25 of Marvel’s best spacefaring characters

Drax the Destroyer (Image via Marvel)

18. Drax the Destroyer

Many people were introduced to the character of Drax the Destroyer in the 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy film. However, the movie gave precious little information about Drax. He was mostly just an angry green dude with lots of muscles who had some sort of vague tragic backstory.

If you turn to the comics, however, things (of course) get more complicated. Drax was originally a human being named Arthur Douglas. While driving in the remote desert with his family, he is attacked by evil overlord Thanos. Though his young daughter survived and later became a psionic superhero known as Moondragon, everyone else in the car died.

That wasn’t the end for Arthur Douglas, however. Things are very rarely that simple in the Marvel universe, aren’t they? Anyway, Arthur’s soul is captured by Thanos’ dad, Mentor, and the Titan Kronos. They place his spirit in a powerful new body and set him up as a champion against Thanos. Drax later joins the Guardians of the Galaxy after he’s recruited by Star-Lord.

Drax’s powers include standard superhuman stuff centered on increased stamina, strength, and fighting ability. He can also sense the presence of Thanos, even across large distances. Helpfully, he possesses the ability to project powerful blasts from his hands and can survive for long times without food, water, or even air.