Character Analysis: Drax

 

Background

• Names: Drax the Destroyer, Arthur Douglas

• Height: 6′4″ | 1.93 m

• Weight: 680 lbs | 308.44 kg

• Species: Reincarnated Ex-Human

• Member of the Guardians of the Galaxy

• Created by Kronos to kill Thanos

• Likes: Destruction, murder, war, jazz

• Dislikes: Math

Before he was Drax, before he was a Guardian of the Galaxy, Arthur Douglas was an aspiring jazz musician (or real estate agent depending on what comic you’re reading, but usually a jazz musician), not rich nor famous, but successful enough to support a wife and daughter of his own. Nothing special, not too ambitious, but happy all the same, until one day his fate took a turn for the worst. During a car trip down the wrong road at the wrong time, Arthur and his family caught sight of an alien scouting ship, carrying within it the most dangerous criminal in the known universe, the Mad Titan Thanos.

In his desire to remain undetected, Thanos didn’t think twice about snuffing out any witnesses to his ship, eradicating the family’s car and killing everyone inside, including Arthur. A meaningless tragedy, a moment that would have remained forgotten forever, if not for the intervention of the Eternal scientist Mentor and the cosmic being Kronos. Intercepting Arthur’s soul as it began to pass on to the afterlife, Kronos merged his spirit with a new body, formed from earth and endowed with the strength of the universe. And so from Arthur Douglas’ ruin rose a new agent of life, created and programmed for the sole purpose of destroying Death’s champion, the monster who had taken everything from him. This was the birth of Drax, the Destroyer.

In his single-minded quest to annihilate Thanos, the Destroyer did battle with cosmic beings ranging from Thor to the Silver Surfer to Captain Mar-Vell, and died… like a lot of times. For all Drax’s power and despite the fact that it was his only remaining purpose, killing Thanos was a herculean task - one that Drax failed at again and again. Each time that he perished, however, Kronos rebuilt him from the literal ground up, in… frankly, progressively more half-assed attempts to produce a capable assassin. With each resurrection, Drax became weaker and less sane, because as cruel as it is, his creator never truly cared about Drax nor the task he was created for. Eventually, Thanos was slain, but not by Drax’s hand, and this failure, this deprivation of his life’s - or rather, death’s - purpose, left the Destroyer’s existence devoid of meaning.

Imagine it: to lose yourself and everything you cared about, turned into a monster with only one goal by an uncaring god, unable to find meaning in anything else but revenge… only to have even that ripped from you, with nothing else to fill the void. Drax was left to wander the universe with nowhere to go, abandoned by Kronos and unable to truly reconcile with his long-lost daughter, who had survived Thanos’ attack and been transformed into the telepath Moondragon. Though Thanos eventually returned, Drax had by that point suffered telepathic brain damage from his own daughter, and was unable to earnestly reignite his quest to kill the Mad Titan.

Eventually however, Drax became a member of Adam Warlock’s Infinity Watch, becoming the guardian of the Power Gem and finally regaining the sanity that he had lost. In time, though far weaker than he once had been, Drax was able to pursue Thanos again and, at last, at long last, tore his heart from his chest, putting an end to him for good… or at least for a little while. Finding closure after so long, the weakened Destroyer would go on to join the Guardians of the Galaxy shortly after their formation, putting his violent tendencies and re-acquired tactical mind to good use protecting the cosmos from all manner of threats.

With a new family at his side, Drax managed some introspection, giving serious consideration to his true purpose, and even taking up jazz again. Until at long last, the universe gave him his rest. After years together, the souls of Arthur Douglas and the Destroyer went their separate ways, and Arthur was reborn on Earth, finally able to truly move on and start a new family, gaining a new chance at the happiness that Thanos had stolen from him so long ago. As for the Destroyer? He’s still doing what he does best. Fighting and destroying on behalf of the universe - and for the first time ever, he couldn’t be happier.

Experience & Skill

Though he has had periods of insanity or stupidity, especially early in his history, contrary to popular belief Drax isn’t actually an idiot, moreso overly straightforward. In fact, he has been described as highly intelligent, skilled in military tactics and hand-to-hand combat. This includes specific martial arts talents such as performing a nerve-punch which causes an enemy to suffer agonized spasms. He has fought in multiple wars and tracked Thanos across a hundred galaxies, so his experience dwarfs most ordinary people, and he has demonstrated mastery of various weapons.

Abilities

Multiple Bodies & Resurrection

Probably the most important thing to keep in mind regarding Drax is that he has varied greatly in both power and abilities over the years, due to the fact that he has had many bodies, which were constructed with differing levels of quality. These bodies were all created from earth and endowed with power by Kronos upon Arthur/Drax’s death, allowing him to return from the dead an unlimited number of times, so long as Kronos is willing to bring him back. This has gone as far as full rewrites to Drax’s DNA.

On this note, however, it is worth clarifying that Kronos has always been half-hearted in this regard, failing to put forth his full effort into creating new bodies or making them sufficiently powerful for Drax’s purposes. This is to the extent that at one point, Drax died of telepathic brain death, and Kronos brought him back without bothering to fix the resulting brain damage, leaving Drax mentally stunted for years. Kronos’ lack of care is likely also the reason why Drax’s recent bodies are significantly weaker than those from his early days, and lack many special abilities that he possessed previously.

Exclusivity of certain abilities to classic or modern Drax will be acknowledged in the relevant sections, and feats will be divided into sections for classic and modern, to ensure clarity. It is not, however, impossible for all of Drax’s best abilities and feats to be applicable simultaneously, so long as you are using his most powerful bodies.

Superhuman Might

Drax possesses immense strength and durability, allowing him to match the Hulk and battle gods such as Thor. His strength is nearly limitless and his body is practically indestructible, to the point where even causing him pain is an impossible task for the likes of the Silver Surfer. His speed is also immense, as he can reach speeds far outstripping light, react to entities such as the Surfer mid-flight, and is at worst only slightly slower than the likes of Mar-Vell, who is in a similar range. At his weakest, his physicality is still great enough to rip out Thanos’ heart, and keep up with Asgardians like Angela who are faster than Thor.

Flight

In his early bodies, Drax possessed the ability to fly unaided at massively FTL speed, though he lost this ability after enough resurrections.

Energy Projection

Drax in his earlier bodies possessed the ability to fire energy blasts from his hands called “cosmic power bolts”, which were capable of matching characters with universe level energy projection like Captain Mar-Vell. These blasts drew on a finite reserve of power that could be expended to the point where Drax would die of overexertion, and eventually he lost the power to produce them after enough resurrections.

Energy Absorption

Though his showings with it are nearly nonexistent, Drax, in one of his earlier bodies, was stated to be capable of absorbing energy from others.

Extrasensory Perception

Drax possesses some minor sensory abilities, allowing him to detect the presence of others drawing near to him, which is a power that he retained even into the modern day. He also possesses an additional sixth sense attuned to detecting the presence of Thanos specifically, which he lost for a while and then eventually regained with his modern bodies.

Telepathic Communication

In his first appearance, Drax demonstrated the ability to communicate telepathically, contacting Iron Man from across half a continent.

Mind & Soul Resistance

Classic Drax has resisted being mind controlled and driven mad by Thanos, at least for a while before succumbing. Similarly, though he was affected initially, he managed to break out of Moondragon’s telepathic control after being talked to his senses by Iron Man, and later partially powered through Moondragon’s telepathic paralysis via willpower, though eventually fell to the ground brain-dead. 

Interestingly, Drax’s mental resistance feats are better with his modern bodies than his classic ones, as he has more recently resisted Moondragon’s telepathy outright, kept Cosmo the Spacedog out of his head with psychic screens, and repeatedly overcame an attack on his mind and soul. On the topic of souls, it is worth noting that Arthur Douglas and the Destroyer are established to have their own distinct souls, which coexist within Drax.

With the Power Gem, Drax became immune to Moondragon’s telepathy, making it impossible for her to telepathically kill him, by her own admission.

Arsenal

Knives

He’s no Benoit Blanc, but Drax still prefers to go into battle knives out, carving up opponents with extreme prejudice. Typically, he dual wields large single-edged hunting knives, complementing his immense strength at close range.

Sword

Occasionally, when his normal knives don’t quite cut it, Drax has been known to carry larger swords into battle, perfect for chopping up hardier foes.

Axe

In one of the Guardians of the Galaxy runs, Drax was frequently seen carrying a large battle axe with blades made out of some kind of solidified red energy. As you might expect, this axe is perfect for dealing heavier damage with more brutal swings, in comparison to his other bladed weapons.

Guns

Not his weapon of choice, but Drax has very occasionally been seen carrying large guns into battle in order to destroy people at long range just as well as close. One such gun was strong enough to hurt Thanos, so I guess it works for him.

Antimatter Charge

Close-focus explosive which releases antimatter, reacting with normal matter in order to explosively disintegrate both. Drax used one of these to reduce Thanos to nothing but a skeleton.

Space Barrier & Propulsion Device

Like the rest of the Guardians, Drax has access to technology which creates a thin membrane around his body for surviving outer space (even if he can do that anyway), as well as a handheld device for propelling himself around in zero gravity.

Saxophone

Musical instrument which Drax uses to play that sweet, sweet jazz. While he is in possession of the Power Gem, he can use the two in conjunction to create powerful musical shockwaves.

Power Gem

Drax has been in possession of the Power Gem for an extended period on two separate occasions throughout his history. Originally, he was bestowed the gem in Warlock and the Infinity Watch Issue #2, and due to being brain damaged at the time, promptly swallowed it. Since the Gem is indestructible, it could not be digested, remaining safely in his stomach and empowering him from there, though his mental disadvantages prevented him from harnessing its power on a more than subconscious level. That being said, it did grant him several benefits, including immunity from Moondragon’s telepathy, and the ability to subconsciously draw on the Gem’s power to become progressively stronger as a fight goes on, allowing him to eventually match foes that he otherwise wouldn’t be able to. However, it was possible to force him to regurgitate the Gem by hitting him hard enough in the stomach, which happened several times throughout this period. Eventually, the Gem was taken from him by Thor through this method.

Much later on, Drax reacquired the Power Gem in Infinity Countdown Issue #3. At this point, his brain damage had long since been repaired, allowing him to draw on the Gem’s full power more conventionally. This included things like producing waves of musical energy from his saxophone, or anchoring a planet in place to prevent it from being pulled into a star. After the situation resolved and other people began to compete over the Gem, Drax took it for himself, saying that he is the Destroyer and can do what he wants. Eventually, however, the Power Gem was removed from him again, as of Infinity Wars.

The Power Gem possesses limitless energy and can empower the user with endless strength and stamina. While not as powerful on its own as it is while creating a feedback loop with the other Infinity Gems, its raw power is still nearly unrivaled, allowing the user to devastate galaxies with a thought and shatter Thanos’ barriers with a single hit. It should also be comparable to other Infinity Gems like the Soul Gem, which contains an entire multiverse within it.

Feats

Overall

• Killed Thanos twice

• Nearly annihilated Soulworld

• Survived two encounters with Infinity Gauntlet Thanos

• Became guardian of the Power Gem under Infinity Watch

• Aided in the battle against the Annihilation Wave

• Freed the World Eater, Galactus, from captivity

• Fought in multiple galactic wars alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy

• Participated in the second superhero Civil War

• Defeated Thanos, Chaos, Firelord, Killer Thrill

Strength

CLASSIC

• Matching Thanos in a clash that destroys a planet

• Effortlessly holding off Mantis, Black Panther, and the Swordsman at the same time

• Launching an assault powerful enough to shake the very foundations of Titan

• Together with Captain Marvel, matching a blast from an unserious Cosmic Cube Thanos

• Destroying a planetoid large enough to have a thin atmosphere

• Ripping out the core of a star, causing it to explode

• Capable of killing Captain Mar-Vell with one hit

• Mar-Vell comments on his power, saying he preferred not having to fight him

• Statement that Mar-Vell is not as powerful as Drax

• Claims he could have killed Thanos, and specifically uses this as a point of comparison between himself and Mar-Vell, whom he says isn’t as strong as Thanos

• Matching Mar-Vell in a beam struggle said to emit the light of a thousand blazing suns

• Piercing the heart of Chaos along with Mar-Vell; Chaos was stated to be capable of consuming/becoming Infinity earlier in the issue

• Hurting Thor and possibly knocking him out with an energy blast

• Breaking She-Hulk’s spine

• Blasting Silver Surfer and embedding him into a wall

• Holding the Surfer’s board in place, preventing him from taking off; his power reservoir is described as “seemingly limitless”

• Mentor thinks that Surfer and Drax could end up killing each other; Surfer can’t shake Drax off his board no matter what he tries, and comments that he’d prefer to avoid physical combat with him if it can be avoided

• Beating up Firelord

• A combined attack from him, Hulk, Thor, Firelord, and Doctor Doom is said to be capable of easily rending asunder a small planet

• Tussling with the Hulk

• Punching the Hulk; later doing it again

• Hulk says Drax is as strong if not stronger than him

• Punching Mephisto

• Described to possess “near-infinite might”

• Punches away an incoming Silver Surfer, who is supercharged with energy from a star; Surfer in this state later impacts a planet with enough force to destroy it

• Hulk believes that Drax can notably aid him in a fight with Thor

• Grappling with Thor

• Able to have an extended battle with Thor and match him thanks to increasing strength via Power Gem

• Punching Thor

• Count Abyss admits that he would have a difficult time going up against Power Gem Drax

• Boxing with Hulk

• Punching Hulk backward

• Punching Warlock away and into a building

• Clashing with Warlock

• Catching punches from Genis-Vell

MODERN

• Breaking through a barrier that Moondragon creates around Thanos

• Ripping out Thanos’ heart

• Making Warlock bleed with a punch

• Fighting Maelstrom, who claims to be capable of destroying the universe

• Punching Thanos

• Punching Angela, knocking her away and seemingly stunning her momentarily

• Harming Gladiator

• Engaging in a battle to the death with Gladiator and making him bleed, though Gladiator claims to be toying with him and then drags him into space

• Exchanging blows with Thanos and making him bleed

• Hurting Thanos and nearly taking his head off with an alternate version of Mjolnir

• Fighting Angela (1, 2, 3)

• Punching Yotat (1, 2, 3)

• Portrayed as comparable to the Thing, as they both hit Yotat together and do similar levels of damage

• Staggering Fin Fang Foom with a punch

• Beating up Killer Thrill

• Making Thanos bleed with a punch

Speed

CLASSIC

• Says that he’s tracked monsters across galaxies

• Flies to a planet in a distant solar system

• Says he traveled a solar system to stop Thanos

• Outpaces his own sound wave

• Keeps up with the Silver Surfer’s board

• Keeps up with Firelord’s flight speed

• Reacts to and punches away an incoming Silver Surfer

MODERN

• Fighting Angela (1, 2, 3)

Durability

CLASSIC

• Survives inside of a star and then lets it explode on top of him

• Impervious to Captain Mar-Vell’s attacks (which were described to wield unlimited energy pages prior), as well as the heat of reentry

• Mar-Vell’s Nega Bands are capable of destroying the universe

• Taking hits from Thor

• Surviving Thor’s lightning

• Takes a hammer throw from Thor

• Taking a blast from Silver Surfer

• Survives the heat of the Sun, and is incapable of feeling pain

• Tanking a blast from Firelord’s staff

• Taking a punch from Wonder Man

• Surviving a blast from Mephisto

• Taking a hit from Mjolnir

• Taking a hit from Mjolnir: The Squeakquel

• Surviving a blast from the Power Gem

• Surviving a blast from Odin, though gets oneshot by it

• Surviving attacks from Kronos

• Tanking a blast from Adam Warlock

• Taking a beating from Warlock

• Taking a blast from Genis-Vell, and then punches as well

MODERN

• Being subjected to all of the pain he has ever caused

• Surviving an energy blast from Thanos

• Taking hits from Gamora’s laser sword (wielded by Angela) and Rocket’s guns

• Taking a hit from Mjolnir 3: Chipwrecked

• Surviving an explosion that made a large crater

• Surviving being stabbed + slashed in the throat

• Bulletproof

• Taking a slash from Gamora’s Infinity Sword, which is empowered by the Power Gem and was previously used to decapitate Thanos

Scaling

Classic Drax is a lot stronger than modern Drax, though amusingly, modern Drax has significantly better showings against Thanos specifically, being the only one to actually kill him. Regardless, both versions have fought herald level characters like Thor, with Classic Drax having a much higher quantity of showings against individuals like Mar-Vell, Firelord, and the Silver Surfer. Even the weaker modern Drax has been able to rip out Thanos’ heart and pose a threat to him on several other occasions. And with the Power Gem, provided that he can tap into its power properly, Drax should possess near limitless physical might, beyond most of his universe’s heavy hitters and comparable to any of the Infinity Gems individually.

Weaknesses

• Early Drax possesses an insane mind and single-minded hatred for Thanos

• Even later on, is unable to resist his programmed urge to kill Thanos

• Temporarily had the mentality of a child due to being brain damaged by Moondragon

• Energy projection is based on a reserve that can run out

• Does not understand the difference between /j and /srs