Casting Dave Bautista In The DCU: 7 Characters He Could Play

As the DCU begins anew, they’ll need exciting new talents, and Dave Bautista can be a perfect fit for several iconic heroes and villains. James Gunn and Peter Safran recently detailed their big plans for the new DCU, announcing 10 new projects. Of course, a big question remains as to what exactly will carry over when The Flash resets the timeline. Aptly, both Superman and Batman are being recast, though recent EGOT winner Viola Davis is staying on as Amanda Waller. Whatever the case, their plans are quite broad yet cohesive, with each project establishing the new DCU’s foundations in live-action and animation, films and tv, and across various genres.

With all these changes, the time might be perfect for Dave Bautista to join the DCU. His time in the MCU as fan-favorite Drax the Destroyer is reportedly coming to an end alongside James Gunn with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Interestingly, given his own comments on the DCU’s reboot and interest in continuing to work with Gunn, Bautista might be priming fans to prepare for his crossover. A notable fan-cast is Bautista as Bane, something he supported a while back, though now his tune has changed, saying he wouldn’t be the right fit anymore. Thankfully, though, there are many other great roles he would be well-suited for.

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6 Wildcat

Bautista could be a perfect Wildcat in the DCU. Ted Grant is a world-class heavyweight boxer who became the costumed hero, Wildcat, and eventually joined the Justice Society. Such would be an excellent use of Bautista’s talents from his time as a professional wrestler, having won several world championships himself. Significantly, with Black Adam introducing the JSA and the Black Canary film – whose status is still ambiguous – Wildcat could’ve had a future in the old DCU, but the same can still ring true for the new regime, especially with someone like Bautista under the mask.

Along with his time on the JSA and later Justice League, Wildcat is importantly linked with many other heroes in a way that can help his incorporation into the DCU. Specifically, Wildcat trained the likes of Black Canary, Batman, and Superman in fighting. Superman: Legacy, in particular, will feature a younger Superman, so perhaps Gunn could include Wildcat or a reference to him as he writes the script – he is admittedly a fan of the JSA. Wildcat is ideal for Bautista for his physical prowess and bold personality, and many aren’t aware of how cool and compelling he can be – just like Drax.

5 Lex Luthor

Superman: Legacy brings great possibilities for Lex Luthor in the new DCU, and Bautista could make for an unexpectedly delightful version. They need someone charismatic and engaging but with a menacing edge. Bautista could certainly bring that to the table, and he’s even explicitly expressed interest in doing so. The dynamic of someone like Bautista, a physically domineering actor, playing such an intellectual role is very enticing, especially when considering how they’d relate to a young and less-experienced Superman. Such would allow Lex to shine like never before and help him take a more physically active role in the action.

There is a chance Superman: Legacy would want to go with another Superman villain – for example, Brainiac, to pull from plans for Man of Steel 2. However, Lex Luthor is essential to the DCU beyond being Superman’s most enduring nemesis. He could act like a villainous Nick Fury, recruiting his own team to oppose the popular heroes – basically what Jesse Eisenberg was doing in Justice League, but with the potential to come to fruition. Whether he plays the main antagonist right away in Superman: Legacy or not, Lex must have a significant and consistent role beyond it. Bautista can be the perfect person to helm such long-term ambitions.

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4 Clayface

Bautista could alternatively find a home for himself in Batman’s sector of the new DCU. Gunn revealed that they will be beginning anew for him as well, though they’re jumping into a far different time in Batman’s career for The Brave and the Bold in featuring Damian Wayne’s Robin. This opens up exciting possibilities for all sorts of Batman characters, both heroes and villains, including Clayface. Basil Karlo was an actor who, in a bid to salvage his failing career, inadvertently caused himself to become a giant shapeshifting mass of clay. Using his new powers as Clayface, he started a life of crime and came into conflict with Batman.

Clayface is a malleable character. They could take a classic dramatic approach à la his appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, or Clayface could be more comedic, playing into his theatrics, like in Harley Quinn. Either would work for Bautista, as Drax has excelled as both a dramatic and comedic character. Of course, Clayface could alternatively feature in the expansion of Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe opposite Robert Pattinson, whether in The Batman – Part II or a related HBO Max series – if any spin-offs progress further under DC Studios’ new structure. Regardless, Bautista would still be a good fit for the role.

3 Hugo Strange

Another Batman villain Bautista could be a surprise hit as is Hugo Strange. Strange is under the same line as Lex Luthor as a highly intellectual character with unexpected physical prowess. Strange, however, has yet to appear in a live-action film, and Bautista could be the perfect person to help that happen. His impressive showing in Knock at the Cabin shows how Bautista can take on characters far different from what he’s known for and make them hauntingly engaging. That’s a quality Strange would need to work in the larger landscape of the DCU.

Of course, like Clayface, Hugo Strange would also be a welcome sight in The Batman universe, particularly, The Batman’s Arkham Asylum spin-off. He’d fit in well there narratively and tonally, perhaps more than in the DCU from how it’s currently looking. In The Batman universe, Hugo Strange could be a prominent recurring antagonist, but in the DCU, he might be better as a one-and-done type of villain. Both situations have their merits. The latter, in particular, would give Bautista the option to go all out and surprise unsuspecting viewers.

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2 Blue Devil

Blue Devil is definitely a deep cut. Yet, Gunn and Safran’s plans prove they’re not shying away from such possibilities with the likes of Creature Commandos, The Authority, and even Booster Gold compared to the likes of Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern. Plus, thanks to the Swamp Thing movie, the new DCU will do what the old didn’t and embrace the supernatural and weird, so Blue Devil can easily have a home there. It might actually be perfect for Bautista to take on an underrated and obscure hero. He did so in Guardians of the Galaxy and made Drax one of the most endearing and popular characters in the MCU.

Dan Cassidy was a special effect specialist and stuntman who was working on a Blue Devil movie when he was attacked by an actual demon who magically bonded his suit to Cassidy. From there, he became Blue Devil, a reluctant hero who uses both technology and magic and was eventually transformed into a demon himself. That would make him an ideal candidate for a Justice League Dark team-up that Swamp Thing will surely tease.

1 Atrocitus

At long last, the DCU is finally getting a Green Lantern project with the HBO Max series Lanterns, which Gunn has promised will be significant to the landscape of the franchise as a whole. Importantly, even though it’s being described as largely terrestrial, Lanterns presents a great opportunity to jump right in and expand the DCU’s cosmos by incorporating the other Lantern Corps – otherwise, it could’ve just been titled Green Lanterns. Naturally, Yellow and Sinestro are smart options, but conversely, the Red Lanterns, led by Atrocitus, would be very exciting additions to Lanterns. Bautista would make an excellent Atrocitus.

This would be a deceptively difficult role. Atrocitus is like Drax if he never met his fellow Guardians – a ruthless being fueled by rage and revenge, His wrath and sheer cunning could make him quite an emotionally and physically draining character to play. Yet, if Bautista is up to the challenge, he can give Atrocitus the live-action debut he deserves and, frankly, needs should Lanterns set up a Blackest Night adaptation as seems highly likely. Atrocitus is the type of character Bautista could make a name for himself in the new DCU now that his time in the MCU is ending.

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