WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy#10 by Donny Cates, Cory Smith, Victor Olazaba, David Curiel and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Donny Cates has irrevocably changed the dynamic of the Guardians of the Galaxy title in the wake of Infinity Wars with some new faces in the mix and old ones removed as he builds to an epic event. With Moondragon and Phyla-Vell sticking around in this reality, Star-Lord has gotten some much needed heavy-hitting, not to mention Beta Ray Bill and a redeemed Gamora back in ranks.
However, one major loss came with a dying Rocket Racoon departing, only to return in his Gundam suit to save his former teammates after they were kidnapped by the Patriarch (a brainwashed J'Son of Spartax). And while the Patriarch has the entire Guardians unit under mind-control except for his son, Peter Quill, as well as Rocket, Moondragon and Kid Magus, there's one weapon he does possess that could be very problematic and spell even bigger doom for the future of the entire Marvel Universe: the Destroyer Horde.
This army consists of clones of Drax, but it's the Destroyer version of the character who was destined to murder Thanos by removing his heart, gifted with many more powers than what MCU fans might know. In this version, Drax could fly, was gifted with strength that sometimes matched the Hulk (depending on whether he was in the possession of an Infinity Gem) and fire energy from his hands. In short, this is the most savage and powerful version of Drax ever, and far from the compassionate warrior we saw in recent Guardians stories.
For the uninitiated, this savage Drax was created by Thanos' dad, Mentor, and the Titan god, Kronos, in the '70s by Jim Starlin and Mike Freidrich to act as an equalizer to the Mad Titan. The spirit of the dead sax player Arthur Douglas was placed in a unique vessel, giving birth to this warrior. He was engineered for war and his sole purpose was to kill Thanos -- so that alone is proof enough that this legion isn't to be messed with. Think of Annihilus' Annihilation wave, but with an army that can function on its own rather than as slaves to a hive mind. Sure, they're puppets here but should they break free and follow an alpha-Drax, it'll be trouble for the entire cosmos.
They have super-strength and speed, are very durable and are the galaxy's most perfect killing machines, as Quill learns the hard way. In Guardians of the Galaxy #10. As they try to kill the cocksure space pirate, they're taken down by Moondragon and Magus' telepathy, which shows they're still in the early stages of the cooking process. After all, they had just only hatched and there was no time for mental protection to be put in.
It's also ironic because Moondragon is Arthur's daughter, Heather, who went through her own strange resurrection. Still, given time, the right tools and proper fortification, an army with the power of old-school Drax would be truly devastating. It's why Rocket knows he has to unleash the Gundam suit and kill these clones as quickly as possible; after all, they're abominations dishonoring the real Drax who sacrificed himself in Infinity Wars.
If these clones can also perfect his past powers before Marvel depowered him for the 2000s modern run by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, we could be seeing the start of a lethal empire. It's certainly one that would bring a bloody, unforgiving war to the Marvel cosmic scene and a fight that would require a lot more than the Guardians.
Guardians of the Galaxy #11 goes on sale Nov. 13.