The villain waiting in the wings
For years, Thanos was the MCU's long tease. He turns his head toward the camera at the end of The Avengers, revealed as the power who lent Loki an army. He sits on a floating throne in Guardians of the Galaxy, giving orders to Ronan and to his adopted daughters, Gamora and Nebula. He puts on a golden gauntlet in a mid-credits scene of Age of Ultron and decides to stop relying on others.
What makes Thanos different from most comic book villains is that he believes he is right. He comes from Titan, a world he says collapsed because it used up its resources. His answer for the rest of the universe is brutal: wipe out half of all life, at random, so the remaining half can thrive. Collecting all six Infinity Stones would let him do that with a snap of his fingers.
Thanos films in order
- The Avengers: a brief mid-credits reveal.
- Guardians of the Galaxy: a supporting role, pulling strings behind Ronan.
- Avengers: Age of Ultron: a short mid-credits scene with the gauntlet.
- Avengers: Infinity War: the main event, told largely from his point of view.
- Avengers: Endgame: the final confrontation.
The first three appearances are short, but they all count, because each one adds a piece of his plan. He also turns up in the optional animated series What If...? (2021), in alternate-universe stories.
His turning points, spoiler-light
Infinity War plays almost like Thanos's own movie. He travels from planet to planet hunting the stones, and the film makes a point of showing what each one costs him. The most memorable stretch involves Gamora and a trip to Vormir, a sequence that changed how many fans saw the character.
Endgame is where the saga turns his ideas back on him. Without giving it away, the heroes do not get the fight they expected, and the Thanos they face in the final act is shaped by a clever time-travel wrinkle.
The heroes who stand against him
Thanos tests almost every Avenger. Thor has a personal score to settle with him from the opening of Infinity War. Iron Man (Tony Stark) has been haunted by visions of an alien threat ever since the Battle of New York, and finally meets it face to face. Captain America (Steve Rogers) leads the ground defense, and Hulk (Bruce Banner) has a rough opening round that changes how Banner deals with his alter ego. Gamora and Nebula show the family side of Thanos, and neither relationship is simple.
Josh Brolin as the Mad Titan
Brolin plays Thanos through performance capture, so his face and voice drive the digital character. That brief glimpse in The Avengers used a different performer; Brolin took over from Guardians onward. He gives Thanos a calm, almost gentle weight that makes him more frightening, not less. Outside Marvel, Brolin starred in No Country for Old Men, played the hard-edged agent Matt Graver in Sicario and turned up as Cable in Deadpool 2.
How to watch his story
The three teaser films are essential for the wider saga, so you will see them anyway. For a Thanos-focused marathon, go The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Age of Ultron, Infinity War and Endgame, in that order, and pay attention to the mid-credits scenes. If you jump straight to Infinity War, the opening minutes will still make sense, but Gamora and Nebula's scenes land much harder after Guardians. Our full MCU character list covers everyone else caught up in the hunt for the stones.