Ahead of the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, star Dave Bautista is getting a lot of hype from Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. After rising to fame with his success in pro wrestling, Bautista would make the transition into acting. After appearing in a handful of films, he took on one of his biggest roles when he was cast by James Gunn as Drax the Destroyer for the original Guardians of the Galaxy film in 2014. Bautista would reprise the role for 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and is set to return one last time as Drax for the soon-to-be released Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Per /Film, Gunn and Feige were recently promoting the film for a press conference when the discussion came to the cast. Feige then took a moment to call out Bautista by name as someone who does particularly well in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, though he can't get too specific at this time, so as not to divulge any spoilers. With that said, Feige makes it clear just how much he thinks of Bautista's work that he even names him one of the "best actors" that have ever been brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As Feige explains:

"Dave Bautista, who I think — I watched the movie last night, and we were talking [earlier] about moments that tear us up. When he watches — I'm not gonna give anything away, but he gives an expression in the movie. And I literally am like, not only is Drax one of the best characters in the MCU, written by James, but I think Dave Bautista has become one of the best actors that we've ever gotten. And I just wanted to give that shout out."

Related: Dave Bautista Gives One of the Best Performances of the Year in Knock at the Cabin, Says M. Night Shyamalan

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Marks the End of an Era

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Gunn has no plans to make any more Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and as he ends this Marvel story, he'll be putting his focus on fleshing out the DCU moving forward. The third Guardians movie also marks the end of an era for Bautista, who has also said he's finished with Drax upon the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While he will always carry love for that character, grateful for how it's led to many other opportunities, Bautista wants to put the more comical character to bed so he can better focus on more dramatic acting roles. The actor told GQ

“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy—it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be released in movie theaters on May 5, 2023.