Drax the Destroyer

Drax the Destroyer
Textless cover of Drax #1 (November 2015). Art by Scott Hepburn and Matt Milla.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Invincible Iron Man #55 (February 1973)
Created by	Jim Starlin
In-story information
Alter ego	Arthur Sampson Douglas
Species	Human mutate
Place of origin	Burbank, California
Team affiliations	Guardians of the Galaxy Infinity Watch Legion of the Unliving Phalanx Secret Defenders United Front Nova Corps
Abilities	Superhuman strength, stamina, speed, reflexes Skilled swordsman and hand-to-hand combatant Regeneration Limited cosmic awareness

Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55 (February 1973).

The character's origin story relates that Arthur Douglas was a human whose family was attacked and killed by the supervillain Thanos. Needing a champion to combat Thanos, the being known as Kronos took Arthur's spirit and placed it in a powerful new body, and Drax the Destroyer was born. Drax's powers included enhanced strength and resilience, flight, and the ability to project energy blasts from his hands. The character often battled Thanos, and on occasion the superheroes Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock. He was also a member of the group known as the Infinity Watch.

In 2004, the character lost his flight and energy blasts, and a portion of his strength and resilience. This version of the character played a role in the crossover comic book storylines "Annihilation" and "Annihilation: Conquest", and became a member of the relaunched Guardians of the Galaxy.

Drax has been featured in a variety of associated Marvel merchandise, including animated television series, action figures, and video games. Dave Bautista portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special (2022 television film) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Drax also appears in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021).