WARNING: The following contains spoilers for What If...? Season 1, Episode 2, "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord," streaming now on Disney+.
Drax was first introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy. While he's frequently been positioned as the comic relief, he has one of the most tragic backstories in the MCU. However, the latest Disney+ show What If…? introduces fans to an alternate timeline in which T’Challa becomes Star-Lord, and this change ripples throughout the universe and results in a much happier life for Drax.
When Drax is introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, he is a fearsome killer, locked up in the Kyln alongside Peter Quill, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and Gamora. The group forms an unlikely team to escape prison and slowly becomes a strange family. As a Kylosian, Drax has no understanding of sarcasm and takes everything literally, providing an endless stream of humor when on screen. Though he has some of the funniest moments in his films, he has led a tragic life filled with loss.
Ronan the Accuser, at the behest of Thanos, led the Massacre of the Kylosians. As part of his quest for balance, Thanos ordered that Drax’s home planet, Kylos, be randomly divided into two groups for half the population to be slaughtered. Drax was placed in the surviving group, but his family was not so lucky. He then watched as Ronan murdered his wife, Ovette, and his daughter, Kamaria, while laughing. When confronted, Ronan taunts Drax, claiming that Ovette and Kamaria were so insignificant that he doesn’t remember killing them. Later in the Battle of Xandar, he tells Drax he does remember killing his family, and he further provokes him by noting how pitiful their screams were.
This devastating loss fuels everything Drax does in his life, from becoming a criminal to becoming a hero. However, in an alternate timeline, one small event unrelated to Drax and his family changes his life forever. Episode 2 of What If…? sees Yondu and the Ravagers take T’Challa instead of Peter Quill, and rather than become Black Panther, T’Challa becomes Star-Lord. His name is known across the galaxy, and he turns Yondu’s disreputable band of Ravagers into a force of good. He is even able to turn true villains to his side, converting both Korath and Thanos. T’Challa not only convinces Thanos to give up his genocidal mission, but to become a part of his Ravager clan.
This mends one of the most broken relationships in the MCU, Thanos and Nebula's, with the latter appearing as a femme fatale with significantly less of cybernetic alterations. On a grander scale, turning Thanos into one of the good guys spared countless lives and saved entire planets, including Drax’s. As a member of T’Challa’s Ravagers, Thanos defended Kylos when Ronan invaded the planet, so Drax’s wife and daughter were spared.
In this other timeline, Drax is a bartender now. He even has the opportunity to thank T’Challa for rescuing his family and saving his planet from the Kree invasion. They even take a selfie together to send to Drax’s wife and daughter, who are alive and well thanks to Star-Lord. While Drax's life is tragic in the main MCU timeline, in What If...?, which has new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+, he gets a happy ending.