Warning!! The following contains spoilers for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, available now.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy lets players lead the team as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. Through his leadership, players are able to build bonds with each teammate, and through those bonds, they become even more loyal allies. A side effect of building stronger relationships with the team is that players can learn more about their backstories and how they ended up on the Milano. One character with a particularly painful backstory is Drax the Destroyer.
Whether from the movies or the comics, Drax has always been forced to witness the murder of his wife and daughter, Hovat and Kamaria, at the hands of Thanos. Vowing revenge, he tears through the galaxy's seediest locations and prisons to find him. Ultimately, he joins the Guardians, which inevitably leads him to find Thanos in multiple iterations. However, in the video game, Drax's history is slightly altered following his alleged defeat over Thanos. However, even with his revenge seemingly satisfied, Drax's guilt still looms over him. As a result, his story is redefined in a new way.
Throughout the game, Drax will quickly correct anyone who claims he killed Thanos. In reality, Drax and Thanos passed out before one another could finish the job. So while it appears Thanos has been slain, Drax believes otherwise. That being said, his hunger for vengeance never gets the better of him. Instead, his guilt over the loss of his family takes precedence. This is first seen on Knowhere when the team splits up. As players explore, they can find Drax looking at The Rift, a void that's meant to be the edge of space. It's here that Drax mentions how he is honoring his wife and daughter, and he and Quill share thoughts on the afterlife and if their loved ones have found a happier place.
As the story progresses, each member of the Guardians encounters "The Promise," a false reality created by the Universal Church of Truth's matriarch. The Promise shows them their deepest desires, luring them into service for the Church. Each team member manages to break free of the false reality The Promise created, but Drax still lingers. His guilt created a weakness that left him susceptible to the Church's influence. After converting to their beliefs, the Guardians have to make a perils trek through the planet Lamentis, nearly dying as they seek aid from Adam Warlock.
After finding the Golden God, the team ventures into Drax's mind, where they encounter Thanos and Drax, interacting with his family. At first, he is unwilling to accept reality and chooses to be with his family. However, Peter reminds him that he has a new family that's real and loves him. After some hesitation, Drax embraces his wife and daughter one last time, choosing to cherish the time he had while living the rest of his life without regrets. The scene is Drax's defining moment as he understands that holding on to the guilt of his past endangers his present.
Drax's story is so impactful and redefining to the character because the game lets players explore the character's history and personality within the narrative. Even after saving Drax, there are still chances to learn more about his culture and why his family was so important to him. The game paints a picture of a happy family that loved each other. But after Drax lost that family, a part of himself died as well. So rather than focus on revenge, like past iterations have, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy instead decides to use revenge and guilt to tell a story of how Drax rediscovered his happiness.