Here’s How Dave Bautista Could Look As The DCEU’s Bane

James Gunn brought a bunch of his buddies from the MCU over with him for The Suicide Squad, but plans to cast his Guardians of the Galaxy pal Dave Bautista fell through when the actor pulled out due to scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s Army of the Dead. However, the Drax star still has his own ambitions to join the DCEU as he’s made it known that he’d love to play Batman’s bulked-up nemesis, Bane.

The idea is one that fans have gone crazy for, and it’s easy to see why. Not only does the former WWE wrestler have the perfect build for Gotham’s notorious criminal, but he’s also got the acting chops too. Bautista’s previously explained that the villain is a favorite of his because he’s “not only menacing and ominous, but also freakishly intelligent.” The actor believes that he could bring an “interesting twist” to the role and “do the character justice.”

In fact, the star – who’s currently working on Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel – has revealed that he actually had a meeting with DC to make it known that he wants first dibs on the gig if they ever introduce Bane into the DCEU. His bid for the part has even got the approval of Bane’s creator, Chuck Dixon, who agrees with the man himself that Bautista would be the “perfect” casting choice.

But how would he look in the role? This fan art (see above) imagines the star decked in the villain’s familiar luchador mask. Digital artist Mizuri created this piece, which uses a famous scene from Guardians of the Galaxy as a basis.

Bautista’s casting as Bane just makes so much sense that WB would be really missing a trick if they didn’t make it official. Rumors have stated that they may be working on an HBO Max show for the villain, with fans wondering if he could cameo in Gunn’s upcoming Peacemaker TV series as well. But for now, nothing’s official, so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.