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Smallville may be the reason why Dave Bautista became a movie star, says one-time Clark Kent
Smallville star Tom Welling recalls Dave Bautisa’s 2006 guest appearance
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Did you know that Dave Bautista’s first credited acting role was on Smallville? That’s right, years before he played an alien brute in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, he played an alien brute in the 2006 Smallville episode ‘Static.’ Of course, Drax was a loveable powerhouse, while his Smallville character Aldar was a Phantom Zone fugitive who ate bone marrow, but everyone has to start somewhere.
“[Bautista] was so great, so eager, so ready,” Smallville star Tom Welling remembered during a panel at Spacecon 2026. “Like, l'et me know what I can do.' And there was this scene where his character has to pick Clark up over his head. And the stunt people were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to set up the rig.’ And Dave goes, ‘I’ll just pick him up.’ And I’m not small, right? And they were like, ‘Really?’ And the director was like, ‘Tom, are you good with that?’ And I look at my stunt guy and I’m like, ‘Am I good with this?’ And he goes, ‘I think you’re good.’ And Dave just picked up and put me over his head, and it’s in the episode. And he’s gone on to do great stuff. He has a great career.”
Earlier that year Bautista had made an uncredited cameo as a wrestler in a comedy called Relative Strangers, but Smallville was his first credited role and it gave him far more screentime. Did his experience on set lead to him becoming Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It’s hard to say, but it must’ve been fun to lift Superman in the air.
Smallville is streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in the U.S. so you can go back and watch for yourself. (It's Season 6, Episode 8, if you're looking for it.)
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About Spacecon
SPACECON is America’s newest comic con created by PMX Events. Attendees will see celebrity guests from the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy and other intergalactic movies and TV shows. Con goers will discover an immersive show experience to get up-close and personal with their favorite celebrities, voice artists, and comic artists with hundreds of exhibitors and special attractions to exhilarate any fandom.
Dates
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Location
San Antonio, Texas
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