Drax the Destroyer

Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer. Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Iron Man # 55 (February 1973)
Created by	Mike Friedrich Jim Starlin
In-story information
Alter ego	Arthur Sampson Douglas
Team affiliations	Guardians of the Galaxy Infinity Watch Legion of the Unliving Secret Defenders United Front
Abilities	Superhuman strength, stamina, speed and durability Energy blasts Highly skilled in use of knives Ability to sense Thanos' location Psychic detection of others

Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas) is a fictional character appearing in books published by the Marvel Comics.

Publication history

Drax first appeared in Iron Man #55 (February 1973), and was created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin. He had a recurring role in Captain Marvel vol 1 beginning with issue #23. He later appeared in Logan's Run #6, Thor vol 1 #318-320 and in various Avengers issues before being killed by Moondragon in issue 220.

Starlin resurrected him Silver Surfer vol 3 #35 (1990), and he had a recurring role until issue 50. Following Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 (1991), he was featured in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1-42 (1992–1995). After a short story in Cosmic Powers Unlimited #4 (1996), the character reappeared in Captain Marvel vol 4 #4-6 (2001).

He received an eponymous miniseries in 2004 and was a starring character in Annihilation: Nova#1-4 (2005) and Annihilation #1-6 (2006). After a follow up appearance in Nova vol 4 #4-7 (2007) and Annihilation Conquest (2008), he was featured in the Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 #1-25 (2008–2010). The character had a small role in The Thanos Imperative #1-3 (2010).

Fictional character biography

Creation and early life

While driving through a desert with his wife and daughter, Arthur Douglas' car is attacked by a spaceship piloted by Thanos, who thinks the humans have seen him.^[1] His daughter, Heather, survives the crash and is adopted by Thanos' father, Mentor, and raised on Titan. She later becomes Moondragon.^[2]

Needing a champion to combat the threat from Thanos, Mentor and the Titan god Chronos capture Douglas' spirit and place it in a powerful new body. He is rechritened "Drax the Destroyer," and his sole purpose is to kill Thanos. With Iron Man, Drax battles Thanos and the Blood Brothers,^[3] but Thanos escapes.

While trying to prevent Thanos from getting the Cosmic Cube, Drax's memories are restored to him. Later, he sees Captain Marvel defeat Thanos.^[4] Drax soon attacks Captain Marvel for robbing him of his purpose.^[5] Drax then wanders space in grim contemplation, searching for a resurrected Thanos. By the time he learns that Thanos had managed to rematerialize himself, Thanos has once again been destroyed in battle with Captain Mar-Vell, the Avengers, and Adam Warlock.^[6][7] Alongside Captain Mar-Vell, Drax battles ISAAC, Stellarax, Lord Gaea, Elysius, and Chaos.^[8]

Sometime later, Drax is possessed by an alien entity and battles Thor and his daughter Moondragon. When Drax recovers, he and Moondragon journey through space in search of knowledge.^[9] Eventually, they come upon the planet Ba-Banis, a world of humanoid aliens caught in a vast civil war. Moondragon uses her mental powers to quell the conflict and then decides to set herself up as the world's goddess. Drax recognizes that her ambitions are ignoble and so sends their ship to Earth with a holographic distress message. The Avengers respond and discover Moondragon's world of mentally enforced tranquility. Freed by the Avengers from his daughter's mental domination, Drax advances toward her, seeking to end her menace. In order to stop him, Moondragon mentally forces Drax's life essence to vacate his artificial body.^[10]

Infinity Watch

Main article: Infinity Watch

When Thanos is resurrected by Mistress Death, Chronos reanimates the Destroyer and grants him even greater physical power.^[11] However, Chronos does not consider the effects of Drax's death, and the Destroyer's mind retains the damage done by Moondragon. Alongside a multitude of other heroes, Drax helped battle Thanos and Nebula for possession of the Infinity Gauntlet.^[12] Drax is chosen by Adam Warlock to safeguard the Power Gem as part of the Infinity Watch.^[13]

When the energy vampire Rune steals the gems,^[14] the Watch members go their separate ways.^[15] Afterward, Drax returns to Titan with Moondragon, who successfully petitions Chronos to restore Drax's mind to its former acuity at the cost of some physical power. Thus, Drax is restored to his original condition.^[16]

Drax is then accused of the murder of Elysius and several others. However, he is cleared when Warlock, Gamora, Pip the Troll, and Genis-Vell discover that the creature Syphon is manipulating Drax.^[17]

Following this event, Drax's condition begins to change. His mass and strength climb back to previous levels, and his mind becomes clouded.^{[volume & issue needed]} Finally, he seeks out Moondragon, which leads to an altercation with Genis-Vell.^[18] In the course of this struggle, Drax is transported to the Microverse with Genis, where, for a time, he finds acceptance and happiness on the planet K'ai.^[19]

Reborn

Later, for unknown reasons, Drax is on a prison transport ship with Paibok, Lunatik, and the Blood Brothers. The ship crashes in Alaska, and Drax attacks the others to keep them from harming innocent lives.^[20] He mistakes a young girl named Cammi for his daughter, and tries to protect her from Paibok. Drax appears to be killed, but a slimmer, smarter Drax emerges from the larger shell of the dead body.^[21] When a second prison ship arrives to recapture the prisoners, both Drax and Cammi are arrested.^[22]

Annihilation

Main article: Annihilation (comics)

Surviving Annihilus' attack on the intergalactic prison known as the Kyln, Drax and Cammi team up with the last member of the Xandarian Nova Corps, Richard Rider. Together they fight against the advancing Annihilation Wave as Drax trains Nova to be a warrior.^[23]

Drax learns that Thanos has taken Moondragon hostage, and that she will be killed if Drax pursues him.^[24] During a doomed battle between the Annihilation Wave and the United Front, Drax stays behind to fight off the invaders while Nova and the rest of the group (including Cammi) finish the evacuation.^[25] Drax fights his way to one of the Annihilation Wave's ships. He finds Thanos on Annihilus' mother ship and kills him. Drax helps to free a captive Galactus, who teleports Moondragon and Drax to a far-off planet to spare them from his wrath on the Annihilation Wave.^[26] Afterwards, Moondragon says Drax just "disappeared." Cammi is later seen, alive, allied with one of Thanos' powerful, miniature assistants.^[27]

Annihilation: Conquest

Main article: Annihilation: Conquest

During the Phanlanx's invasion of the Kree home-world, Drax was assimilated as a "select" of the hive mind. They dispatch him along with Gamora to apprehend Nova after he flees the planet.^[28] Following Nova to Kvch, the home planet of the parental race of the Phalanx, the Technarchy, Drax and Gamora are freed from the Phalanx by the Technarch Tyro. Together they return to Hala where they help in the defeat of Ultron.^[29]

Star-Lord recruits Drax for the new Guardians of the Galaxy.^[30]

The Thanos Imperative

Main article: The Thanos Imperative

The Guardians are forced to ally themselves with Thanos and travel into an alternate reality.^[31] Drax experiences a bout of maddness and attacks Thanos. Drax is killed.^[32]

Powers and abilities

Drax's powers include super strength, tremendous resilience, flight, and the ability to project concussive blasts of cosmic energy from his hands. He can also travel at high speeds in outer space and hyperspace without air, food, or water. Drax also possessed the ability to sense the presence of Thanos across vast distances.

After his resurrection, his physical might increased, but he suffered severe mental disability in his new incarnation.^[33] Instead of his ability to sense Thanos across vast distances, he now possessed the ability to sense when beings have been in recent contact with Thanos, and a precognitive ability to sense when beings will be in contact with Thanos in the near future.

Drax's strength has been compared with that of the merged incarnation of the Hulk, but lacking the latter's rage-fueled potential.

During the 2006 "Annihilation" mini-series, Drax lost some of his strength, resilience, flight, and energy blasts. However, his intellect has returned to its original level, and he has taken a liking to using knives in battle.^[34][35] At least temporarily, he had the ability to pass through Thanos' force field.^[36]

In other media

Television

• Drax appeared in an episode of the Silver Surfer animated series, voiced by Norm Spencer. He is seen as an android and a companion of Mentor, brother of Thanos. Though Eros is a brother of Thanos, Mentor became the brother due to a typographical error in the script.^[37]

References

1. ^ Captain Marvel vol 1 #32
2. ^ Daredevil vol 1 #107
3. ^ Iron Man #55
4. ^ Captain Marvel #27-33
5. ^ Captain Marvel #42-44
6. ^ Captain Marvel #58
7. ^ Marvel Two-in-One Annual 1977
8. ^ Captain Marvel #59-62; Marvel Spotlight Vol. 2 #1-2
9. ^ Thor #314
10. ^ Avengers #219-221
11. ^ Silver Surfer Vol. 3 #35
12. ^ Infinity Gauntlet #1-6
13. ^ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #2
14. ^ Silver Surfer / Rune one-shot (1995)
15. ^ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #42
16. ^ Cosmic Powers Unlimited #3
17. ^ Captain Marvel vol 3 #4-6
18. ^ Captain Marvel vol 4 #4
19. ^ Captain Marvel vol 4 #6-8
20. ^ Drax the Destroyer #1 (2005)
21. ^ Drax the Destroyer #3 (2005)
22. ^ Drax the Destroyer #4 (2005)
23. ^ Annihilation: Nova #4 (2006)
24. ^ Annihilation #1 (2006)
25. ^ Annihilation #3 (2006)
26. ^ Annihilation #5
27. ^ Annihilation #6
28. ^ Nova Vol. 4 #7
29. ^ Annihilation: Conquest #6
30. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 #1
31. ^ The Thanos Imperative #1 (2010)
32. ^ The Thanos Imperative #3 (2010)
33. ^ Silver Surfer vol 3 #35 (1990)
34. ^ Drax the Destroyer #4 (2005)
35. ^ Annhilation: Nova #1-4 (2006)
36. ^ Annihilation #4 (Nov 2006)
37. ^ "Interview with Larry Brody". Marvelite.prohosting.com. http://marvelite.prohosting.com/surfer/toon/lbrody.html. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 

External links

• Drax at the Marvel Universe
• Drax at the Marvel Database Project
• Drax the Destroyer at the Comic Book DB