Marvel fans were still reeling from the surprising events of Avengers: Infinity War when co-star Dave Bautista revealed in May this his character will return in the sequel. Considering Drax the Destroyer was among the numerous heroes turned to dust by Thanos' finger snag, the comment was a bit of a spoiler, even if audiences already assumed most of their Marvel Cinematic Universe favorites won't remain dead. Although Bautista now concedes he probably shouldn't say anything about Avengers 4, he has a perfectly good explanation for doing so: Apparently no one at Marvel Studios told him not to.
“We definitely see more Guardians in the upcoming Avengers, which we’ve already shot," the Guardians of the Galaxy actor said this week during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. When one of the show's hosts noted the fates of the heroes in Infinity War, Bautista continued, "Which, oddly enough, I guess I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but I was already saying before Avengers 3 was released that I’d already filmed 4, and I was signed up for Guardians 3. I’ve shot scenes for it, so I must come back somehow, right?"
"It’s comforting," he continued, "but at the same time I felt a sense of guilt because I don’t know if I was supposed to say anything, and nobody told me not to say anything.”
Although Bautista's comments are good-natured, they come at a time when his relationship with Disney is publicly strained, following the studio's firing in July of writer/director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While all of the franchise's stars have expressed their support for the filmmaker, Bautista has repeatedly criticized Disney, and even threatened to drop out of the planned sequel if Gunn's script isn't used.
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Originally targeted to begin production in January or February for an expected 2020 release, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was placed on indefinite hiatus last week as the studio tries to regroup. Bautista suggested earlier this week that the ripple effects from Gunn's firing could also reach the Avengers sequel, saying the fate of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 "may make a difference in what they do with our characters in Avengers 4.
"To be honest with you, right now I really don’t know," he conceded. "But I know I’m in Avengers 4. I’ve shot most of it already. I do have two days of reshoots. But other than that, I have some really great scenes that I hope they use. But I guess that it remains to be seen what they’ll do with the characters.”
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Set for release on May 3, 2019, Avengers 4 is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Brie Larson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Evangeline Lilly, and Josh Brolin.