It was 54 years ago today that one comic book introduced two of the most popular MCU characters of the 2010s, one of whom was the biggest threat to all of humanity at that time. That comic book introduced the world, without any real setup, to the Titans, with Thanos making his debut in the pages of an Iron Man comic book. The issue also had the debut appearances of Eros, Kronos, Mentor, and ISAAC in flashbacks, with Mentor helping psychically later in the story. On top of that, Iron Man’s first battle with Thanos came alongside the other big debut in this issue. This was also the comic book that introduced the world to Drax the Destroyer. In the most unlikely issue possible, Marvel introduced one of its deadliest villains and a being that changed the cosmic side of the universe forever.
On October 31, 1972, Marvel Comics had Drax the Destroyer mentally contact Iron Man for help as he took the battle to Thanos. Together, Iron Man and Drax battled Thanos’ goons and eventually learned more about the Mad Titan to take the battle to him. This eventually led to one of Marvel’s most destructive villains, who was also the basis of the biggest moment in the MCU’s history.
Iron Man makes little sense when it comes to introducing characters of cosmic origin like Thanos and Drax the Destroyer, but it was one of Marvel’s top comics of the era, so it is where the introduction was made. The issue opened with a massive scene where Drax the Destroyer was calling on Iron Man to help him from “half a continent” away. This opened in the middle of a battle that had already been raging between the mysterious Drax and a villain known as Thanos. What resulted was a story that introduced the two without much in the way of backstory, but a tale that showed their power levels.
As expected from a Thanos story, it wasn’t even Thanos who was part of most of the battle, as it was his minions, the Blood Brothers, who fought Iron Man throughout the issue. These two villains seemingly beat Iron Man and took him to Thanos’ desert base to face the villain, who had already captured Drax. This issue showed the intense hatred of Drax toward Thanos, and it also detailed Thanos’ arrogance, setting both of these characters up for their big future in both comics and the MCU.
However, this debut issue for both characters was simply a way to bring the two men into comics, and while it hinted at future characters like Starfox and Mentor, it was just a taste of what was to come. It showed how powerful Drax was and also had Thanos look very much like Doctor Doom in the end. That’s because, just like how Doctor Doom used his Doombots to fight for him so he would remain safe, Thanos did the same here, with the Thanos who was holding Drax being a robot, sabotaged to explode. The story would continue from there.
This issue wasn’t the one that revealed the truth behind Drax the Destroyer and Thanos’ actual history together. That didn’t come until Captain Marvel #32 (1974), a better place for the Thanos and Drax origin story to take place. This was the issue that not only showed why Drax the Destroyer hated Thanos, but it also had Drax learn why he had this blind hatred at the same time as the readers did. That is because Drax was only the body that a former victim of Thanos was placed in, and it tied him to another Marvel character that had just been introduced to the world.
As he is known to do, Thanos decided to mock Drax and torment him in the middle of a battle. Thanos even said he would “toy” with the Destroyer by showing him his true origin, something that was hidden from him when he was reincarnated in this body. Drax was once a man named Arthur Douglas, and he was driving with his wife and daughter through a desert when Thanos flew overhead. To hide his existence, Thanos blew up the car. It killed Arthur and his wife, and Arthur believed his daughter Heather was also killed.
Arthur was resurrected as Drax the Destroyer, and he had an intense desire to find and kill Thanos, although the reason was unknown. However, he learned here that his daughter Heather survived the accident. She was taken and saved by Mentor and taken to Titan, where she was raised and trained to control her telepathic powers. Heather became Moondragon, and Drax learned that his daughter was still alive, although that didn’t make his thirst for vengeance any less.
This was similar to Drax’s intense hatred toward Thanos in the MCU, where he was also sworn to kill the Mad Titan. While Drax was never human in the MCU, it was still a similar thirst for vengeance and a desire to make Thanos pay. While it seems hard to believe, this entire war began in Marvel Comics in the pages of an Iron Man comic, and the story just built from there to become one of the best cosmic tales in comic book history.
Did you know that Drax and Thanos debuted in an Iron Man comic? Let us know your favorite moments with these two enemies in the comments below.
