James Gunn asks fans who Dave Bautista should play in the DCU

It’s likely only a matter of time before Dave Bautista officially joins the DCU, but who should he play? James Gunn took that very question to fans over on Threads, and there were quite a few interesting responses.

One of the most popular responses suggested that Dave Bautista play Hugo Strange in the DCU, the scientist and criminal mastermind who was one of Batman’s first recurring villains. Another popular choice was Mongul, the tyrannical ruler of Warworld who can go toe-to-toe with Superman. Other comments suggested that Bautista would be perfect for characters such as Darkseid, Bane, Kilowog, Mr. Freeze, Atrocitus, or even Bibbo Bibbowski.

Dave Bautista recently told ComicBook.com that he would love to work with James Gunn again, whether it’s in the DC Universe or something else. “I just love James Gunn. He’s an incredible director. We have a comradery that’s priceless. So to work with him again would be… I mean, I’d do it for free,” Bautista said. “But we just haven’t had the conversations. He’s on top of DC now, he’s doing his thing, and I’m just trying to grind along in my process. I’m always open-minded to it, and I’ve expressed that to him.“

James Gunn is currently preparing to start shooting Superman: Legacy next month. The film will star David Corenswet (Pearl) as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel) as Lois Lane. The film will also feature Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) as Guy Gardner, a charismatic and slightly obnoxious member of the Green Lantern Corps; Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific; Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho; María Gabriela de Faría (Deadly Class) as The Engineer, a member of The Authority; Sara Sampaio (At Midnight) as Eve Teschmacher; and Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones) as Jimmy Olsen. Nicholas Hoult is also set to appear as Lex Luthor, which Gunn finally confirmed late last year.

Co-chair of DC Studios Peter Safran has teased that Superman: Legacy will not be an origin story and will focus on “Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.” Superman: Legacy is slated to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

Who would you like to see Dave Bautista play in the DCU?