Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Fictional character
Drax the Destroyer
, often referred to simply as
Drax
, is a fictional character portrayed by
Dave Bautista
in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
(MCU)
media franchise
, based on the
Marvel Comics
character
of the same name
. Drax is depicted as an imposing yet dimwitted warrior who seeks vengeance against the man who killed his family,
Ronan the Accuser
. Drax joins the
Guardians of the Galaxy
in their battle against Ronan. He participates in the conflict against
Thanos
, falling victim to
the Blip
before being resurrected by the
Avengers
. Drax and the Guardians depart for space and come into conflict with the
High Evolutionary
before Drax retires to watch over the children of the newly established colony on
Knowhere
.
As of 2023
[update]
, the character has appeared in six films and
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
(2022) as well as the
Disney+
animated series
What If...?
(2021) as alternate versions, voiced by
Fred Tatasciore
.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023) was Bautista's final appearance as the character.
Fictional character biography
[
edit
]
Origin
[
edit
]
Prior to 2014, Drax's homeworld was invaded by forces of
Thanos
under the command of
Ronan the Accuser
. The invaders killed Drax's family, setting him off on a path of revenge, resulting in him being captured and sent to a space prison called the Kyln.
Guardian of the Galaxy and facing Ego
[
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]
In 2014, the other Guardians first encounter Drax in prison, where he has immediate hostility towards
Gamora
due to her connection with Ronan and Thanos. Drax attacks Gamora, but
Peter Quill
convinces him to spare her in return for her ability to draw Ronan to her, so that Drax can exact revenge. Drax helps the Guardians escape from prison, accompanying them to
Knowhere
, where he argues with
Rocket
and then drunkenly sends a signal out to challenge Ronan to fight. Ronan arrives, easily defeats Drax, and leaves with the Power Stone. Drax regrets his actions and joins the Guardians in defending
Xandar
from Ronan's attack. After Ronan's ship crashes, Drax and Rocket destroy Ronan's axe holding the Power Stone, and join Quill and Gamora in controlling the stone long enough to destroy Ronan. After the Nova Corps praise the Guardians for their actions, Gamora genuinely assures Drax that his family was avenged. He accepts her advice, although he acknowledges that Ronan was merely a pawn of Thanos, whom he now seeks revenge on.
Drax and the Guardians are later hired by the Sovereign to fight off an alien attacking their valuable batteries, in exchange for retrieving Gamora's sister
Nebula
. After they leave, they are chased by the Sovereign fleet, as Rocket had stolen their batteries, of which Drax was aware. After crash-landing on a planet, they meet Quill's father,
Ego
. Drax decides to accompany Quill and Gamora to Ego's planet, while Rocket, Groot, and Nebula stay behind. On Ego's planet, they meet his assistant
Mantis
, with whom Drax develops a friendship though he finds her hideous. When the Guardians find out about Ego's true self, Drax joins them in fighting Ego until Quill puts a jetpack on him and sends him away with an unconscious Mantis.
Infinity War and resurrection
[
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]
In 2018, when the Guardians answer the distress call from Thor's destroyed spaceship and save
Thor
from floating in space, Drax accompanies Quill, Gamora, and Mantis to Knowhere to head off Thanos from gaining the Reality Stone. However, Thanos gets there first and uses the stone to briefly turn Drax into a pile of blocks. After Thanos takes Gamora and leaves, Drax reforms back into himself and accompanies Quill and Mantis to Titan, where they join with Avengers
Tony Stark
,
Peter Parker
, and
Stephen Strange
in an effort to defeat Thanos there, which ultimately fails due to Thanos' immense power with the partially assembled
Infinity Gauntlet
. Shortly after, Drax disintegrates due to
the Blip
.
In 2023, Drax is restored to life and is transported via a portal to
Earth
at the destroyed
Avengers Compound
to join the battle against an alternate 2014 Thanos and his army. Afterwards, Drax attends Stark's funeral, and along with the other Guardians and Thor, departs for space.
Final missions
[
edit
]
In 2025, Drax and the rest of the Guardians, accompanied by Thor, then return to space. They answer a distress call on Indigarr, where they learn about various distress calls brought about by the killing of the gods of various worlds. Following this, Thor splits up from them.
Few months later, the Guardians buy Knowhere from the Collector, and Drax helps as they work to refurbish it. When Quill is feeling depressed over the loss of his relationship with Gamora, Drax joins the Guardians in attempting to give him a meaningful Christmas by kidnapping a fictionalized in-universe version of actor
Kevin Bacon
as a gift for Quill. Drax and Mantis land in
Hollywood, Los Angeles
, inadvertently make money as
buskers
posing for pictures on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
, and get drunk at a bar before a seller of
star maps
tells them where to find Kevin Bacon's house. Finding the house, Drax and Mantis chase Bacon and fight police officers before capturing Bacon and bringing him to Quill.
In 2026, after Knowhere is rebuilt, the Guardians are attacked by
Adam Warlock
and Rocket is seriously injured, leaving the Guardians unable to tend to his wounds due to a killswitch embedded in him. The team resolve to travel to the Orgoscope, headquarters of the
High Evolutionary
's company Orgocorp, in the hopes of finding an override code. Following a miscommunication with Quill, Drax, Mantis, and Nebula come across hordes of imprisoned children on the High Evolutionary's ship and are then captured by him. After escaping and defeating the High Evolutionary and his army, Quill and Mantis reveal they are leaving the team, and Nebula asks Drax to stay on Knowhere to raise the rescued children. Drax agrees to do so, and has a tearful goodbye with Mantis, before tending to the children.
Alternate versions
[
edit
]
Several
alternate versions
of Drax appear in the animated series,
What If...?
, where he is voiced by
Fred Tatasciore
.
- In an alternate 2014, Drax works as a bartender on
Contraxia
and is an admirer of
Star-Lord T'Challa
, after his homeworld and family were saved by him from a Kree invasion.
- In an alternate 2011, Drax attends Thor's intergalatic party on Earth. He becomes upset when Thor calls on the partygoers to clean up their mess until Thor uses his powers to intimidate them into cleaning up while mentioning that
Frigga
is coming.
- In an alternate 2015, Drax, along with the other Guardians, are killed by
Ultron
on
Sovereign
.
- In another universe, Drax is a visitor of Howard the Duck's casino in Xandar. He is shown throwing a destructive tantrum after failing to hit the jackpot in a slot machine.
- Another universe's Drax is seen to have been captured by
Doctor Strange Supreme
for the Forge, but is freed by
Captain Carter
and returned home by Kahhori.
Concept and creation
[
edit
]
The comic book character, Drax the Destroyer, first appeared in
The Invincible Iron Man
#55 (February 1973), and was created by
Jim Starlin
with the help of writer
Mike Friedrich
. He appeared in various Marvel series, and was "killed" several times. Drax received an eponymous 4 issue 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 the 2008 "
Annihilation: Conquest
" storyline, he was featured as a team member in the 2008 relaunch of
Guardians of the Galaxy
, and appeared in the 25 issue series of the same name. The character had a small role in
The Thanos Imperative
#1?3 (2010), in which he was killed. The comic book origin of the character was as the displaced soul of a human from Earth placed in a body created to seek revenge on Thanos.
Marvel Studios
President
Kevin Feige
first mentioned
Guardians of the Galaxy
as a potential film at the 2010
San Diego Comic-Con International
, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like
Guardians of the Galaxy
. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book."
[3]
Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of
Entertainment Weekly
, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which
Thor
sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to
X-Men
and
The Avengers
.
[4]
Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He said the film's titular team would consist of the characters
Star-Lord
, Drax the Destroyer,
Gamora
,
Groot
, and
Rocket
.
[5]
In 2018, Bautista joined his castmates in support of
Guardians of the Galaxy
director
James Gunn
after his firing for old tweets joking about pedophilia and rape.
[6]
Bautista declared that if
Disney
(parent company of
Marvel Studios
) did not use Gunn's script for
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
, he would ask to be recast, calling Gunn's firing "nauseating".
[7]
Ultimately, Gunn was reinstated as director of the film in March 2019.
[8]
Bautista indicated that at one point Gunn wanted to do "a Drax and Mantis film" as a spinoff, but that the concept was not pursued by Marvel.
[9]
Appearance and special effects
[
edit
]
Bautista's makeup took approximately four hours to apply, though it could be removed in 90 minutes.
[10]
Drax has various scarring patterns on his body, which replace the simple tattoos from the comics, each having a specific story. Additionally, his skin tone was changed from the bright green in the comics to a muddier grey, to avoid visual similarities to the
Hulk
.
[11]
For the second film, Bautista's makeup took only 90 minutes to apply, down from four hours for the first film. He would have to sit in a sauna at the end of the day to get the makeup off, after his makeup test was found to be too "abrasive".
[12]
Characterization
[
edit
]
In
Guardians of the Galaxy
, Drax is characterized as a warrior who seeks to avenge his family's death at the hands of Ronan.
[13]
On relating to the character, Bautista said, "I can just relate to Drax so much it's not even funny. Just the simple things that we have in common. Simple things like the tattoos, the tragedy?because, you know, I had a bit of tragedy in my life, as well. So it's really easy for me to pull from that." Bautista also said that there was "a lot of comic relief to Drax", but the character was not aware of it. Bautista stated that he did not do much preparation for the role, because "Luckily, for me, I'm a lifelong athlete and I adapted real quick".
[14]
In preparing for
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
, Bautista waited for the final version of the script so as to not take "away from the magic", which he felt had happened when he read early drafts of the first film.
[15]
He added that "I wasn't crazy about my part [in
Vol. 2
, initially]. It went a different direction than what I thought they were going to go with Drax," noting he did not "think Drax was that significant in the film". The part "clicked" for Bautista after the
table read
with the other cast.
[16]
Bautista called Drax "more funny, driven" than in the first film,
[17]
and having "a sense of innocence and heartbreak about him",
[18]
despite "most people's first perception of Drax [that] he's just a big, muscly brute".
[17]
Drax appears in "
What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?
", an episode of
What If...?
, although voiced by
Fred Tatasciore
instead of Bautista.
[1]
Bautista claimed he had not been asked to voice Drax in the series,
[19]
although Marvel Studios vice-president
Brad Winderbaum
doubted this.
[20]
Powers and abilities
[
edit
]
Drax has superhuman strength and durability, and exceptional fighting skills. In
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two
, he is dragged behind a flying spaceship as it crashes in a forest, and shows no sign of injury despite being smashed into multiple trees. In
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
, he is repeatedly shot by a police officer with a handgun, which only tickles him. Afterwards, he easily flips a police car in the air and onto its back. Drax typically fights with a pair of long curved knives.
Reception
[
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]
Despite his rough exterior and tragic backstory, Drax commonly serves as
comic relief
, and his one-liners within the franchise have often been the subject of
Internet memes
.
[21]
[22]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Gallagher, Simon (August 18, 2021).
"What If...? Episode 2 Cast Guide: Every New & Returning MCU Character"
.
Screen Rant
.
Archived
from the original on August 18, 2021
. Retrieved
August 18,
2021
.
- ^
"Drax On Screen Full Report"
.
Marvel.com
. Retrieved
19 April
2021
.
- ^
Wigler, Josh (August 6, 2010).
"Marvel Considering 'Iron Fist' & 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Movies, 'Black Panther' & 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' Too!"
.
MTV News
.
Archived
from the original on December 30, 2021
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Woerner, Meredith (September 30, 2011).
"Marvel's next 5 movies after The Avengers could include some weird surprises"
.
Gizmodo
.
Archived
from the original on December 30, 2021
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Kit, Borys (July 14, 2012).
"Comic-Con 2012: Marvel Names 'Avengers' Follow-Ups; Robert Downey Jr. Makes Surprise Appearance"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on March 17, 2022
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Auty, Dan (July 30, 2018).
"Guardians Of The Galaxy's Dave Bautista "Not OK" With James Gunn's Firing"
. GameSpot
. Retrieved
August 13,
2018
.
- ^
Desta, Yohana (August 6, 2018).
"Dave Bautista: What Disney Did to James Gunn Is "Nauseating"
"
. Vanity Fair
. Retrieved
August 13,
2018
.
- ^
Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 15, 2019).
"Disney Reinstates Director James Gunn For 'Guardians Of The Galaxy 3'
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on March 15, 2019
. Retrieved
March 21,
2019
.
- ^
Prosser, Keegan (May 7, 2021).
"Guardians of the Galaxy's Bautista Confirms There Were Talks of a Drax/Mantis Film"
.
Comic Book Resources
.
- ^
Chitwood, Adam (May 19, 2014).
"Guardians Of The Galaxy Q&A Highlights: James Gunn's Influences, the Soundtrack, the Sequel, Avengers Crossovers, and More"
.
Collider
.
Archived
from the original on February 28, 2022
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Hunt, James (July 8, 2014).
"
"Guardians Of The Galaxy" Set Visit Puts Concerns To Rest"
.
Comic Book Resources
.
Archived
from the original on October 20, 2021
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Nemiroff, Perri (February 6, 2017).
"
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2': 40 Things We Learned from Our Set Visit"
.
Collider
.
Archived
from the original on November 13, 2021
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Vespe, Eric (July 21, 2013).
"Quint describes the funny and awesomely weird first footage from Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! Comic-Con 2013!"
. Ain't It Cool News.
Archived
from the original on February 28, 2022
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Weintraub, Steve (July 8, 2014).
"Dave Bautista Talks Fight Scenes and Finding The Humor in Drax on the Set of Guardians Of The Galaxy"
.
Collider
.
Archived
from the original on February 28, 2022
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Siegel, Lucas (November 4, 2015).
"Dave Bautista Says James Gunn Making Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Different"
.
ComicBook
.
Archived
from the original on May 29, 2022
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Huver, Scott (May 2, 2017).
"I Am Not Drax: Bautista Did Heavy Lifting to Find His GotG Character"
.
Comic Book Resources
.
Archived
from the original on March 11, 2022
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Weintraub, Steve (January 25, 2017).
"Dave Bautista on 'Bushwick', 'Blade Runner 2049', and 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'
"
.
Collider
.
Archived
from the original on March 11, 2022
. Retrieved
January 25,
2017
.
- ^
Truitt, Brian (February 2, 2017).
"Sneak peek: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' aims for bigger, better sci-fi"
.
USA Today
.
Archived
from the original on November 13, 2021
. Retrieved
May 29,
2022
.
- ^
Baysinger, Tim (August 2, 2021).
"Dave Bautista Says He Was 'Never Asked' to Voice Drax for Marvel's Disney+ Series 'What If...'
"
.
TheWrap
.
Archived
from the original on August 2, 2021
. Retrieved
August 2,
2021
.
- ^
Vary, Adam B. (August 11, 2021).
"Marvel Studios Planning 'Multiple' New Animated Series Following Debut of 'What If...?'
"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on August 12, 2021
. Retrieved
August 11,
2021
.
- ^
"The Dankstroyer: 21 Hilarious Drax Memes"
.
Comic Book Resources
. 31 May 2018.
Archived
from the original on December 2, 2020
. Retrieved
16 March
2020
.
- ^
Salemme, Danny.
"Dave Bautista improvised Drax's funniest line in 'Avengers: Infinity War'
"
.
Business Insider
.
Archived
from the original on December 2, 2020
. Retrieved
16 March
2020
.
External links
[
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]
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