One of several surprises to come out of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy was wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista’s excellent turn as the vengeful and brutally honest Drax the Destroyer, who garnered the love of fans around the world. Drax will be back in this year’s highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with Bautista returning to fill his shoes, and if director James Gunn’s latest post on his Facebook page tells us anything, it’s that Drax will be a highlight once again.
To celebrate Bautista’s January 18th birthday, Gunn took to Facebook to share an image of him with a fully-costumed Bautista and a heartfelt message about his friend. Halfway through the post, however, Gunn begins teasing readers with audience reactions to Drax in test screenings and writes the following: “He’s been blowing people’s minds in our early screenings of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – exponentially increasing the raw emotion and humor he displayed in the first movie. I couldn’t be more proud of having fought for him to play Drax four and a half years ago.”
Bautista had plenty of acting experience before wowing audiences in Guardians of the Galaxy, but considering that he has taken on roles in such high-profile movies as Spectre, Kickboxer: Vengeance and The Boss since its release, it seems entirely possible that he has grown even more as an actor. In the released footage for Vol. 2 alone, both the teaser and full-length trailer, Drax steals the show with two great comedic moments. Overall, expect big things from Drax in Vol. 2.
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled for release on April 28th 2017 in the UK and on May 5th in the States, with director James Gunn reuniting with returning cast members Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Glenn Close (Nova Prime) and Sean Gunn (Kraglin) alongside new additions Pom Klementieff (Oldboy) as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Ayesha, Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight) as Ego the Living Planet, Chris Sullivan (The Drop) as Taserface and Sylvester Stallone (Creed) in as-yet-unrevealed role.
Originally published January 20, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
