Thanos | |
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Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
First appearance | The Avengers (2012) |
Last appearance | Avengers: Endgame (2019) |
Based on | Thanos by Jim Starlin |
Adapted by | |
Portrayed by | Josh Brolin |
Voiced by | Josh Brolin ( What If...? ) |
Motion capture | Damion Poitier (The Avengers) |
In-universe information | |
Alias | The Mad Titan |
Species | Titan |
Affiliation | |
Weapon | |
Family | |
Children |
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Home |
Thanos is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Josh Brolin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics supervillain of the same name. He is depicted as an alien warlord from the doomed planet Titan with a universe-spanning agenda to wipe out half of all life to stabilize overpopulation and prevent what he views as life's inevitable extinction. To do this, he sets out to obtain the six Infinity Stones, cosmic gems with the power to achieve his goal. With the help of his adopted children, Thanos fights against the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and their allies, in the Infinity War, succeeds in assembling the Stones, and disintegrates half of all life in the universe in an event that is known as the Blip. After escaping to the Garden and destroying the Stones, he is eventually killed by Thor. Five years later, an alternate version of Thanos from 2014 time travels to 2023 to battle the Avengers once again, but is killed by Tony Stark.
Thanos is a key figure in the 23 films that make up the MCU's Infinity Saga, having appeared in five of its films, most notably Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Several versions of Thanos from alternate realities in the MCU multiverse also appear in Endgame, the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present), and the Phase Four film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Thanos' appearance changed drastically over the course of his appearances as advances in CGI and motion capture technology allowed for better capture of Brolin's facial features. A new facial capture application called Masquerade was created for Infinity War and Endgame using machine learning. The character has been well received by critics and fans alike, with Brolin winning multiple awards for his performance. Thanos is often credited as one of the MCU's best villains, as well as one of the greatest film villains of all time. After his appearance in Infinity War, he became a key figure in popular culture and memes, making appearances in a variety of other media.
Thanos' story in the MCU takes place in the Earth-616 universe. [lower-alpha 2] The fictional biography below includes events that happened to Thanos from more than one Earth-616 timeline, as well as events that happened to him from multiple other universes.
Thanos was born approximately 1,000 years ago on the planet Titan to A'Lars, along with his brother Eros. [1] [2] Thanos deems the growth of Titan's population to be unsustainable, so he proposes to arbitrarily kill half of Titan's population. However, his people reject the idea and Thanos is subsequently ostracized. Over time, Thanos' prediction comes to pass, with him and Eros being the only surviving members. [2] [3] [4]
Thanos, driven by his belief that the universe must be balanced by eliminating half of its population, embarks on conquests involving the killing of half of the planets' populations, becoming feared and powerful while taking control of various armies. [5] [6] [3] He forges alliances with the Other and Ronan the Accuser, and adopts orphan children from planets he invades, including Gamora and Nebula, considering the former to be his favorite. [6] Eventually, he decides to obtain the Infinity Stones after realizing he could use them to wipe out half of the life in the universe. He obtains the Mind Stone and places it in a scepter. [5]
In 2012, Thanos directs the Other to form an alliance with Loki. Thanos provides Loki with the scepter and a Chitauri army to obtain the Space Stone within the Tesseract by conquering Earth. Following Loki's defeat by the Avengers and the loss of the Mind Stone, the Other reports the failed attack to Thanos. [5] In 2014, Thanos locates the Power Stone and sends Ronan, Gamora, and Nebula to retrieve it. However, they betray him: Gamora joins the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan obtains the Power Stone and resolves to kill Thanos after destroying Xandar, while Nebula allies with Ronan. The Guardians of the Galaxy defeat Ronan and leave the Power Stone with the Nova Corps. [6] In 2015, Thanos arrives on Nidavellir and forces the native Dwarves to forge the Infinity Gauntlet to hold all six Stones, [3] [7] planning to collect them himself. [8]
In 2018, Thanos and his children decimate Xandar to retrieve the Power Stone. Shortly after, they intercept a ship carrying Asgardian refugees following their world's destruction. [3] Thanos kills half of them and incapacitates Thor. Loki attempts to exchange the Tesseract to save Thor, but betrays Thanos and is killed. Thanos then defeats the Hulk after being attacked by him, and obtains the Space Stone from the Tesseract. He orders his children to retrieve the Mind Stone and Time Stone from Earth before convening on Titan. [3]
Thanos travels to Knowhere and obtains the Reality Stone from Taneleer Tivan. The Guardians of the Galaxy arrive to stop him, but Thanos uses the Stone to defeat them and captures Gamora. Forcing her to reveal the location of the Soul Stone, they travel to Vormir, where the Soul Stone's keeper, Johann Schmidt, informs them that the Soul Stone requires the sacrifice of a loved one. Thanos then sacrifices Gamora to obtain the Stone. [3]
Arriving on Titan expecting to meet with one of his children, Thanos encounters Stephen Strange and learns his child is dead. Ambushed by Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a fight ensues. Thanos is briefly incapacitated by their efforts as they attempt to remove the Infinity Gauntlet. However, once Peter Quill learns Thanos killed Gamora, he attacks Thanos, causing him to break free and overpower them. He then prepares to kill Stark, until Strange offers the Time Stone in exchange for sparing Stark's life. [3]
Three of Thanos' children plan an invasion of Wakanda to retrieve the Mind Stone from Vision, an android powered by the Stone, but fail after a battle ensues and they are killed by the Avengers. Thanos then teleports to Wakanda and encounters resistance from the Avengers and their allies. He makes his way to Vision, so Wanda Maximoff kills Vision in order to destroy the Mind Stone. However, Thanos uses the Time Stone to undo it and gains the Mind Stone, killing Vision. Placing it in his Gauntlet, Thanos is in possession of all six Stones. However, Thor's axe, Stormbreaker, impales him in his chest. Despite his pain, Thanos manages to snap his fingers, successfully decimating half of all life in the universe. [3]
With his mission complete, he teleports to the Garden, where he rests. [3] Twenty-three days later, Thanos is ambushed by surviving members of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, along with Carol Danvers. They intend to use the Stones to reverse the snap, only to learn Thanos anticipated this and destroyed the Stones to prevent their further use. Enraged, Thor decapitates Thanos. [9]
Thanos's actions have a universal impact, with the surviving Avengers working to mitigate the damage until undoing the Blip five years later in 2023. [9] Maximoff is traumatized by Vision's death, causing her to have a mental breakdown and create a false reality. [10]
Ajak, leader of the Eternals, informs Ikaris that the Blip delayed an apocalyptic event called the Emergence, saving many planets from destruction. [2] [11] However, when the Avengers reversed the Blip, the Emergence continued. Ajak feels the Earth should be saved and recruited the Eternals to stop the Emergence, doing so successfully. [2]
The sudden return of the population has an impact as well, with the Global Repatriation Council (GRC) working to reintegrate the Blipped population. It led to socioeconomic conflicts, with entities like the Flag Smashers believing Thanos' ideas were correct. Feeling life was better during the Blip, they use terrorism against the GRC as they felt the GRC favored Blipped people more than the survivors. [12] Moreover, the phrase "Thanos was right" is observed in popular human culture, being used in graffiti and merchandise for profit. [13] [14] [15]
In 2023, the surviving members of the Blip plan to use the Quantum Realm to time travel in order to retrieve the Stones. 2014-Thanos becomes aware of the Blip after the cybernetic implants of 2014-Nebula link to 2023-Nebula, revealing the latter's memories. Thanos has 2014-Nebula impersonate her future self and travel to 2023 so she can use the Quantum Realm to transport Thanos and his army there. The Avengers succeed in retrieving the Stones, with Stark creating a Nano Gauntlet to hold them in order to snap again to undo the Blip, with Bruce Banner doing so. [9]
However, 2014-Thanos arrives within his warship and destroys the Avengers Compound. While his army searches for the Stones, Thanos engages in a fight with Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor, during which he decides to destroy all life and repopulate it so that life would be grateful. [9] Thanos defeats Stark and Thor, leaving only Rogers. He calls forth his armies, but the Avengers' restored allies arrive and engage Thanos and his army in a final battle. After a struggle, Thanos obtains the Stark Nano Gauntlet, but Stark distracts him to wield the Stones himself. Stark then snaps his fingers, causing Thanos and his army to be Blipped, which kills him. [9]
Multiple versions of Thanos are depicted in alternate realities of the MCU multiverse.
In an alternate reality, Star-Lord T'Challa convinces Thanos to join the Ravagers by persuading him there are other ways to preserve resources. Thanos participates in their mission against the Collector in 2008 where he fights against Tivan's forces, now the kingpin of the intergalactic underworld. Thanos struggles in the fight, but Nebula helps him, and together they defeat his forces. [16]
In an alternate 2018, Thanos arrives on Earth in Wakanda with a nearly complete Infinity Gauntlet, but is infected by a quantum virus and transforms into a zombie. [17] In another alternate universe, Thanos arrives on Earth to retrieve the Mind Stone after collecting the other Infinity Stones, but is swiftly killed by Ultron. [18] In a separate reality, Thanos is killed by Gamora who claims his warlord position, armor, and blade. Thanos had sent Gamora after Tony Stark following the Battle of New York, but Stark convinced Gamora to turn on her father and aided her in killing him. [19] [20] [lower-alpha 3] On Earth-838, Thanos is killed on Titan by the Illuminati, who use the Book of Vishanti to impale him with his own double-sided sword. [22]
In another alternate universe, Thanos is killed with Gamora by Ronan the Accuser, and Nebula escapes from his shadow and joins the Nova Corps. [23] In another alternate universe, as Thanos approaches a young Gamora, Hela arrives with the armies of Asgard and the Ten Rings to stop him. [24] In an alternate 2018, Thanos went on his quest to obtain the Infinity Stones. When he arrived in Wakanda, he was confronted by Steve Rogers and engaged in a fight. However, Rogers hit his shield against the Time Stone, which transported him elsewhere. [25] An alternate version of Thanos was imprisoned by Doctor Strange Supreme to be sacrificed to his Forge. Released by Captain Carter, Thanos attacked her and Kahhori, only to be disintegrated by Infinity Killmonger with his own set of Infinity Stones. [26]
Jim Starlin conceived Thanos during a college psychology course and introduced him as a villain in The Invincible Iron Man #55 (February 1973). Thanos was based on the Freudian concept of Thanatos, more commonly referred to as the death drive. Thanatos in Greek mythology was the personification of death and Thanos has been featured pursuing the female personification of Death. [27] [28] In the comics, Thanos is a mutant member of the race of superhumans known as the Titanian Eternals. The character possesses abilities common to the Eternals, and is able to demonstrate invulnerability and superhuman strength, speed, and stamina, among other qualities. [29]
Thanos made his MCU debut in The Avengers (2012), in which Damion Poitier portrayed the character and was only credited as Man #1. [30] It was Joss Whedon's idea to include Thanos in the film as his only instructions from Kevin Feige were that the film's villains should be aliens, and the rest was up to Whedon. [31] Ironically, Whedon found Thanos the hardest character to write due to being the least relatable, suggesting his cameo appearance as a "lark". [32] Poitier was cast as Thanos due to his past collaborations with Whedon in the latter's shows Firefly , Angel and Dollhouse . Under the impression he would play Super-Skrull due to rumors that the film would include the Skrulls, Poitier was first informed of his true role while getting makeup applied and his face sculpted, as Marvel Studios was secretive about his part to avoid spoiler leaks. [33] However, Feige said he and the filmmakers felt pretty free to recast the role, as Poitier was just cast for one shot, affirming that the depending on the character's magnitude in further installments, they would decide who to cast. [34]
In May 2014, Josh Brolin signed a multi-film contract to portray Thanos, debuting in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). [35] Whedon assisted director James Gunn in Brolin's casting. [36] Thanos was originally going to have a larger role in the film, but Whedon felt that the character needed to be introduced to the franchise gradually; [35] Nicole Perlman's script had Thanos as the film's villain, but as Whedon wanted Thanos to not have a big role in the plot, Gunn opted to minimize Thanos' part in the plot once he came onboard to direct the film. [37] Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely stated that Thanos' previous appearances in the franchise helped legitimize him as a threat prior to Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Despite this, little screen time had been devoted to Thanos' history and motivations. Markus stated, "We don't get an element of surprise [with his introduction in Infinity War]... You can count on a lot of scenes where we illuminate a lot about him very early", with McFeely adding, "It is incumbent upon us to give him a real story, real stakes, real personality, and a real point of view". [38]
Infinity War went through numerous story iterations, and over the course of development Thanos' presence in the film grew. VFX supervisor Dan DeLeeuw noted "Thanos went from supporting villain to one of the main characters driving the plot". [39] In one draft, the film was told directly from Thanos' perspective with him serving as narrator, [40] which went 250 pages and was discarded though it gave more insight into Thanos, while another draft had Thanos having already secured the Power Stone by the time the film starts, but the filmmakers felt he had too many Infinity Stones to begin with, so they opted to open the film in the middle of his plan with his attack on the Statesman. [41] Exploring more of Thanos' backstory via flashbacks was considered at one point, but only concept art was created and no scenes were filmed involving a younger Thanos; one such scene had Thanos explaining his extremistic plans to his people as a younger man, but Markus and McFeely felt the scene reminded "a little too Jor-El on Krypton making his case", feeling that they could imply the sequence without actually showing it and deciding to just have one flashback, that being how Thanos met Gamora. [42] Despite leading the cast in screen time in Infinity War [43] and being considered the main character of the film by many, Thanos had a secondary role in Avengers: Endgame (2019). McFeely explained "we had to give ourselves permission to backseat the villain [...] You're rolling around in the loss and the time heist, and you think it's sort of Avengers against nature". [44] Joe Russo stated that after Thanos was successful in Infinity War, he is "done" and "retired". [45] Since at the end of Infinity War Thanos had acquired the enormously powerful Infinity Stones, Markus and McFeely had difficulty deciding how to include him in the plot of Endgame until executive producer Trinh Tran suggested that they kill Thanos in the film's first act. [46] Markus explained that the character's early death improved his agenda. [46] For 2014 Thanos' scenes with Nebula before time traveling to 2023, Joe Russo served as a stand-in for Brolin due to his unavailability those days, wearing his usual clothes and the headpiece depicting Thanos's head on cardboard to motion capture him. [47]
Footage of Thanos killing Loki in Infinity War is shown in a scene of the first episode of the Disney+ television series Loki where Loki sees what his future would have looked like if he hadn't used the Tesseract to escape after the Battle of New York in 2012, creating a branched timeline that the Time Variance Authority has to prune. [9] [48] [49]
Thanos' storyline in The Infinity Gauntlet (1991), which was one of the comics that influenced Infinity War, features his attempt to woo the female manifestation of Death. [50] This plot was omitted from the films, as the filmmakers instead chose to pair the character with Gamora and focus on their father-daughter relationship. McFeely explained this choice by noting that Thanos and Gamora had a lot of history that they wanted to explore, which would add layers to Thanos to avoid him becoming "the big mustache-twisting bad guy who wants ultimate power just to take over the world and sit on a throne." [51] The Russos felt that the necessary time to introduce Death would be better spent on Thanos and the film's already large cast, with Anthony Russo expressing his conviction that adding a character whom the audience did not know about and having to explain her backstory with Thanos so the audience would care about her and find her interesting did not help to carry forward the story as it had been set out. [52] Avoiding the Death storyline moved away from the tease Whedon used in The Avengers with the character, where Thanos felt that by challenging the Avengers, he was courting death. Though the tease was purposely ambiguous, Whedon felt when he featured Thanos, he did not know what to do with him, feeling that he hung Thanos out to dry. Whedon added that "I love Thanos. I love his apocalyptic vision, his love affair with death. I love his power. But, I don't really understand it". Whedon enjoyed the approach the writers and Russos took in Infinity War, giving Thanos "an actual perspective and [making] him feel righteous to himself", since the Death storyline would not necessarily translate well. [53]
Even when not using the Infinity Stones, Thanos is shown to be a skilled physical fighter, defeating the Hulk in hand-to-hand combat in Infinity War and wielding a double-sided sword in combat in Endgame. Like the original comic book version of the character, Thanos in the MCU possesses superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. [29] [54] [55]
Digital Domain worked on creating Thanos for Infinity War and Endgame, producing over 400 visual effects shots. [56] The company created a new facial capture application called Masquerade, based on the concept of machine learning through computer algorithms, specifically for the film, beginning work on the system 3–4 months before filming began to develop and test it. They presented their results to Brolin, the Russos, and executives from Marvel ahead of filming to demonstrate the subtleties Brolin would be able to bring to the character, which helped inform Brolin on how to portray Thanos. [56] Masquerade improved the quality of facial capture and sped up turn around, but was limited as it required Brolin to deliver his performance in a seated capture position. [57] Before the start of filming, Brolin's facial expressions were captured with ILM's Medusa system, which along with his motion capture data, were fed to Masquerade to "create a higher-resolution version of what Brolin did on set" so animators could apply that to the CGI character. [39] At 8 feet, 3 inches tall, Thanos was made taller for his MCU appearances than he was portrayed as being in the comics. [58] Digital Design considered having "snap" briefly pop up on screen when Thanos snapped his fingers as a reference to how the snap occurred in the Infinity Gauntlet comic. Digital Domain's VFX Supervisor Kelly Port said "as a fun aside, we explored the idea of lifting the actual graphic from the frame of the comic showing the snap, the little yellow action triangles for a single frame of the moment of the snap. They appreciated the idea but didn't ultimately go for it". [59]
Thanos' design changed drastically between his first appearance in The Avengers and his larger role in Infinity War. With Brolin's first appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy, motion capture technology was used to capture Brolin's facial features, with Thanos' skin also being changed to a darker shade of purple than it had been in The Avengers. Advancements in CGI and motion capture technology allowed for the use of more of Brolin's features in Infinity War and Endgame. The shade of purple for Thanos' skin was changed again for the films, now becoming lighter. In earlier appearances, Thanos had four scars on his cheeks and eleven lines on his chin, but the number of scars was reduced to three and the number of chin lines was reduced to nine with his Infinity War design update. [60] The design of Thanos took into account the versions that appeared in previous films but were adjusted more towards Brolin's features, which also helped with matching his performance to the digital character. [39]
Brolin's portrayal of Thanos was inspired by Marlon Brando's performance as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979). In an interview in October 2020, Brolin said "[Kurtz] is very elusive and insane but what he is saying makes sense and is poetical ... I started seeing the parallel which I liked for me. I loved being able to resort to a film like Apocalypse Now when I was doing something like Avengers". [61]
The MCU's rendition of Thanos has received critical acclaim, being regarded as one of the best MCU villains to date, [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] as well as one of the greatest film villains of all time. [68] He has also been regarded as one of the best villains of the 2010s [69] [70] and the 21st century so far. [71] Multiple critics praised Brolin's performance, both vocally and for the emotions he conveyed through the motion capture. The performance allowed the audience to empathize with Thanos even though he was the villain, [72] [73] [74] [75] while also allowing the audience to believe Thanos' pain. [74] [75] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised both the character and Brolin: "[Thanos is] thunderously voiced by a dynamite Josh Brolin in a motion capture performance that radiates ferocity and unexpected feeling". [76] The Atlantic called Thanos an "unexpectedly resonant monster, filled with sadness and even a perverse sense of honor". [75]
Critics called Thanos a significant improvement over previous antagonists in the franchise. [77] According to Screen Rant , the MCU struggled to create captivating antagonists throughout its first two phases. However, this changed in Phase Three with well-received villains such as Killmonger and Vulture, culminating in Thanos, whose "repudiation of the MCU's narrative worship of its heroes creates a deep uncertainty in our expectation that follows through each encounter toward the inevitable, horrifying conclusion". [65] George Marston attributed Thanos' success to "the weight behind his character" because the best villains are the ones who see themselves as the hero. As a result, Brolin's performance almost makes Thanos seem likable or reasonable, at least until "the utter horror" of him accomplishing his goal sets in. [67] Similarly, The Washington Post declared Thanos Marvel's most compelling villain due to his "deep, reflective intelligence" as well as his "profound adherence to his belief system". [64]
Some publications criticized Thanos' portrayal in Endgame, feeling that the 2014 variant of him was more openly villainous than the characterization established in Infinity War, and saying that he ended up "swapping his unusual plan of balancing the population with a less evocative idea of destroying then reforming the galaxy". [78] Screen Rant felt that once Thanos learns of the Avengers' plot to reverse what his older self had done, he "regresses by falling back upon a one-dimensional aim to just destroy the universe wholesale", which made him seem more like a "generic big bad" in the film. The reviewer argued that Thanos' lack of history with the Avengers resulted in the nuances and connections being lost, notably when he is confronted by Maximoff after having killed her lover, Vision, [3] but which in 2014 had not yet occurred in his life. [79]
Thanos and his "snap" spawned much audience enthusiasm. The website, DidThanosKill.Me was created for fans to see if they would have been spared by Thanos or not by simply telling them either "You were spared by Thanos" or "You were slain by Thanos". [80] The ending of Infinity War also spawned the creation of the Reddit subreddit, /r/thanosdidnothingwrong. A user within the subreddit suggested that half of the approximately 20,000 subscribers at the time be banned from the subreddit, in order to mimic the events of the film. After the community agreed to the measure, the moderators approached Reddit's administrators to see if the mass ban would be possible. Once the administrators agreed to the random ban of half the subscribers, it was set to occur on July 9, 2018. [81] Notice of the impending ban made the subreddit's subscribers increase to over 700,000, including both of the Russo brothers. [82] Ahead of the ban, Brolin posted a video saying "Here we go, Reddit users", and ending it with a snap. [83] Over 60,000 people watched a live Twitch stream of the ban occurring, which lasted several hours. [82] The ban of over 300,000 accounts, which included Anthony Russo, was the largest in Reddit's history. [82] [84] Those banned then gathered in the new subreddit, /r/inthesoulstone. [81] [82] One Reddit user who participated described the ban as embodying "the spirit of the Internet" with people "banding together, en masse, around something relatively meaningless but somehow decidedly awesome and hilarious". [84] Andrew Tigani of Screen Rant said this showed "how impactful the film has already become to pop culture. It is also a testament to how valuable fan interaction can be via social media". [83]
A popular tongue-in-cheek fan theory regarding Thanos' defeat in Endgame before the film's release claimed that Thanos would be killed by Ant-Man entering his anus and expanding himself within Thanos' body, jokingly referred to by the portmanteau "Thanus", going onto become a widespread Internet meme. [85] After the film was released and proved the theory wrong, Christopher Markus revealed that due to the strong nature of the Titans, Ant-Man would have been unable to expand himself as he would be crushed by the walls of Thanos' rectum. [44] In 2022, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that a character introduced in season three, Termite, was a parody of Ant-Man, and his actions of killing people by shrinking to enter their bodies and expanding was partially inspired by "Thanus". [86]
Following the premiere of Endgame, Google included a clickable icon of the Infinity Gauntlet in Google Search results for "Thanos" or "Infinity Gauntlet" as an Easter egg. The icon, when clicked, made a finger-snapping motion before half of the search results disappeared, akin to the disappearance of characters following the Blip. [87]
During the 2020 United States presidential election campaign, a Twitter account affiliated with the 2020 Trump campaign posted an Internet meme of then-incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump superimposed on a clip of Thanos declaring himself "inevitable" in Endgame, with the meme reposted by Trump's own Instagram account. [88] Thanos creator Jim Starlin subsequently criticized Trump, saying he "actually enjoys comparing himself to a mass murderer". [89] [90] In August 2020, Starlin revealed a new villain for an issue of Dreadstar Returns named King Plunddo Tram that heavily resembled Trump, with Plunddo Tram being an anagram of Donald Trump. [91] In the issue, Tram is beheaded, with Starlin saying "a certain politician using a character of mine in one of his political ads may have riled me a bit. I figured he was open game at that point". [92]
In March 2021, to congratulate James Cameron on Avatar (2009) regaining the title as the number one film of all-time at the worldwide box office over Endgame, the Russo brothers used an image with Thanos' armor scarecrow and the Avengers' logo dusting away into the Avatar logo. [93] [94]
In August 2022, in a new study published by OrganicBabyFormula.com, Thanos has risen 2,892 spots in the Social Security Administration's Name Popularity Index since Avengers: Infinity War was released four years ago, Based on the aforementioned study, Thanos is the ninth-most-popular baby name based on Disney-owned characters. Quill, after the Guardians of the Galaxy's Peter Quill/Star-Lord, reigns supreme and is followed by Kristoff, Rey, Aladdin, Merida, Belle, Simba, and Olaf.
In February 2023,James Cameron During an interview in Time, he gave statements admitting that he has a personal connection with Thanos. At one point in their conversation, Cameron shared that Thanos "had a pretty viable answer" to his problem, one that parallels the filmmaker's environmental activism: “ I can relate to Thanos... I thought I had a pretty viable answer. The problem is that no one is going to raise their hand to volunteer to be the half that has to leave.”
After the release of Infinity War, scientific studies were published relating to the Snap, focusing on a variety of aspects including whether it would be possible for Thanos to even snap his fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. The 2021 study concluded that it wouldn't be physically possible due to the lack of friction between the metal surface of the Gauntlet. [95] A study published in 2020 focused on the ability to control matter as Thanos does while using the Infinity Stones. The researchers found that on a macroscopic level, someone would need a large amount of energy to control matter, similarly to the Stones. However, microscopicly scientists can mimic Thanos' control of matter at the colloidal level. The researchers were able to make billions of colloidal particles with changeable responsiveness, patchiness, shapes, and sizes by manipulating them using triggers, including temperature, pH, and light. [96]
Several toys have been released since Thanos' Guardians of the Galaxy appearance. For that film, Hot Toys released a figure of Thanos with his throne, [119] while Funko released two variants of a Funko Pop, including one that glows in the dark. [120] [121] The number of Thanos toy and merchandise items increased leading up to the release of Infinity War in theaters. Hot Toys released a figure of Thanos and a 1:1 scale Infinity Gauntlet, [122] [123] while Funko released a variety of Pops, including multiple variations of regular-sized figures, as well as a 10-inch jumbo Pop. [124] Pops after the film released included a set of six chrome Thanos figures each in the color of one of the Infinity Stones and movie moment Pops, which are Pops that feature characters in scenes from movies. These included Thanos vs. Captain America and Thor respectively. [125] [126] Funko has also included a variety of Thanos items in their Marvel Collector Corps subscription boxes, including the Infinity War box, which included a Pop of Thanos in Sanctuary II, a keycap, and an Infinity Gauntlet mug. [127] Lego released a BrickHeadz and a traditional set featuring Iron Man, Star-Lord, and Gamora minifigures alongside a Thanos bigfigure, [128] [129] while Hasbro released a five pack of Marvel Legends with Thanos and his children. [130] Hot Toys released two figures of Thanos after Endgame debuted in theaters; a regular version which came with the Infinity Gauntlet [131] and a battle damaged version that came with the Nano Gauntlet. [132] As with the initial wave of figures for Infinity War, Funko released both a regular sized and a 10 inch tall Thanos before Endgame was in theaters, [133] while Pops after the film released included Thanos in his Garden attire. [134] After the season one finale of What If...?, Funko announced a Ravager Thanos Pop. [135]
A variety of Thanos-related toys were released for both Marvel Studios' tenth anniversary and the Infinity Saga. For the anniversary, Funko released an updated version of Thanos from Guardians of the Galaxy, this time with him sitting on his throne. [136] To celebrate the Infinity Saga, Funko released a Thanos Pop using the colors of the Infinity Stones, [137] while Lego released multiple sets, including two sets for Endgame's final battle. One included Sanctuary II [138] and the other was set at the Avengers' Compound. [139] Lego also released an Infinity Gauntlet with articulating fingers, allowing for builders to put it in a snapping pose, [140] while Hasbro released a Marvel Legends two-pack featuring a battle damaged Iron Man in his mark LXXXV armor and a battle damaged Thanos. [141]
Entertainment Weekly released an issue of their magazine for Infinity War featuring Thanos on the cover and a cover story interview with Brolin. [142] Empire had two covers for each of Infinity War [143] [144] and Endgame [145] [146] featuring Thanos; one available to the general public and one that was exclusive to subscribers. Many posters were available for purchase including the theatrical posters for Infinity War and Endgame which both featured Thanos. Other posters included one exclusive to Odeon Cinemas [147] and one featuring the children of Thanos. [148] Limited edition posters were released for Marvel Studios' tenth anniversary, as well as to celebrate the Infinity Saga with posters for the four Avengers films. Two posters were released for the tenth anniversary, one including the heroes and one for Thanos and the other villains. [149] For the Avengers posters, Thanos was prominently included on the Infinity War and Endgame versions. [150]
The Infinity Gems are six fictional gems appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, named after and embodying various aspects of existence. The gems can grant whoever wields them various powers in accordance to the aspect of existence they represent, and have the potential of turning the wielder into a god-like being when the main six are held together. Thus, they are among the most powerful and sought-after items in the Marvel Universe; playing important roles in several storylines, in which they were wielded by characters such as Thanos and Adam Warlock. Some of these stories depict additional Infinity Gems or similar objects. Although, the Infinity Gems altogether give its user nigh-omnipotence, the Gems only function on the universe they belong to and not on alternate realities.
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55. An Eternal–Deviant warlord from the moon Titan, Thanos is regarded as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He has clashed with many heroes including the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.
Gamora is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #180. Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and the last of her species. Her powers include superhuman strength and agility and an accelerated healing factor. She also is an elite combatant, being able to beat most of the opponents in the galaxy. She is a member of the superhero group known as the Infinity Watch. The character played a role in the 2007 crossover storyline "Annihilation: Conquest", becoming a member of the titular team in its spin-off comic, Guardians of the Galaxy, before becoming the supervillain Requiem in the 2018 crossover storylines "Infinity Countdown" and "Infinity Wars".
Nebula is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roger Stern and John Buscema, the character first appeared in The Avengers #257. Originally depicted as a supervillain, Nebula was later depicted as an antihero and member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Infinity Gems of the Marvel Comics. As expounded across several interwoven MCU multimedia titles, the six Infinity Stones are reputed to embody and control essential aspects of existence—Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time and Soul—thereby making them critical artifacts in the MCU and, together, the MacGuffin of the dedicated Infinity Saga.
Proxima Midnight is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, she first appeared in New Avengers #8. She is a prominent member of the Black Order working for Thanos.
Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldaña, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. In the film, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to stop Thanos from collecting the six powerful Infinity Stones as part of his quest to kill half of all life in the universe.
Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In the film, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions in Infinity War which erased half of all life in the universe.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are American superhero films based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. They are the sequels to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and respectively serve as the 19th and 22nd films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Both films were directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from screenplays by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They feature an ensemble cast composed of many previous MCU actors, headlined by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In Infinity War, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fail to prevent Thanos from collecting the six all-powerful Infinity Stones and he uses them to kill half of all life in the universe. In Endgame, the surviving Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions.
Clinton Francis Barton is a fictional character portrayed by Jeremy Renner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—more commonly known by his alias, Hawkeye. Barton is depicted as an expert marksman, archer, and hand-to-hand combatant, with his preferred weapon being a recurve bow. Barton, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., is sent to kill Natasha Romanoff but decides to recruit and befriend her instead.
Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The phase began in 2016 with the release of Captain America: Civil War and concluded in 2019 with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It includes the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War, released in 2018, and its sequel Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019. Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase, alongside Amy Pascal for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Stephen Broussard for Ant-Man and the Wasp. The eleven films of the phase grossed over US$13.5 billion at the global box office and received generally positive critical and public response. Upon release, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe that involves productions of superhero films and television series. These productions star various titular superheroes; they are independently produced by Marvel Studios and are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plots, settings, casts, and characters.
The Avengers are a team of fictional superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, the team is a United States-based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to the world's protection from a variety of threats. The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York: originally from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently in the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters originally consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye, it later expands to include 16 total members. Regarded as an important part of the franchise, they are central to the MCU's first 23 films, collectively known as the Infinity Saga. The Avengers from alternate universes were depicted in subsequent MCU properties across the Multiverse Saga, including appearances in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). The Avengers are set to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both films will be part of the MCU's Phase Six, concluding the Multiverse Saga.
Peter Jason Quill, also known by his alias Star-Lord, is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Chris Pratt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Quill is initially depicted as a member of the mercenary group called the Ravagers who was abducted from Earth as a child by Yondu Udonta after his mother died. Quill becomes the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy after they assemble out of necessity to stop Ronan the Accuser from destroying Xandar. He discovers that he is a Celestial hybrid and that his father, Ego, created him as a means to terraform planets. Quill and the Guardians defeat Ego, and he develops a romantic relationship with Gamora. Quill participates in the conflict against Thanos, which results in Gamora's death and Quill becomes a victim of the Blip. He is resurrected by the Avengers and joins in the final battle against Thanos. Quill and the Guardians depart for space, eventually coming into conflict with and defeating the High Evolutionary. Quill leaves the Guardians to return to Earth, reuniting with his grandfather.
The Blip is a major fictional event and period of time depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Blip began in 2018 when Thanos, wielding all six Infinity Stones in the Infinity Gauntlet, exterminated half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, with the snap of his fingers. The Blip ended five years later, in 2023, when the Avengers utilized time travel to collect the Infinity Stones from prior points in the timeline and, with a second snap by Avengers member Bruce Banner, restored all those previously killed by Thanos.
Gamora is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Zoe Saldaña in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Gamora is depicted as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, having escaped her previous life as an assassin after she was forcibly adopted by Thanos after he murdered half of her people, including her mother. For the next twenty years, she served Thanos as a cybernetically enhanced warrior until betraying him to join the Guardians. Over time she becomes romantically involved with Peter Quill, and develops a positive relationship with her adopted sister Nebula despite their rivalrous upbringing. She is eventually killed by Thanos when he sacrifices her to obtain the Soul Stone.
Nebula is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, portrayed by Karen Gillan, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. She is depicted as a blue-skinned alien warrior who is both the adoptive daughter of Thanos, who killed her blood family before raising her, and the adoptive sister of Gamora, with whom she grew to share a bitter rivalry. Although she is first introduced as the secondary antagonist of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), subsequent films see her develop into an antihero and eventually a protagonist, who joins her sister as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy and becomes a member of the Avengers and then officially of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Aspects of this interpretation were later integrated into the comics version of the character.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films/other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios: based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Due to the galaxy-spanning nature of the franchise, multiple different species have been introduced.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Over the course of the films and related media, several teams and organizations have been formed, each with different aims and purposes.
"What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?" is the ninth episode and season finale of the first season of the American animated television series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It continues the previous episode's story, featuring the Watcher and Doctor Strange Supreme recruiting various heroes from parallel realities to fight against an alternate version of Ultron. The episode was written by head writer A. C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews.