No one likes change, least of all Drax the Destroyer.

Maybe that’s because most of the change in Drax’s life came without his choosing; but now, as we’ll see in ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7, out August 2 from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Greg Smallwood, the big change in his attitude will be all his own, for better or for worse.

“Fans who know Drax only from the Guardians film series might be surprised at how different the comic book Drax’s history is from the cinematic one,” notes ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY editor Jordan D. White. “Yes, it is true that Thanos killed his wife and child… but [in the comics] they were an Earth wife and child, because Drax was a realtor named Arthur Douglas who enjoyed playing the saxophone.”

When Arthur’s car, carrying himself, his wife and daughter, crashed due to Thanos’ evil intervention and Douglas died, the man’s spirit found itself resurrected in a new body thanks to beings from the moon of Titan. Now called Drax the Destroyer and tasked with nothing short of killing Thanos, he dived headlong into a chaotic career of battling weirdos and space monsters until he regained his Earth memories and seemingly failed at his job when the space-faring Captain Marvel managed to put The Mad Titan down.

Wandering the star lanes, Drax joined with his daughter, now the powerful psychic Moondragon, but fell under her mental domination. Once freed, he shouldered the burden of guarding one of the Infinity Stones alongside Adam Warlock, until he suffered a series of setbacks due to his failing mind and death.

“The films’ portrayal of Drax as unable to understand metaphors has its roots in a later depiction of him, [during one of the times] he was brought back from the dead,” says White. “He came back with reduced intelligence, acting almost childlike. I think, comedically, [writer] Peter David’s use of Drax in his CAPTAIN MARVEL series was probably peak humor.”

Yet another new version of the Destroyer emerged after the prison ship he’s on crashes on Earth and he befriends a young girl he mistakenly believes to be his daughter.

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #7 cover by Aaron Kuder

“The look of Drax that they echoed in the film, the look that he still sports now, came later still, when Keith Giffen wrote him,” White explains. “Gone was his purple cape and childish persona, and in came the red tattoos and the gruff brawler he is now. That was a fun series, with Drax teaming up with and protecting a young girl named Cammi.”

Drax could catch no break nor receive no breather in his life when the Annihilation Wave spread out over the cosmos until he took the fight directly to the destructive force’s point of origin and finally fulfilled the promise of his creation when he killed Thanos during a battle.

From there, he joined the new Guardians of the Galaxy at the request of Star-Lord, and until very recently enjoyed the thrill of a warrior’s life. Today, Drax embraces a peaceful existence, one that his fellow Guardians may scratch their heads over, knowing their comrade as they do.

“I am not sure any of Drax’s teammates are really on board with him swearing off violence,” White states for the record. “Violence is pretty much all he’s been about for so long, I am not sure they know what to make of a Drax who won’t throw a punch.

“There is a sketch from the Netflix show ‘With Bob & David’ about New Year’s Resolutions where a bunch of guys have these crazy unrealistic resolutions, and then they give one guy so much guff when he says he’s swearing off red meat. I think that captures the Guardians’ attitudes on Drax’s resolution pretty perfectly.”

Drax seizes the spotlight in ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7 by Gerry Duggan and Greg Smallwood, coming August 2!