The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special follows Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) as they try to get the perfect Christmas present for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), and this short adventure finally fixed Drax’s power level. After bringing a Halloween special with Werewolf By Night, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now added to the Christmas spirit with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, written and directed by James Gunn, which is serving as the closing chapter of the MCU’s Phase 4.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special sees the remaining members of the title team preparing for Christmas, with Mantis worrying about giving a perfect Christmas present to Peter as he’s still struggling with the loss of Gamora. Mantis and Drax decide that the best thing they can give Peter is his childhood hero Kevin Bacon. As expected, Mantis and Drax create fun chaos on Earth while looking for Kevin Bacon and trying to capture him, and it’s all worth it in the end. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special also allows the audience to get to know Mantis and Drax a bit more as they have been mostly left aside in the movies, and it took this chance to fix Drax’s power level by showing how strong and resistant he truly is.

GOTG Finally Makes Drax The Destroyer Strong Again


Drax made his MCU debut in Guardians of the Galaxy and was introduced as a criminal who was seeking revenge on Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) for the murder of his family. This led him to go on a rampage across the galaxy, earning him the nickname “The Destroyer”. Drax is a Kylosian, and as such, he possesses superhuman stamina, agility, durability, and strength, these last two being his main powers. Drax’s superstrength has allowed him to break through stone and metal without problem, rip machines in half with his bare hands, and, of course, this has allowed him to overpower many enemies. On the other hand, his durability allows him to withstand attacks that would normally kill any other species.

However, Marvel turned Drax into a comedic character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and has continued that way, and it did so at the cost of his power level. In one of the many post-credits scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Drax was stabbed by the Yaka Arrow as Kraglin (Sean Gunn) tried to get used to it, and though it’s made of Yaka metal, it shouldn’t have hurt Drax as it did, but this fitted with Drax being changed into a comedic character. Luckily, the Holiday Special has left funny and underpowered Drax aside and restored his power by showing not only how easily he can flip a car thanks to his strength but also that he can’t be hurt by multiple gunshots – and it did so without sacrificing the character’s comedic tone.

Why The MCU Made Drax So Weak


Drax was initially driven by vengeance for what Ronan did to his family, but once Ronan was defeated at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, his lust for vengeance decreased significantly, making way for comedic Drax, even though he swore revenge against Thanos, who was the one who ordered the murders that left him without a family. After that, the MCU focused more on making Drax a more likable and funny character, and while it worked, his powers became secondary. Marvel seems to have found the balance between funny Drax and the real power of his strength and durability, and hopefully, this will continue in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.