Dave Bautista Takes On A Whole New Look As Darth Malgus In Stunning Fan Art

Dave Bautista rose to pop culture prominence as the WWE staple, Batista. "The Animal" won several world championships, competed against such ring titans as John Cena and The Undertaker, and accumulated a globe-spanning fanbase. Come 2010, however, he was ready to let full-time wrestling go in favor of a new career path: acting. With only two films under his belt — "Relative Strangers" and "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?" — by the time he left WWE behind, Bautista made it his mission to conquer Hollywood, and conquer it he has.

It took a little while for Bautista to hit his acting stride, finding minimal success via "House of the Rising Sun" and "The Man with the Iron Fists." Once 2014 rolled around, though, he'd reach incredible heights via "Guardians of the Galaxy" in the role of Drax the Destroyer. Now a bankable Marvel Cinematic Universe star, Bautista kept the ball rolling with such hits as "Blade Runner 2049," "Dune," "Army of the Dead," and more. Not to mention, he's continued to play Drax throughout the MCU, even featuring in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."

Now a big-screen icon, Dave Bautista has had the chance to take part in some of the biggest franchises out there. Perhaps, someday, he'll even jump to the ever-expanding "Star Wars" universe in a role such as the sinister Darth Malgus, as this remarkable fan art depicts.

For those unfamiliar with Darth Malgus, he's perhaps best known for his appearances in the massively multiplayer online game "Star Wars: The Old Republic." Born under the name Veradun, he displayed Force sensitivity as a child, resulting in him being sent to the Sith Academy. As the years went on, he rose through the ranks to become an incredibly powerful Sith Lord, adopted the name Malgus, and took it upon himself to lead the Sith Empire to victory against the Jedi. He's an intimidating, formidable entity — one that Dave Bautista would likely play to perfection, as shown in the above fan art by @jason.benullo.design on Instagram.

While it remains to be seen if the Old Republic Era of "Star Wars" will serve as the basis for future big or small screen media, one thing is for certain: Bautista wants to join a galaxy far, far away ASAP. As he told Flickering Myth back in 2018, he's a huge fan of the franchise, and he's even attempted to land a part within it already. "I've actually auditioned for a couple of 'Star Wars' [movies], and they've turned me down. It was always a dream of mine to be in a 'Star Wars' film," he explained, though he didn't specify which role he attempted to scoreor which films he tried to appear in.

One can only hope that someday Dave Bautista will get to star in a "Star Wars" project. As evidenced by this incredible piece of fan art, the part of Darth Malgus would suit him perfectly.