The story of Thanos from Marvel Comics.
Origin[]
Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet.
In almost all Marvel canon, Thanos was born on Titan. one of the moons of Saturn - he was born a type of mutant and thus was much more powerful than his fellow Titans and although treated fairly by them was always a loner who was self-aware of being different. In time Thanos becomes obsessed with nihilism and death, especially the cosmic-being known as Mistress Death who embodies mortality itself, Thanos grows deeply attracted towards "her" and seeks to please her by any means.
His first act as the self-appointed champion of Death was to mercilessly kill millions of his own race via conducting a nuclear bombardment of his own planet, his first but by no means last act of mass-murder that earned him the fitting title of the Mad Titan.
Role[]
Thanos is a vast, complex, and above-all-else powerful character thus trying to list every villainous act he has committed over the decades is no easy task. However, his most notable acts of villainy have been the Cosmic Cube incident and the Infinity Gems saga - two times in which Thanos became, for lack of a better word, a god. In the first incident Thanos, via a complex plan spanning multiple issues of many different Marvel titles, managed to obtain a cosmic artifact of immense power known as the Cosmic Cube which would grant whoever held it their greatest wish.
Thanos used the Cube to wish for omnipotence and easily defeated many of Earth's heroes but foolishly tossed away what he thought was now useless Cube - allowing the hero Captain Marvel to shatter the Cube and undo all of Thanos' evil - as a final blow to Thanos he discovers his beloved Death has abandoned him due to his failure, which while making him immortal by default is also deeply hurtful and destructive to the Titan - who is still in love with the entity.
Sometime later Thanos manages to gather the most powerful artifacts in the Marvel universe together (with some help from unwitting heroes and villains) - these Infinity Gems ultimately granted Thanos power so unbelievably vast he was able to erase half of all life in the universe without much effort and was all-but invincible even to cosmic-beings.
Thanos vs. the Avengers.
However Thanos, despite his omnipotence, would be defeated again when Adam Warlock managed to take the Infinity Gems away from the Mad Titan and undid all that the villain had done - Thanos, knowing he was defeated, faked his own death in order to escape.
These two events are by no means the only feats of evil achieved by Thanos but are merely some of his more memorable ones - Thanos is responsible for a great many other deeds of cosmic chaos and is almost always scheming up new ways to impress Death or gain unheard-of power for himself.
Thanos joins Warlock as part of the Infinity Watch and helps him to defeat first his evil (Magus) and then good (Godess) personas in Infinity War and Infinity Crusade, and cure Thor of "warrior Madness" after fighting Odin due to a misunderstanding in the Blood & Thunder story.
Thanos later recruits a team of Earth-bound super-villains and puts them under the field leadership of Geatar in a mission to capture an ancient robot containing the obscure knowledge of a universal library and extract its data. Thanos uses information from the robot to plot against and battle the powerful Tyrant, the first creation of Galactus turned cosmic potentate.
When trapped in an alternate dimension, a clone of Thanos employs the aid of the brother of Ka-Zar, Parnival Plunder and later the Hulk to escape, although both attempts are unsuccessful. Another clone of Thanos comes into conflict with Thor, aligning himself with Mangog in a scheme to obtain powerful mystical and cosmic talismans which will allow him to destroy all life in the universe, and during their battles the clone and Mangog decimates the planet Rigel-3.
The real Thanos then join forces with heroes Thor and Genis-Vell (Captain Marvel's son) against the death god Walker, who attempts to woo Mistress Death and then destroy the entity after being rejected. Thanos then devises a plan to become the All-Father of a new pantheon of gods created by himself. Thanos, however, finds himself opposed by the Avengers' former member Mantis and her son Quoi, who apparently is destined to be the Celestial Messiah. Thanos abandons this plan after having to unite with Mistress Death to destroy the "Rot", a cosmic aberration in deep space created by Thanos' incessant love for Death. Thanos also once conducted extensive research on genetics, and after studying many of the universe's heroes and villains cloned them and gene-spliced his own DNA into the subjects, creating the Thanosi. Although he later abandons the project, five Thanosi clones survive, being versions of Professor X, Iron Man, Gladiator, Doctor Strange, and Galactus respectively. And it is revealed the incarnations of Thanos encountered in the past by Thor and Ka-Zar were actually clones. The true Thanos – with the aid of Adam Warlock, Gamora, Pip the Troll, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Dr. Strange – destroys the remaining clones.
During the story Marvel: The End, when the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten uses a source of cosmic power, the Heart of the Universe, to seize power in present-day Earth (killing most of Earth's heroes in the process), Thanos uses a time-travel stratagem to defeat him. Thanos then uses the Heart of the Universe to reverse Akhenaten's actions and was also compelled to correct a flaw in the universe. Changed by the experience, Thanos advises confidant Adam Warlock he will no longer seek universal conquest.
Thanos decides to attone for the evil acts caused by him and his clones, and agrees to aid a colony of Rigellians in evacuating their planet before Galactus can consume it. During the course of this mission Thanos learns Galactus is collecting the Infinity Gems in an effort to end his unyielding hunger. Thanos later learns Galactus is being manipulated into releasing a multiversal threat called Hunger, which feeds on entire universes. Despite opposition from Thanos, Galactus unwittingly frees the entity, and when its intentions are revealed, the pair team up and attempt to destroy it.
In the Samaritan story, while exploring the Kyln, an ancient intergalactic prison, Thanos meets Death, who for the first time speaks to the Titan. Death claims to be worth wooing, but says Thanos must offer something other than death. At the Kyln Thanos encounters Peter Quill, also known as the legendary Star-Lord, and the Shi'ar warrior Gladiator, who are both prisoners, and the Beyonder, who has been rendered amnesiac by its choice to assume a humanoid female form. Thanos battles the Beyonder, causing its mind to shut down and leaving its power trapped within a comatose physical form. Thanos then instructs the Kyln officers to keep the Beyonder on life support indefinitely in order to prevent the entity from being reborn. Thanos departs the Kyln in the company of Skreet, a chaos-mite freed from the prison. Thanos then meets the Fallen One, revealed to be the true first Herald of Galactus. Thanos defeats the former Herald and places him under complete mental control.
As the Annihilation War began, Death suggested that Thanos and Annihilus should team up. She knew that the ultimate goal was the end of all life, which would have made her irrelevant or even extinct. As her champion, Thanos helped to thwart Annihilus' plan.
Eventually Thanos was killed by his nemesis, Drax the Destroyer, who tore his heart out during the Annihilation storyline. However, in The Thanos Imperative, Adam Warlock encased his body in a cocoon through which he was revived, knowing he was the only means by which the Cancerverse, a mirror universe which was invading the Marvel universe, could be destroyed, since there was no death in the Cancerverse due to its leader, Lord Mar-Vell, sacrificing Death's avatar and killing Death of that universe.
Thanos was imprisoned by the Guardians of the Galaxy, until they realized that only he could kill the villains in the Cancerverse. Thanos was willing to go along with this to impress Death. Drax, overloaded by the life in the Cancerverse (being an Avatar of Life) destroyed Thanos, but he came back, as Death rejected him. Thanos killed Drax, and eventually confronted Lord Mar-Vell, but decided to let him sacrifice him for his ritual (to make the Marvel universe like the Cancerverse, as Thanos was its Avatar of Death), so that he could be reunited with Death, as he could not be killed any other way. However, Death arrived at the ritual and killed Mar-Vell, causing the Cancerverse to inevitably collapse. Death rejected Thanos despite what he did for her, and he became enraged, deciding to destroy the entire universe. Star Lord and Nova contained him inside the Cancerverse until it was destroyed, presumably killing all three.
Eventually Thanos returned, and, in the comic Deadpool vs. Thanos, was later suspected by Deadpool to be the one who imprisoned Death, thus preventing anyone from dying, however, Thanos was not the one responsible, and he and Deadpool set out to find Death, whom both were in love with. They suspected Mephisto, but he led them to Death's true kidnapper, Eternity. Thanos fought Eternity and almost killed him when Deadpool engaged him in a beam struggle and destroyed him.
In the new Infinity trilogy by Jim Starlin, Thanos teams up with a ressurected Adam Warlock to stop Annihilus, who absorbed the powers of The Hulk, from destroying the universe.
In Secret Wars 2015, Thanos joins Namor's Cabal. The group destroys multiple worlds in order to prevent further incursions from the Beyonders, but Namor quickly grows disturbed by the lust for murder that Thanos displays.
Along with the rest of the Cabal, Thanos later ends up on Battleworld after the destruction of the Multiverse. While there, Thanos attempts to lead an insurrection against God Doom, but is easily overpowered and killed by him.
His disembodied soul is later trapped outside the universe when it is reformed, causing him great anguish. He is eventually able to return to the known universe after following a hole made by Galactus.
Now free to return to the living world, during Civil War II, Thanos hijacks an alien space ship and heads to Earth while holding a big gun. He intends to steal the Cosmic Cube from Project Pegasus for unexplained reasons, but the new Inhuman boy Ulysses is able to predict his actions. Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) hastily marshals a squadron of Avengers to meet Thanos and detain him, but the fight goes bad. Thanos lashes out and attempts to escape, killing War Machine and severely injuring She-Hulk in the process. He is overpowered and taken into custody.
While imprisoned in the Triskelion, Thanos admits he only let himself be captured by Captain Marvel in order to be brought to the base of the Ultimates. He manipulates Conner Sims in order to facilitate his escape. He battles the Ultimates, but is eventually overpowered and defeated once again.
Thanos later recovers and heads to his former stronghold on the Black Quadrant, which has been taken over by Corvus Glaive, one of his former lieutenants. He defeats Corvus and forces him to commit suicide, reasserting his control over the facility.
Infinity Revelation[]
During the graphic novel trilogy of The Infinity Revelation, Thanos was visiting the realm of death to muse in the Infinity Fountain, Death told him that he and one other existed outside of the pull of life and death, tasking him with escorting a soul out of her realm when he was finished. When he returned to his ship, the soul regained its body, revealing itself to be Adam Warlock, newly resurrected and exhausted from the energy required to regain his body. As Thanos tried to make sense of a strange cosmic force that seemed to pull him, Adam assisted, feeling drawn as well and wanting to make sure Thanos's intentions were not truly malicious. The duo encountered the Annihilators at their destination, teleported away Gladiator, and defeated Ikon, Beta Ray Bill, Ronan, Quasar, and the Silver Surfer. Afterwards the two explored the treasure in the ruins deep below the planet's surface, encountering two copies of themselves from a parallel universe in the process.
The artifact had been created by unknown higher-dimensional entities above even the Living Tribunal, and the two universes were remodeled according to Thanos's and Warlock's respective subconscious perceptions of reality. The remaining incarnation of Thanos had to destroy the version of Warlock in charge of one reality, while the remaining incarnation of Warlock had to destroy the version of Thanos in charge of the other. After the two timelines returned to normal, they merged together, with the parallel, and supposedly much more powerful, version of Warlock retroactively taking over the position of the now annihilated former incarnation. It was left unknown whether or not Thanos was replaced, but he resumed his courtship with Death, and with it his old ways.
As Annihilus, now turned into Annihihulk after stealing the powers of the Incredible Hulk, used Warlock's power to destroy the Posiverse, Pip the Troll woke Warlock up and accidentally caused Warlock to destroy the universe with his power. Annihilus was later brought back to life when the universe was restored as result of a deal between Warlock and the One Above All. With the universe restored to the point before his invasion, Annihilus and his forces were defeated by an army of the dead led by Warlock and Thanos. Annihilus was subsequently killed by Thanos, who stepped on him after Warlock devolved him into a small, harmless bug. After the death and rebirth of his universe by the hands of Annihilus and his alternate self, the 616 version of Adam Warlock was brought back to life by the One Above All at the request of Thanos, while the alternate Adam becomes the new Living Tribunal.
Marvel Cinematic Universe[]
- Main article: Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite[]
Thanos serves as the secondary antagonist of the videogame Marvel vs Capcom Infinite.
Before the events of the game, Thanos approaches his master, Lady Death, whom tells him that she tires of her universe and entrusts him with the Space Stone to help him collect the Reality Stone and cause the convergence of the Marvel and Capcom universes. However, Thanos was unaware that Lady Death was secretly working with Jedah Dohma from the Capcom Universe, whom came to Lady Death and inspired her with the idea.
The Reality Stone was sealed behind a wall leading to Abel City, impenetrable to Thanos and Lady Death. Thanos entrusts the Space Stone to Ultron, as only he was capable of entering the universe, for he had no soul, and that Thanos promised him Abel City to rule. Upon arriving in the other universe, however, Ultron came across Sigma in Cyberspace and the two formed an alliance together, as both of them have a hatred for humanity.
As Ultron and Thanos arrived at Abel City before Sigma, Ultron seemingly kills Sigma by tearing off his head and taking the Reality Stone from him. But then, Ultron revealed himself to have merged with Sigma, now announcing himself as Ultron Sigma. Now as one, Ultron Sigma defeated Thanos and took the Space Stone from him. Ultron Sigma then used the Space and Reality Stones to change his appearance and combine the Marvel and Capcom universes together to form the convergence. As for Thanos, Ultron Sigma locked him away in the dungeons of Xgard, where Ultron Sigma's domain is.
Once the heroes of both Marvel and Capcom universe noticed the convergence, they banded together to fight Ultron Sigma's forces at Xgard and free Thanos from his imprisonment there.
They placed Thanos in a cell at Avengers Tower, now at New Metro City. Once they remove the restraints on him, Thanos tells the heroes that they doomed themselves, as he points out Thor possessed by Ultron Sigma, who teleports away from the Avengers Tower.
As Gamora approaches Thanos, Thanos mockingly asks Gamora if she came to beg for his help. Gamora tells Thanos that he has no choice, as she tells him that there will be no one else for him to slay for his master, Lady Death. Thanos promises to help the heroes if they free him, but they refuse, as Chun-Li tells him to give them the cause to trust him. Thanos accepts his fate and tells the heroes the locations of the other four Infinity Stones.
Meanwhile, as the Marvel and Capcom heroes search for the Infinity Stones, Ultron Sigma's forces attack Avengers Tower. Thanos laughs at the heroes in their struggle to defend themselves with the shield around their tower. Just then, Ultron Sigma broke through their defenses and into their facility, where he appears before Thanos and mockingly asks him if he will kneel before his god. Thanos tells Ultron Sigma he is no god, but a fool, as he mocks him for the way he uses the Infinity Stones. Ultron angrily goes up to Thanos and tells him he served his purpose. Nathan Spencer disconnects the cell's power cord and connects it to his bionic arm, as he and Iron Man blast energy at Ultron Sigma, damaging the cell and freeing Thanos in the process. As Thanos fought Ultron Sigma, he punched him in the head where the Reality Stone is several times until it cracked, damaging Ultron Sigma. Ultron Sigma then teleports in need of repairs.
Later, after the heroes heard news about the Symbiote attacking the city and the Core of Knowmoon carrying the Sigma Virus entering the Earth's atmosphere, Thanos tells the heroes that there is a way to stop the events from occurring. Thanos was later seen outside Avengers Tower with the heroes, where Iron Man, Mega Man and Zero each hold an Infinity Stone while the Symbiote and the Core are making their way towards them. The heroes combine the stone's powers, blasting and destroying the Symbiote and the Core. However, in results of the explosion, the Ultron Sigma virus is spread out through the city.
As Thanos, along with the Marvel and Capcom characters, were exposed to the virus, it slowly begins to infect them. Dr. Light informs all of them that the only way to stop the virus is to destroy Ultron Sigma. However, the Marvel and Capcom only have three Infinity Stones to stop him and are missing the Soul Stone. Thanos notes that Jedah Dohma has the Soul Stone and has returned to the Dark Kingdom. In order to create a device to harness the stone's powers, however, they need technology from Abel City, since the technology at Avengers Tower is already destroyed.
Thanos offers his help to complete the weapon, as he is seen helping Iron Man in Sigma's lab. While working together, however, Iron Man recalls to Thanos that he saw a flashback while passed out from holding the Time Stone during the virus infestation, revealing that Lady Death used him to create the convergence while secretly working with Jedah Dohma. At first, Thanos does not believe Iron Man and assaults him. After he defeats him, Thanos takes the Time Stone to see the vision for himself, and was then shocked to learn the truth. Thanos completes the weapon intended to defeat Ultron Sigma on his own, and then wears a bionic gauntlet that he uses to drain the Satsui no Hado from Ryu. Before Thanos takes his leave, he gives Gamora the Time Stone, as he says he has no need for it.
Thanos later appeared before Lady Death and Jedah at the end of the game, and conjures an energy ball from his gauntlet that he is about to unleash upon Lady Death. It is unknown if Thanos destroyed Lady Death or not after that scene.
Lego Marvel Superheroes[]
Thanos as he appears in Lego Marvel Superheroes: The Game.
Thanos also appears as a playable character in the 2013 Lego Video Game, Lego Marvel Superheroes in the Super DLC Pack. Although he does not appear as a boss, he can be played as. He is a large LEGO Figure so he possesses super hulk strength and his powers also include Energy Projection. He appears as a DLC character in the two following LEGO Marvel games, LEGO Marvel's Avengers and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. He is the main character of his own downloadable level in LMSH2, where he attempts to infiltrate Attilan.
Super Hero Squad Show[]
Thanos serves as the main antagonist of the first half of the second season. He seeks to gain all the Infinity Stones and use the Infinity Gauntlet to rule the universe but is ultimately ousted by a corrupted Silver Surfer (now known as Dark Surfer).