10 MCU Villains Dave Bautista Could Play After Guardians Of The Galaxy 3’s Drax Ending

While his time playing Guardians of the Galaxy’sDrax may be over, it looks as though Dave Bautista would like to play a villain in the MCU’s future. Having been given a very satisfying ending as seen in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a future appearance from Drax seems unlikely in the MCU. As such, there may well be room for Bautista to take on a new role in the MCU going forward, albeit one that’s more sinister.

In an interview with Gizmodo, Dave Bautista confirmed he’s done playing Drax in the MCU. However, he did say that he’s still in contact with Marvel Studios’ heads such as Kevin Feige and Lou D’Esposito and that he’s expressed his desire to one day play a deeper role such as “an ominous villain”. To that end, here are 10 villains Bautista could play in the MCU now that his time playing Drax the Destroyer has ended.

10 Apocalypse

One Of The First Mutants

With the X-Men set to make their debut in the MCU soon, Dave Bautista could easily play a new version of Apocalypse in the MCU. Having been brought to life in Fox’s disappointing X-Men: Apocalypse by Oscar Isacc, a new En Sabah Nur for the MCU could be a new opportunity to depict the character more accurately. Rather than being a straightforward villain, Apocalypse’s true goal in the comics is to ensure the survival of mutantkind by any means necessary, offering multiple dimensions that could be exactly what Bautista is looking for after Drax.

9 Galactus

The World Devourer

Known as the World Devourer, Galactus is a massive cosmic villain who consumes entire planets to survive. Typically, Galactus has been a villain of the Fantastic Four and has even been rumored to appear in the upcoming MCU reboot with Javier Bardem allegedly attached to the Galactus role. However, Bautista would certainly be an exciting option as well. Likewise, the role would likely be heavy on voicework and motion capture as opposed to the long makeup process that came with playing Drax, something Bautista would likely find appealing.

8 Terrax

A Cosmic Herald

Marvel’s Galactus also has heralds whom he imbues with cosmic power to go out and find new worlds to consume. While the most famous of these heads is the Silver Surfer who eventually defies the World Devourer’s authority, he wasn’t his only herald. There was also Terrax who was often pitted against the Fantastic Four. Armed with his Cosmic Battle Axe, playing Terrax could be a very exciting role for Bautista, especially if it meant his character would be in the service of Bardem’s Galactus as a powerful duo.

7 Knull

The King in Black

In an MCU future where Marvel Studios either has the rights to the Spider-Man franchise and its IP or simply expands its partnership with Sony, Bautista bringing Knull the Symbiote God to life would be very exciting. As seen in Marvel Comics’ King In Black crossover events, the entire world gets covered in symbiotes who are all under Knull’s control. This includes the corruption of several Avengers, X-Men, and several more heroes operating in New York, putting the safety of the world in the hands of only a few, most notably Eddie Brock’s Venom.

6 Crimson Dynamo

Russia’s Iron Man

A title belonging to multiple Russian agents in Marvel Comics, the Crimson Dynamo could be an intriguing role for Bautista as well. Effectively the Soviet counterpart to Iron Man in Marvel Comics, the Crimson Dynamo has his own armored suit and has clashed with American heroes on multiple occasions. Crimson Dynamo was also briefly referenced in 2021’s Black Widow by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belove and David Harbour’s Red Guardian (Russia’s Captain America).

5 Juggernaut

Xavier’s Step-Brother

On the surface, one might think that X-Men’s Juggernaut wouldn’t be the “ominous villain” with the depth that Bautista is looking for. While the multiple dimensions of Cain Marko have yet to be seen in either of his live-action appearances as seen in X-Men: The Last Stand and Deadpool 2, the comics have proven that there’s more to Juggernaut than meets the eye. As the human stepbrother to Charles Xavier, some key dynamics could finally be played upon in the MCU’s mutant future, including Juggernaut’s more recent arc of redemption where he’s since become an ally to the X-Men.

4 Nimrod

Sentinel From The Future

An advanced mutant-hunting Sentinel from the future, Nimrod could be an opportunity for Bautista to primarily voice a villain in the MCU. Named after the great hunter from the Bible, Nimrod is incredibly powerful and dangerous who’s also incredibly compelling, at one point having contained a human personality and emotions. As such, Nimrod could easily be a second Ultron in the MCU, albeit one dedicated to the eradication of mutantkind.

3 Sebastian Shaw

Leading The Hellfire Club

While he was played by Kevin Bacon in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, a new version of Sebastian Shaw could debut in the MCU with Bautista taking on the role. Serving as the leader of the Hellfire Club in New York, the public believes Shaw is merely a successful human businessman. In truth, Shaw is a mutant who can absorb power and turn it into raw strength, leading other mutants as they work to control the world from the shadows. Having both physical prowess and calculated intelligence, Sebastian Shaw could be perfect for Bautista based on his aforementioned villain criteria.

2 Onslaught

A Dark Xavier/Magneto Combo

In terms of ominous villains, Onslaught would certainly be an option for Dave Bautista in the MCU’s future. A powerful merging of both Xavier and Magneto’s negative and darker subconscious, Onslaught eventually became his own living entity. Having been defeated and reborn multiple times over in Marvel Comics, Onslaught is incredibly resilient as he seeks to bring an end to both humanity and mutantkind.

1 Morlun

(Or Another Inheritor)

A member of a multiverse-traveling family of energy vampires known as the Inheritors, Morlun is a major Spider-Man villain who seeks to consume the energy of various animal and deity totems (in this case spiders). Morlun and his family’s preferred prey also includes the wide variety of Spider-Man variants across the multiverse, a threat that leads to the original Spider-Verse events seen on the page. As such, it would certainly be interesting to see Bautista playing such a powerful villain like Morlun in the MCU or one of Marvel Comics’ other Inheritors who’ve been introduced over the years.

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