"

-The Artist Formerly Known as Super Duper Dave (@DaveBautista) May 8, 2021

Bautista also recently revealed that he turned down a role in the upcoming "Suicide Squad" film to work on "Army of the Dead."

Bautista told Digital Spy that Gunn wrote a role just for him in "Suicide Squad," but he was later offered the leading role in "Army of the Dead."

"I had the 'Suicide Squad' where I got to work with my boy again, even though it's a smaller role, and then I had 'Army of the Dead' on which I get to work with Zack, I get to build a relationship with Netflix, I get a lead role in a great film - and I get paid a lot more money," said Bautista.