As Megadeth prepares for its highly anticipated farewell tour, fans have naturally wondered if the band will bring back former members for one last thrash metal celebration. However, frontman and founder Dave Mustaine has definitively closed the door on that idea, despite the eager willingness of ousted bassist David Ellefson to participate.
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Mustaine made it clear he has zero interest in turning the final run into a revolving door of past lineups.
“We’ve already done that with Marty,” Mustaine responded, referring to guitarist Marty Friedman‘s guest appearances in 2023. “And I mean, let’s look at the other people we’ve played with… there’s a lot of people. [Laughs] That would be a huge undertaking. I don’t think I want to do that. I’d rather keep doing what we’re doing and let the fans [experience] Megadeth music and be happy about it. It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth.'”
Mustaine‘s reluctance isn’t just logistical. During a December 2025 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” he revealed that the past actions of a specific former bandmate make a full reunion impossible. He also noted that out of fairness, he cannot invite some members and leave others out.
“Well, I can’t really do that, because of the behavior of one of the bandmembers in the past. I just can’t — I can’t. Because, first off, it would be unfair to the other bandmembers if I didn’t play with them as well. But the thing about what we did with Marty in Japan [in early 2023], that was a no-brainer. That was brilliant. And I love Marty. We had our separation, and he went his way and we went our way. But it was a very, very intense relationship I had with Marty, because that was the first relationship I had with a guitar player. My relationship with [former Megadeth guitarist] Chris [Poland] was really great, but it wasn’t as good as it was with Marty. My relationship with [former Megadeth guitarist] Jeff [Young] was good, but it wasn’t as good as it was with Marty. And I probably wouldn’t have a problem playing with any of the members of those two lineups, except the fact that [former Megadeth drummer] Gar‘s [Samuelson] deceased, and [I’m] just not gonna do anything that is gonna, in any way, seem unfair to the other bandmembers.”
While Mustaine is drawing a hard line, former bassist David Ellefson—who was dismissed from the band in 2021—believes his exclusion is entirely unwarranted. Now, speaking with Argentina’s “UnDinamo – La Última Radio De Rock,” Ellefson made a public case for his return.
“I have always said that I am available for that. And I would do it because I think any reason that I’m not there now is unfounded. It’s untruthful and it’s unfair because clearly there’s nothing wrong. So, I would hope and even pray to [God] that any misunderstanding, any bitterness would be removed, that that would somehow be dissipated.”
Ellefson argued that delivering a full-circle reunion is something the band owes to its loyal supporters.
“It’s funny — you make your first record, you have no fans,” he continued. “You just make your first album. Then you start to get fans who [say], ‘Hey, give us more.’ So you make album two, like we do. And then at that point, you — I feel — have an obligation to listen to your fans. You don’t have to do everything they say, like, ‘Make Rust In Peace Part II, ’cause creatively the spirit leads you where it’s supposed to go. But I think, especially when you’re playing concerts — making albums is music business; playing concerts is show business. They’re two separate things that kind of come together. When the fans, who have made all of this possible, really, ’cause Capitol Records wouldn’t have signed us if we didn’t have fans. Live Nation doesn’t book the concert if there’s no fans. So, the fans are the entire reason that you live to have album two and beyond. Album two and beyond is because of fans. So, to me, you give them what they want. Even my little tour here [of South America], ‘Basstory‘. It’s me telling a story of my life, but if there’s nobody to come and hear the story, I’m just sitting on a stool by myself.”
Placing the blame on external forces rather than his dynamic with Mustaine, Ellefson remains hopeful that fan demand might sway the decision.
“So for me, yes. Marty — I can’t speak for anyone else, but Marty coming back to play a couple of shows [with Megadeth in 2023] showed his willingness, which I think was great. I would wish that Dave… Look, if it were just me and Dave sitting here, I’m sure everything would be fine, but there’s a lot of people with influences, and that can be sticky. So my hope is that the voice of the fans gets louder than any other voice that would tear it apart.”
