Marvel Just Killed a Guardian of the Galaxy (For Real)

Warning: SPOILERS for Infinity Wars #6

When Marvel promised that one of the Guardians of the Galaxy was going to die in their massive Infinity Wars event, fans knew that no death would be easy to take. But now the universe will know that it was saved, ironically, by the death of Drax the Destroyer.

With actor Dave Bautista making his version of Drax one of the most beloved members of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, the sympathy for Drax's heroic sacrifice will be just as high as he deserves. And if we're getting technical, Drax actually managed to save TWO universes with his death, with some help from his "other self." And as heartbreaking and perfect as his final moments turned out to be, fans will be just as eager to know about his fate in the afterlife... and whether there's any chance that Drax will rejoin the Guardians someday, and return to life in the Marvel Universe (in the comics at least).

We'll try our best to do justice to the Infinity Wars finale, but we hope fans have got some tissues handy. Drax's death in Avengers: Infinity War may be temporary, but his comic book ending is as perfect as a hero can hope for.

This Page: Drax Dies To Save The Marvel Universe
Next Page: How Permanent Will Drax's Death Be?

Only Drax Can Undo The Infinity Wars

If casual Marvel fans have missed out on the latest Infinity Wars event, we'll try to make this long story painfully short. Instead of Thanos trying to warp reality, this time it was Gamora, seeking to make a better version of the universe (and her painful past in it). Unfortunately, her attempt to collapse the souls of the universe into the Soul Stone - then remake reality - hit a snag when she delivered her own version of the Thanos snap. She didn't kill half of all heroes, but combined them into Avengers mash-ups called Infinity Warps.

Adam Warlock showed up to save the day (like always) and entrust the Infinity Stones to worthy heroes. But undoing Gamora's damage meant two different tasks: to remake the Marvel Universe as it had been, and then instead of 'snapping' an entire universe of merged heroes out of existence, give them one of their own. From inside of the Reality Stone, essentially 'copying' a universe while restoring it isn't impossible... but it does require two pathways out. Which is where Drax comes in.

Well, Drax and Arthur Douglas, his "second soul." Now go with us here, movie fans, because the MCU chose not to adapt Drax's comic origin story... in which Thanos murdered a human family, and the father's spirit was placed into a big, strong, green, warrior's body in hopes of having his revenge. When the Warps were separated back into their component characters (like Doctor Strange and Captain America), Drax and Arthur (the father) came face to face for the first time. And almost immediately, use their shared soul power to allow BOTH universes to be saved.

Drax Stays Behind To 'Hold The Door'

The twin portals work like a charm, allowing the heroes to preserve the Infinity Warps in a Marvel Universe of their own... until Adam Warlock delivers the bad news. Making the universe as it had been is one job done, but to return all of the lost souls, the heroes need to physically escape the Soul World, too. Which means somebody needs to stay behind to hold the door open from inside. Having spent decades inhabiting the same mortal form, Drax and Arthur don't even need to speak to know that they're both willing to make the sacrifice.

And as Gamora demands that another solution be found, Adam and the rest of the heroes honor their colleague's sacrifice, making their escape from the Soul Stone back into the restored universe. Needless to say, there will be MAJOR SPOILERS ahead, so fans who would prefer NOT to witness the final moments of Drax the Destroyer, time to stop reading...

Page 2 of 2: Drax Dies Saving The Marvel Universe

Drax Dies To Save Marvel's Universe

The moment that Drax and Arthur Douglas share before the end is beautifully rendered by Mike Deodato, Jr. and Frank Martin, framing their sacrifice as a return "home." As they use their power to hold open the doorways back into the universe, readers are fortunately spared the added trauma of watching them be physically obliterated. Instead, the final pages of Infinity Wars #6 focuses on what their sacrifice has bought, as the heroes return to both the Marvel Universe fans know, and the strange new world of the hybrid-hero Infinity Warps.

But it's here where things get really interesting for longtime comic book fans. When we mentioned the origin story of Drax the Destroyer earlier, we didn't emphasize just how clearly the comics imply that Drax's soul is simply the soul of Arthur Douglas, placed into an empty, artificial shell. That notion was given a bit of mystery ahead of the Annihilation event of the early 2000s, in which the classic Guardians became the version seen in the movies, and in which Drax was killed... until the current, tattooed version of Drax emerged from the corpse.

It was clear at the time that Drax had experienced some form of rebirth, but the final issue of Infinity Wars confirms that, even on a spiritual level, Arthur Douglas and Drax the Destroyer are truly two halves of a whole. And we know where the human half of Drax ended up after his death...

Drax's Human Half Chose The Afterlife

The Infinity Wars comic leaves Drax and Arthur one blink away from death, but the follow-up coda Infinity Wars: Fallen Guardian reveals an epilogue courtesy of Adam Warlock. Apparently (and fittingly) he returned to commune with the souls of Arthur Douglas and Drax, and offer them a chance to return to the world of the living. But after a lifetime of fighting and pain, Arthur Douglas decides to finally rest, and enjoy the idyllic afterlife offered to residents of the Soul World. And for Drax fans who never forgot his first origin story, Arthur's afterlife will be seen as even more beautiful than Drax's sacrifice.

Returned to his life as a musician and his beloved wife Yvette, Arthur gets to live the life that should have been his (had Thanos not senselessly destroyed it). While nightmares of that fate still wake him from his sleep, the story ends with Yvette informing Arthur that they are expecting a daughter - the final piece of their family soon to be restored. As this conclusion is revealed to be Adam Warlock literally explaining the fate of Drax to Star-Lord and Groot, he confirms that Drax, along with Arthur, decided that it would be better to give his soul its rest than continue on as a living weapon.

Still, fans will have the same question as Groot: "What happened to the Drax half of the Destroyer?"

Will The Soul of Drax Be Reborn...?

Fans will be disappointed with the answer, since Adam Warlock admits that he no longer possesses the Soul Stone at all. That means he can't peer into it to see what destiny Drax has chosen, nor tell where the Soul Stone even is, or in whose possession. Thankfully the readers are given the answers even if Groot and Peter Quill are not. As Adam's final words of hope that Drax's soul has found its own "happy" place echo, the final page reveals the original form of the Destroyer, engaged in pitched combat with Kree, Skrulls, and other cosmic warriors - grinning from ear to ear.

And so Marvel answers the riddle of what makes a Destroyer happiest, confirming that it is simply to... destroy (but, you know, in a nice way). In the process, Drax the Destroyer's sacrifice is maintained without being subverted by some "what if?" hope of a resurrection. It's still possible that Drax could return, if the Soul Stone fell into the right person's hands, or some cosmic call to action draws Drax out of his paradise. But whether that will be Drax alone, or in tandem with Arthur Douglas is up to the storyteller. Whether it's worth it? That will be up to the fans if and when it happens.

Until then, readers can simply join the rest of Drax's friends in mourning the loss of a true Guardian of the Galaxy. While also savoring the well-earned rest he can now enjoy for all eternity.

Infinity Wars #6 and Infinity Wars: Fallen Guardian are available now from Marvel Comics.