Guardians of the Galaxy was a break-out hit, not only because of its special effects and wild space action but because of its cast of memorable characters. The lovable losers managed to form a functioning team by the end of the story, but this was in spite of their various dysfunctions. These are sure to pop up again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and with any luck, should continue making their hero's journeys all the more humorous.
The super-literal Drax (played by Dave Bautista) may have referred to Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) as a "friend" in the climax of Guardians, but he also referred to him as a "dumb tree" in the same breath. Now that Groot is a rambunctious toddler, they seem to have even less to bolster their relationship. Combined with James Gunn's explanation that Drax hates dancing, and may have killed baby Groot if he caught him swaying to the Jackson 5 at the film's end, it seems we have the setup for some conflict between the two in the sequel.
According to Bautista, there will likely never be a cooling of relations between his character and baby Groot (via ComicBook.com)
"I don't think Drax and The Tree are ever going to get along. Just always going to be at odds with each other. It's like that sibling rivalry, it's what it feels like to me."
According to director James Gunn, Drax is the "funniest" part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Looking at the hulking Drax with his huge muscles and bizarre markings (which should be better looking in Vol. 2), one doesn't necessarily think "funny" right off the bat. But that incongruity is, of course, a big part of why the character works, along with his no-nonsense approach to life and particularly Groot. With Groot becoming a "little jerk" in Guardians 2, Drax will have even more reason to become annoyed by the character.
Little character touches like these are a big reason for the success of Guardians of the Galaxy. It's not always enough to just ram humor into a movie in an attempt to lighten things up or relieve the tension. Ideally, this should flow naturally from the interaction between the characters as it does in Guardians.
By the sounds of things, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will continue building on the relationships established in the first film. Even though Dave Bautista says Drax and Baby Groot will never get along, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them betray a little affection at some point. After all, siblings who are rivals don't really hate each other. There's usually some love underneath all that hostility.
Source: ComicBook.com
