In the Marvel Universe, there are few threats that cast as big a shadow as The Mad Titan, Thanos, and there are even fewer heroes that have the ability and courage to stand up against him. Among this short list of heroes stands one that at first glance may seem one-dimensional and simple, but under the surface has a long history of depth and character growth -- Drax the Destroyer. Drax became a fan-favorite after Dave Bautista's brought the character to life in the MCU in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, but the character debuted in Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich's Iron Man #55 in 1973.
That issue depicts a Drax that more closely resembles DC's Martian Manhunter rather than the green, tattooed, knife wielder that was depicted in the movie, who is a relatively recent reimagining of the character.
By any measure, Drax's origin is seeped in tragedy. Arthur Douglas was a regular human who was driving through the desert with his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Heather, when they were suddenly attacked by Thanos. Arthur and Yvette were killed in the attack but Heather, still a small child, managed to survive only to be found and taken by Thanos' father, Mentor, back to Titan where she was raised by the monks of Shao-Lom to become later known as Moondragon. Arthur's body was destroyed in the attack, but Mentor needed someone to defeat his son, so he captured Arthur's spirit and placed it into a superpowered body. Now with the soul of a human who lost everything important to him and the body strong enough to combat The Mad Titan, Arthur, having lost all the memories of his human life, became known as Drax the Destroyer, a creature whose only purpose was to hunt the evil Thanos.
Drax's escapades in comics were usually restrained to him being a huge brute. At first his powers included telepathy and flight, but a later reimagining had his mind-powers replaced with incredible physical strength. His role as a hunter of Thanos gained him respect by heroes such as Adam Warlock and Captain Marvel, and for a time, he was a member of the Infinity Watch where he protected the Power Stone. The stone granted him strength comparable to that of the Hulk but at the cost of his intellect, rendering him incredibly strong but not so intelligent.
However, that's not where the story ended for the emerald warrior. In the 2005 miniseries, Drax the Destroyer, Keith Giffen and Mitch Breitweiser reimagined the character again, this time as much more than just a physical powerhouse. In this series, Drax crash lands on Earth with the villains Paibok, Lunatik, and the Blood Brothers. Drax's limited intelligence is shown by his choppy sentences and how he refers to himself in the third person and shortly after landing, a young girl named Cammi goes to inspect the crash site and stumbles on the group of aliens. Drax quickly goes to protect Cammi, mistaking her for his daughter.
In issue #3, Drax is stabbed through the forehead and thrown off a cliff. However, in issue #4, Cammi goes to inspect Drax's body and witnesses his body crack open and a new, slimmer Drax emerges like a butterfly exiting a cocoon. This new Drax has the same green skin as before, but is much leaner and has his iconic red shoulder tattoos.
Claiming to have been reborn into his "complete form," this version of Drax bolsters a much higher intelligence. Together, he and Cammi work together to defeat the Blood Brothers, Paibok, and Lunatik, and the issue ends with a look to the future where Cammi leaves a note saying simply, "I'm going to be happy," and goes off with Drax onto the next adventure.