Dave Bautista has officially volunteered himself to play Bane in the DCEU. Possessing a mix of brute strength and exceptional intelligence, Bane is an iconic Batman villain that first made his comic book debut in 1993. Credited as being the only villain to have “broken the bat” both physically and mentally, Bane has been adapted for the screen on multiple occasions. He first appeared on the big screen in the much-maligned Batman & Robin before being attempted a tad more favorably by Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises. He most recently made an appearance on Gotham, played by Shane West.

Bautista first came to prominence as a star of WWE. Like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena before him, however, he eventually transitioned into acting full time. His breakout Hollywood role came courtesy of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Playing Drax the Destroyer, Bautista turned in a scene-stealing performance. He later reprised the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. As one of the unfortunates who found themselves reduced to dust by Thanos’ infamous snap, he only featured briefly in Avengers: Endgame, returning in the film’s third act. He’s expected to have a more central role Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Responding to a fan on Twitter, however, Bautista revealed that he’s already looking even further ahead. After watching an unspecified video which apparently discussed potential villains for the new, upcoming Batman movies, a user by the name of Evin Ceniceros put forward Bane as an option. They went on to suggest Bautista as a good choice to play the role. Bautista retweeted the original post, adding the simple, humorous caption: “I accept!”

After playing Batman in Batman v Superman and Justice League, Ben Affleck chose to step away from the role. Writing and directorial duties then passed to Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes), who has opted to take the character back to his younger years. After much speculation, it was also announced that Robert Pattinson had won the role. Although it would appear that Bane is not one of the rumored villains, it’s believed that The Batman will be the first in a trilogy. As such, he could ultimately turn up in a future installment.

Fans are certainly eager to see the character return to the big screen, with many believing that the character has yet to fully be done justice. Bautista would certainly be a solid choice for the part. This isn’t the first time the actor has been thought of in the role. He was previously depicted as Bane in a piece of fan art. Bautista’s professional wrestling background gifted him the perfect physique for the character. Not to mention a level of self-referentiality, should a new interpretation of Bane be allowed to wear his famous luchador mask.

The former WWE champion has also proven himself in terms of acting. As well as the Guardians movies, Bautista has also appeared in such wide-ranging films as Blade Runner 2049 and Spectre, able to do much with limited dialogue. He will next be seen stretching his comedic chops alongside Kumail Nanjiani in Stuber before reuniting with Denis Villeneuve for Dune and taking the lead in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. After that, his schedule appears to be wide open. Should be not ultimately turn up, as once rumored, in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad then he could certainly make for a suitably imposing and stoically cunning presence as the DCEU’s version of Bane.

More: Every Superhero Movie Releasing In 2021

Source: Dave Bautista/Twitter

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