The enchanted hammer of Thor, Mjolnir, can only be wielded by those who are deemed worthy enough to do so, and in one issue of Guardians of the Galaxy, Drax is shown being able to lift the Asgardian weapon, but only under one condition.
Drax is a cosmic warrior who was created for the sole purpose of destroying Thanos at all costs. His mission became a bit muddled, however, after he joined the Guardians of the Galaxy as he took on other tasks beyond hunting and trying to murder the Mad Titan. Though whenever Thanos is in his sights, Drax the Destroyer does not run from his prime objective and battles the intergalactic tyrant no matter how much the odds are stacked against him. However, in one instance, that warrior’s spirit works in his favor and pushes him to become worthy enough to wield Mjolnir while fighting Thanos, or so it would seem.
In Guardians of the Galaxy #20 by Brian Michael Bendis and Ed McGuinness, Starlord, Nova, Drax, and Thanos are trapped in an alternate universe known as the Cancerverse. Within this other world, everything is evil and corrupt, including the Avengers. When the Earth-616 residents arrive with the Cosmic Cube in their possession, they are attacked by this world’s twisted version of the Avengers. While this evil Avengers team does a number on interdimensional travelers, Thanos is able to prove his supremacy and defeats them all single-handedly. Unfortunately, Thanos, now wielding the Cosmic Cube, turns his attention to the heroes of Earth-616 who earlier had tried to abandon him in the Cancerverse. At this point, Nova was gravely injured and Starlord was doing what he could to stop the bleeding, so Drax took it upon himself to meet Thanos on the battlefield even though he didn’t have a chance at defeating him. However, when he met Thanos, Drax saw Cancerverse Thor’s abandoned hammer lying near the Mad Titan, and while it seemed like a long shot, Drax decided to try to wield the enchanted Asgardian weapon. Against all odds, Drax found himself worthy of lifting Mjolnir, giving him the edge against Thanos he so desperately needed.
The comic itself gives two reasons as to why Drax can lift the hammer. The first is that this twisted version of Mjolnir doesn’t require someone to be worthy to wield it, and the second is that Drax was simply worthy enough to use it in battle. Since this evil version of Thor is still technically protecting his version of the Ten Realms within the Cancerverse, it is likely that Drax was actually worthy based on the parameters of Odin’s enchantment, proving that in a situation where he would willingly sacrifice himself to save others, he becomes truly worthy.
It remains unclear whether or not Drax would be able to wield Earth-616’s version of Mjolnir even under the same circumstances, but given what fans know about the specifics behind the hammer’s enchantment, it is a definite possibility. Drax’s warrior’s spirit was put on full display in this Guardians of the Galaxy issue as he stepped up to an all-powerful Thanos with absolutely no way of defeating him, something only a true warrior would do and something that made him, in that instance, worthy enough to wield Mjolnir.