Dave Bautista Finally Reveals If DC Called Him To Play Wildcat

Dave Bautista still has his hand up for the DCU. He keeps checking in, he wants in, and, to hear him tell it, he is still waiting on that call from James Gunn.

What Bautista actually said

"I haven’t. You know, I check back with them all the time to see, because I want to be in that world... I was hoping a year or so ago that I would’ve gotten the call from James saying, 'Hey man, we got something for you.'"

That was Bautista to Screen Rant while promoting his new movie, Afterburn. He added that he has not talked directly with Gunn or DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran. Instead, he hears through the grapevine that they might be eyeing him for something, but nothing specific has been pitched. He wants to be in the room, he has made that clear, and, as he put it, he is not getting younger. For the record: he is 56.

The Gunn/Bautista history (and the near-miss)

If you are wondering why this feels so inevitable, it is because Bautista and Gunn have been through the wars together already. Bautista was Drax the Destroyer across Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, plus Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Inside baseball worth remembering: Gunn originally wrote the Peacemaker role in The Suicide Squad with Bautista in mind back in 2021. Scheduling and fate did their thing, John Cena took it, and that turned into HBO’s Peacemaker. Great outcome, different timeline.

Where the DCU is right now

Gunn and Safran’s Chapter 1 slate, 'Gods and Monsters,' starts rolling out in 2025 with Superman, led by David Corenswet, and continues with Peacemaker season 2. Gunn has already been linking some of his Marvel alums to future DCU roles — Zoe Saldana among them — so the door is obviously open for familiar faces.

About that Wildcat chatter

If you saw the Wildcat rumors floating around: Bautista did not name any character. No Bane, no Wildcat, nothing specific — just that he wants in and he is waiting on a concrete offer.

• The status: Bautista says he has not heard directly from James Gunn or Peter Safran about a DCU role; he keeps checking in and hears secondhand they might be considering him.
• The history: He was Gunn’s Drax in Guardians 1–3 and also appeared in Infinity War, Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and the Guardians Holiday Special.
• The almost: Gunn originally wrote Peacemaker for Bautista during The Suicide Squad era; John Cena ultimately took the role and headlined the spinoff series.
• The timeline: Chapter 1 'Gods and Monsters' begins its rollout in 2025 with Superman (starring David Corenswet) and continues with Peacemaker season 2.
• The tea leaves: Gunn has been connecting past Marvel collaborators like Zoe Saldana to upcoming DCU parts, but Bautista says he is still waiting his turn — and he is very ready.

Bottom line: Bautista wants to suit up for the DCU, he is not being coy about it, and this feels like a matter of when, not if. But as of now, no call, no role, just a very motivated former Destroyer refreshing his messages.

(The comments came via Screen Rant while Bautista was promoting Afterburn; the story was first picked up by SuperHeroHype.)