Thanos

* Live-Action
* Comics

## Personal information

### Personality

Homicidal, vengeful, sadistic, manipulative, power-hungry, tragic, egotistical, honorable

### Allies

Red Skull, Adam Warlock, Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, Black Swan, Supergiant, Chitauri, Gamora (formerly), Nebula (formerly)

### Enemies

Ronan the Accuser, Korath the Pursuer, Eitri, Loki, Valkyrie, Heimdall, Sif, Einherjar, Korg, Miek, The Collector, Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Mantis, Thor, Drax the Destroyer, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, War Machine, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Shuri, Winter Soldier, M'Baku, Okoye, Wakandan Royal Guard, Nick Fury, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, Hope van Dyne, Aragorn, Ravagers, Howard the Duck

### Family

A'Lars (father, deceased)
Sui-San (mother, deceased)
Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian (adoptive sons)
Proxima Midnight, Gamora, Nebula (adoptive daughters)
Eros (brother, deceased)
Uranos (great-uncle)
Kronos (paternal grandfather, deceased)
Daina (paternal grandmother, deceased)
Zuras (uncle)
Thena (cousin)
Sersi (cousin)
Thane (son)

### Minions

Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, Black Swan, Supergiant, Chitauri, Gamora (formerly), Nebula (formerly), Ronan the Accuser  (formerly), Korath the Pursuer (formerly), Loki (formerly)

### Powers and Abilities

Superhuman Strength
Superhuman Durability
Superhuman Speed
Superhuman Agility
Superhuman Stamina
Regenerative Healing Factor
Genius-Level Intellect
Master Tactician
Master Combatant

### Possessions

Infinity Gauntlet (formerly)
Infinity Stones (formerly)

## Appearance information

### Portrayed by

Damion Poitier
Josh Brolin
Joe Russo

### Voice

Isaac C. Singleton Jr.
Josh Brolin (MCU and What If...?)

> "*I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail, nonetheless. It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say... I am.*"
> ― Thanos
>
>

**Thanos** is the main antagonist of the Infinity Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was behind the invasion of Earth in 2012. He would work from the shadows in *Guardians of the Galaxy*, having Ronan retrieve the Power Stone. Instead of giving it to Thanos, Ronan betrays his former master and decides to go and destroy Xandar.

After the failures of Loki and Ronan the Accuser, Thanos went to a secret vault that held the Infinity Gauntlet and proclaimed that he would find the Infinity Stones himself. He first appears as the main antagonist of *Avengers: Infinity War*. Thanos begins his reign of terror by killing off half of the Asgardians and half of Xandar by stealing the Power Stone and taking the Space Stone from Loki, before killing the God of Mischief after he attempted to betray Thanos again, and letting Thor float through space. He later manipulated reality on Knowhere with the Reality Stone to get Gamora, who he forced to lead him to the Soul Stone, being guarded by the Red Skull. He sacrificed his daughter for the Infinity Stone and battled the heroes on Titan but emerged victorious after Peter Quill lost his temper with Thanos after learning he had killed Gamora.

Later, Thor attempted to kill Thanos with Stormbreaker, his new axe, and to avenge his brother and peoples' deaths. However, Thanos, with a snap of his fingers, wiped off half of the universe, erasing random people. He went to retire as a farmer, but was killed by Thor. A Thanos from 2014 appeared and hoped to use the infinity Stones to destroy the universe and create it in his own image until Iron Man snapped his fingers and eradicated Thanos and all of his forces.

## Personality

Thanos wished to spare other planets from the fate of his home world, Titan. However, he did it for drastic and evil desires, even killing those who stood in his way. Thanos still would keep his word, as he promised to help Ronan destroy Xandar in exchange for the power stone, promised Loki the Earth in exchange for the Tesseract, and even spared Tony Stark in exchange for Doctor Strange giving him the Time Stone.

Despite his cruel nature, he loved his children unconditionally. He especially felt unconditional love towards Gamora, who was dubbed his favorite daughter and was ridden with guilt in having to kill her. However, he punished them harshly if they failed him. For example, Maw said there would be judgement if he failed Thanos in getting the Time Stone that Doctor Strange protected with his magic. Despite Maw failing, Thanos knew he was dead but knew that he at least tried. He later tore Nebula apart and had any part of her replaced to make her stronger every time she failed against Gamora; however, he did not realize that it just tore her apart, both physically and emotionally until the last moments of his life, where Thanos acknowledged he should have paid more attention to her and how he underestimated her.

However, after Thanos saw his future self from 2018 viewing past Nebula's memories and his death, he realized that people would not be able to move on from the Decimation and remember life before it and decided to rip the universe atom by atom and recreate it in his own image. However, he accepted his defeat at the hands of Tony Stark.

## Biography

### The Avengers

In *The Avengers*, Thanos gave Loki a scepter that has the mind stone in it, hoping that Loki will take the people of Earth. However, Loki fails to bring him the Tesserect after Loki is taken by Thor to Asgard.

### Guardians Of The Galaxy

Thanos enlisted the help of Ronan, Korath, and his daughters, Gamora and Nebula, to retrieve the Orb for him. As it turns out, Gamora is not actually Thanos' daughter, since Thanos killed Gamora's family and snatched her as an infant to train her into the perfect assassin, having abused and tormented her in the process of doing so. This causes Gamora to betray Thanos, which leads to a chain of events that leads to Gamora finding her true calling as a protector of the universe and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thanos is first seen as a distorted photo when members of the Nova Corps are analyzing Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket, and Groot following their capture on their capital, Xandar. They deduce that he and Ronan may be working together, heavily implying that Thanos had already gotten on their bad side.

When Ronan and Nebula are called to discuss Gamora's betrayal, Ronan kills The Other, who was speaking for Thanos. Thanos does not react emotionally to this, but he is angry at Ronan for not obtaining the Orb (and for apparently alienating Gamora). He says he will destroy Xandar for Ronan if he brings him the Orb, but furiously promises that if Ronan fails again, he will *"Bathe the starways in your blood."*

Thanos promised Ronan that he will help Ronan destroy Xandar in exchange for Ronan's services. However, once Ronan gets ahold of the Orb, he feels he no longer needs Thanos help and also decides to betray him. Nebula also decides to betray Thanos out of jealousy over Thanos showing preference for Gamora over her. Ronan and Nebula take Korath with them. In the end, Ronan and Korath are killed by the Guardians of the Galaxy (including Gamora), Nebula escapes and becomes a renegade villain independent of Thanos, and the Guardians give the Orb to the Nova Corps for safekeeping.

Thanos, however, is still determined to find the six Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet so he can use them to conquer the universe.

### Avengers Age Of Ultron

In the mid-credits scene, Thanos retrieves the Infinity Gauntlet from a vault and heads off in search of the Infinity Stones himself after the failings of Loki and Ronan the Accuser.

### Avengers Infinity War

Thanos begins his campaign to assemble the Infinity Stones. Prior to the film, Thanos succeeds in collecting the first of the Infinity Stones, the Power Stone, after decimating the Nova Corps and half the populace on Xandar to retrieve it.

To collect the Tesseract next, Thanos and the Black Order confront the Asgardian ship, *the Statesman*, on its course to Earth after the destruction of Asgard. Thanos slaughters the former Alien Gladiators of Sakaar and half of the Asgardians on board and defeated Thor and Heimdall while Proxima Midnight kept Loki at sword point. Confronting his former pawn, Thanos holds Thor by the head threatening to kill him unless Loki relinquishes the Tesseract. Loki initially tries to hide his possession of the cosmic cube but when Thanos tortures Thor, he immediately reveals the Tesseract. Loki seems to pose the Tesseract to Thanos but then reveals it to be a distraction so the Hulk can surprise Thanos. Hulk starts to violently beat the Mad Titan, however Thanos soon smashes him into the ground, defeating Hulk.

With the last of his strength, Heimdall uses his Bifrost powers to transport Hulk on Earth, however Thanos notices this and kills Heimdall with Corvus Glaive's weapon as a punishment. Thor cries in retaliation and declares revenge against Thanos, but Thanos ignores him and adds the Tesseract's Space Stone onto the Gauntlet.

Before the Black Order prepares for Earth to collect the next Infinity Stone, Loki shows himself and proposes to help him on Earth but Thanos easily sees Loki's trickery; using the Space Stone, he freezes Loki in place before Loki can stab him and takes Loki by the neck. Thanos mocks Loki for choosing the word "Undying" in his offer, but Loki retorts that he will not become a god. Unfazed by his taunt, Thanos crushes Loki's neck and shows his corpse to the eyes of a distraught Thor. Having acquired what he came for, Thanos destroys the ship and teleports himself and the Black Order onto the *Sanctuary II*, leaving Thor and the others for dead.

Thanos then travels to Knowhere to take the Reality Stone from the Collector. Using the Stone's power, Thanos creates an illusion of himself about to kill the Collector when the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive in a way to test Gamora's loyalty to him. Once Gamora kills the illusion, Thanos reveals himself and captures Gamora, sensing she knew where the last Infinity Stone was. Despite Gamora requesting Peter Quill to shoot her to stop Thanos, Thanos transforms Quill's gun ammunition into bubbles and leaves Knowhere with Gamora, leaving Quill devastated.

Thanos takes Gamora on his ship, at first acting civil to her and tolerating Gamora's anger towards him. He reminds Gamora that he trusted in her abilities to find the Soul Stone, which Gamora sarcastically claims to not have found. Thanos recognizes she is lying, so he reveals to Gamora the captured Nebula, where he starts to torture her until Gamora, scared of seeing her sister tortured, reveals to him the location of the Soul Stone: Vormir.

On Vormir, the two are greeted by a wraith named the Stonekeeper, the warped identity of the Red Skull. He escorts Thanos and Gamora to Vormir's ravine and informs them the Soul Stone will only reveal itself to those who are willing to sacrifice the person they love most. Gamora mocks Thanos believing he could never love anyone, but Thanos, having truly loved Gamora as his own, sheds tears admitting he will have to kill her. Genuinely surprised over this revelation, Gamora attempts to stab herself but Thanos turns the blade into bubbles. In tears, Thanos apologizes to her silently as he throws her down the ravine, satisfying the sacrifice. A light burst out that engulfs Thanos, awakening with the Soul Stone in hand.

Sensing the Time Stone on Titan, Thanos teleports to the planet to find Doctor Strange with the Time Stone waiting for him. Realizing Ebony Maw perished while retrieving Strange, Thanos comments that at least he brought the Time Stone to him. Thanos explains his past to Strange and how the planet, his home, was destroyed because of overpopulation and it is his intention to administer unbiased, painless death to the universe to save it from the same fate Titan suffered. After they finish their talk, Strange reveals that he isn't alone and that it was a trap; Iron Man arrives and throws a piece of debris on top of Thanos. An angered Thanos survives, however, and attacks Iron Man joined by Mantis, Quill, Drax, Spider-Man, Strange, and Nebula. Strange, Drax, and Spider-Man restrain Thanos while Mantis uses her powers to make Thanos drowsy and enable Spider-Man and Iron Man to begin pulling off the Infinity Gauntlet. However, when Quill demands to know what he did with Gamora, Mantis finds remorse inside Thanos' mind, prompting Thanos to disclose he killed Gamora for the Soul Stone. Enraged, Quill punches Thanos, inadvertently permeating him to react and free himself. Using the power of the stones, Thanos incapacitates the other heroes and engages in a duel with Strange. When surrounded by replicas of Strange, Thanos uses the stones to identify the real one and comes close enough to take the Eye of Agamotto from Strange, only to find Strange removed the Time Stone from it prior, prompting him to angrily crush the Eye. Thanos throws Strange to the ground and prepares to kill him, but he is then stopped by Iron Man. Thanos recognizes the hero as the one who impeded his plans in the past, and the two begin their brawl, both using the full extent of their arsenal, until Thanos stabs Stark with his own nanite blade. Thanos gives his foe respect as he prepares to finish him off, but Strange intervenes to give Thanos the Time Stone if he spares Stark. Thanos accepts the deal and receives the Time Stone from Strange, and he leaves for Earth for the final stone, the Mind Stone, ignoring Quill shooting at him as he leaves.

On Earth, Thanos fights with several other members of the Avengers but he defeats them all. As he approaches Vision guarded by Scarlet Witch, Steve Rogers makes one last stand to hold Thanos at bay, which shocks Thanos over the Avengers' willpower, but the effort proves futile once Thanos punches him away. With no other choice, Scarlet destroys Vision to destroy the Mind Stone, leaving her grief-stricken over killing her lover. Thanos momentarily sympathizes with her plight over losing a loved one before he uses the Time Stone to resurrect Vision, then rips the Mind Stone from his head, killing Vision in the process. Now with all six stones in the Gauntlet, Thanos prepares to use his cosmic power but Thor, having survived the destruction of his ship, throws Stormbreaker to Thanos and stabs him in the chest. Thor starts to push the Stormbreaker into his chest in an attempt to kill him, but Thanos, despite his injury, simply states he should have aimed for the head and he then snaps his fingers, creating a bright flash of light.

Thanos reawakens in a realm inside the Soul Stone where a child version of Gamora is nearby. The child asks him what getting the Stones cost him, to which Thanos solemnly answers "Everything". Thanos regains the senses and finds his Gauntlet damaged with Thor horrifyingly asking him what he has done; Thanos merely smiles and teleports himself away.

After his departure, half of all life in the universe starts disintegrating from Thanos' finger snap. Somewhere else, on an alien planet, Thanos has set up a small hut to overlook the planet's countryside. Having completed his mission at last, Thanos gazes serenely at the sunset.

### Avengers: Endgame

Having fulfilled his quest to balance the universe, Thanos retreats to Titan II to rest from his strenuous mission. After several weeks of the Snap, Thanos uses the Infinity Stones to destroy themselves, to prevent anybody from reversing his actions. However, two days later, Thanos is ambushed by the Avengers, who came to bring back the victims of the Snap. Once the Avengers realized they came for nothing, Thor hurls Stormbreaker into Thanos' neck, killing him once and for all. But with no way to undo the Snap, the Avengers are forced to live on as survivors of the universe.

Five years later, the Avengers, with the help of Scott Lang/Ant-Man, finally come up with a way to undo Thanos' actions, and so, using the Quantum Realm, they time travel to various points in the past to steal the Infinity Stones, bring them back to the present, and use them to undo Thanos' actions. When James Rhodes and Nebula travel to the year 2014 to retrieve the Power Stone on Xandar, Nebula suddenly ends up malfunctioning and her memories end up being transferred to her past self, at the exact moment when Thanos was ordering her and Gamora to acquire the Power Stone. Through this connection, Thanos learns of his future victory and his ultimate fate at the hands of the Avengers (to which Thanos describes as "destiny fulfilled"), and learns that the Avengers are trying to undo it. With this sudden new insight, Thanos captures the present Nebula and sends the past Nebula back to the present day in her place as he activates a new plan.

Later, after the Avengers obtain the Infinity Stones and forge the Nano Gauntlet, Hulk/Bruce Banner snaps his fingers, thus undoing Thanos' action and bringing back everybody they had lost, but at that exact moment, the 2014 Nebula uses the time machine to transport Thanos and his entire army to the present, where they attack the Avengers' compound by blowing up the building. Personally confronting Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America, and Thor, Thanos fully unleashes his darker side as he declares that he will destroy the universe and replace it with a new one, because he now understands that even if he did succeed in his goal of wiping out half of the universe, the surviving half could never move on from their losses from the Snap and will resist. After overpowering the heroes, he summons his army from his warship to destroy Earth, but a revived Stephen Strange arrives with other sorcerers, the restored Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, the Ravagers, and the armies of Wakanda and Asgard to fight Thanos and his army in one final battle, while Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel soon arrives and destroys Thanos' warship, but Thanos overpowers her and the other heroes and seizes the gauntlet again, preparing to destroy the universe. At the last second, however, Stark steals the Stones and uses them to disintegrate Thanos and his army, at the cost of his own life. A shocked and defeated Thanos is the last one to disintegrate into ashes, finally ending the Mad Titan's wrath forever.