Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1! The stakes have never been higher for the Guardians of the Galaxy, both on a cosmic and a personal scale, as one iconic member of the team is about to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of countless lives. However, while this promised death is a major one, there may be a chance for that same character to receive a new kind of resurrection – one he’s been longing for throughout this current run.
In a preview for Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Kev Walker, the Guardians of the Galaxy are standing with Groot (grown into the colossal Grootfall) and defending the reclaimed Grootspace from the forces of the Spartoi space armada. Grootspace is the ancestral home of Groot’s people, and the sector of the galaxy it inhabits gives life to countless other life forms that exist within Grootspace. And now, Drax the Destroyer is willing to die to protect it.
The Spartoi see Grootfall as something akin to Galactus: a planet-killer. They aim to destroy it, and the easiest way to do that is to keep Grootfall and its allies from accomplishing its task of literally creating a sun. The only way for something as gargantuan as Grootfall to flower into true Grootspace is with a sun, and that sun needs to be ignited by someone: Drax.
![Guardians of the Galaxy Promises a Major Hero Death as [SPOILER] Faces His Final Sacrifice](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/drax-new-armor.jpg)
Drax the Destroyer’s New Costume Is Even More Terrifying Than When He Became Venom
Drax the Destroy just got a new costume in Guardians of the Galaxy, & it is way scarier than the form he took when he was briefly possessed by Venom.
Guardians of the Galaxy’s Drax is Sacrificing Himself to Save Grootspace
Drax’s sacrifice is made even more tragic by the status of his current story arc.
By sacrificing himself, Drax is not only giving Grootspace a new chance at life, but all the people on every planet that Grootfall assimilated. Grootspace is the natural state of this sector of the galaxy, meaning it’s not an invading force (like the Spartoi think it is), but the very essence of life there. Drax will be allowing all life within Grootspace the chance to be reborn, just as he was on the precipice of his own kind of ‘rebirth’.
Throughout this Guardians of the Galaxy comic run, the Guardians have been trying to obtain the soul of Drax’s original form, Arthur Douglas. Douglas died on Earth, and his essence was taken by Kronos and molded in the Drax the Destroyer fans know and love today. Drax was Arthur Douglas reborn, but he was without Arthur’s soul. Until, the Guardians succeeded in tracking it down and returning it to Drax. Though tragically, it seems Drax may die before he can reconnect with this piece of himself that’s been missing for so long. Or, perhaps not.
Drax is Sacrificing Himself to Save Grootspace, & That Could Be His Salvation
Drax is in physical possession of his original soul, with his hand on the button to spark a sun within Grootspace that will mean rebirth for all within it. Therefore, it’s all-too possible that Drax will experience the same rebirth, with Arthur Douglas’ soul incorporated into his reborn form. If all these other life forms can experience new life within Grootspace, why not Drax? It would be a great completion of his arc and the perfect payoff for his ultimate sacrifice.
While this would undoubtedly make his sacrifice less emotionally impactful, the storyline would be trading a tragic ending for a happy one, and would allow this fan-favorite Guardian the chance to keep being a cosmic hero in the Marvel Universe. However, as it stands, such a rebirth may very well not be in the cards for Drax, as this preview of Guardians of the Galaxy seemingly promises the heroic death of Drax the Destroyer.
Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 by Marvel Comics is available February 21, 2024.
