As Marvel continue to try and cope with the fallout from their knee-jerk dismissal of James Gunn, the controversy surrounding one of the company’s very few mis-steps shows no sign of dying down. A whole host of MCU stars and directors have continued to speak out very publicly against the decision, none more vociferously than Dave Bautista, who this week continued to throw more fuel on the fires raging around the debate.
There have been none more supportive of the disgraced Guardians of the Galaxy director than former WWE superstar Bautista, who has simply refused to back down in his defense of his friend and colleague. The 49 year old actor is at the height of his movie career, and has used his sizable social media following as a means of keeping up a steady amount of pressure on Marvel to reverse their decision.
Bautista’s stubborn and dogged battle against what he perceives as a vile injustice should come as no surprise. He’s been a fighter his whole life, long before he stepped into the ring. Growing up in poverty, he was estranged from his parents at a young age, leading to a short spell where he came into repeated conflict with law enforcement.
Attacked with accusations of steroid abuse and poor levels of fitness, he fought hard to prove critics and fans wrong, culminating in a violent backstage confrontation with fellow superstar Booker T. He also went to war with the WWE itself, when the company removed all reference to disgraced wrestler Chris Benoit from Bautista’s official autobiography.
The new ammunition for Bautista’s campaign has come with the announcement this week that Warner have now thrown Gunn a lifeline in the DCEU, approaching him to write and direct Suicide Squad 2. In a heartbeat, Bautista had already opened his Twitter account, asking where he needed to go in order to sign up for a part in the movie:
Where do I sign up! James Gunn Boards ‘Suicide Squad 2’ To Write And Possibly Direct – Deadline https://t.co/OwdDbAm1Ks
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) October 9, 2018
Whilst commentators have been quick to out that Bautista’s current Marvel contract bans him from appearing in DC Comics movies, the actor has already used his social media platforms to tell them he won’t be appearing in any more MCU movies. It looks like the threat of legal action has done little to dissuade Bautista, and the possibility of him joining the DCEU is already exciting fans.
Dave Bautista is exactly the type of personality and character that DC need to wrestle away from Marvel, and he would be the perfect way to try and inject some excitement into the ailing Batman sub-franchise. Someone with exactly that idea is famed internet artist BossLogic, who has already produced two new images of the actor portraying the iconic Bat-villain Bane.
😀 @DaveBautista #SuicideSquad2 pic.twitter.com/USidpgx5vN
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) October 10, 2018
Ultimately, it’s a move between franchises that stands just the wrong side of likely, but it’s a prospect that Bautista is eager to harness, as a means of keeping Jame Gunn’s cause and profile within the public eye.