The chances of seeing Dave Bautista play the iconic Batman villain Bane in James Gunn’sDC Universeget a candid update in a new interview. AsGunn’s DC Universehas recruited various stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of the actors fans are hoping to see come over from theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy is Bautista, especially since his time as Drax the Destroyer is over. With a Bane/Deathstroke movie reportedly in development, potentially seeing Bautista as the former seems more possible than ever, but that casting may not be on the table for DC Studios.
As Gunn was the latest guest on theHappy, Sad, Confusedpodcast,the DC Studios co-CEO was asked whether or not fans may see Bautista as Bane in the DC Universe. Josh Horowitz also asked Gunn if he could say anything about the Deathstroke/Bane movie that was previously reported - and while the filmmaker did not provide an answer about the project in question, he did address the following about whether his MCU collaborator could be Bane:
I don’t know if Dave wants to be Bane anymore, he used to want to be Bane. I think he would much rather be another character than Bane right now, I think that is probably the case. Of course, I love Dave and I wanna work with him again, but I am not sure he wants to be Bane anymore.
What James Gunn’s Bane Comments Mean For The DCU
In addition to Gunn’s comments about Bautista as Bane,it is also crucial to remember that the actor has been on record that while it was a dream role for him, he doesn’t see it as possible at this point. Bautista, who is 55 years old, has spoken about how it’s getting more challenging to do more of the physically demanding roles that he was able to do previously.
In a July 2024 interview withScreen Rant, Bautista addressed his DCU potential when asked about the Bane role, adding that"I got to a point in my career where I just felt like I was just too old to play Bane. I think the physicality of it, at this point in my career and my life, I just wouldn’t be able to do the character justice.“However, even if Bautista isn’t being cast as Bane,Gunn has made it clear that there will be a place for his MCU collaborator in the new DC Universe.
With the amount of DC Comics characters that exist in the canon, Bane is only one of an endless list of roles, as Bautista could play a variety of heroes and villains from the comic book lore. Given this, it ultimately seems the bigger question is when Gunn and Bautista will actually work together again, and less ifthey will reunite.
Our Take On James Gunn’s Bane Comments
While it would have been incredible to see Bautista as Bane,it will be more exciting to see Gunn cast him as a character that perhaps audience members wouldn’t expect him to play. Bautista is more than just his physicality, as he is also an incredibly gifted actor, which would make him another terrific addition to the DC Universe. But for now, the world will have to wait and see who Bautista ends up being tapped to portray in Gunn’sDC Universewhen the right time comes around.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
