Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
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
The Avengers (2012)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Josh Brolin (What If...?)
Damion Poitier (The Avengers)
The Mad Titan
Titan
- Gamora (adoptive daughter)
- Nebula (adoptive daughter)
- Corvus Glaive (adoptive son)
- Cull Obsidian (adoptive son)
- Ebony Maw (adoptive son)
- Proxima Midnight (adoptive daughter)
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.
Merchandise[edit]
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,[112] while Funko released two variants of a Funko Pop, including one that glows in the dark.[113][114] 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,[115][116] while Funko released a variety of Pops, including multiple variations of regular-sized figures, as well as a 10-inch jumbo Pop.[117] 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.[118][119] 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.[120] Lego released a BrickHeadz and a traditional set featuring Iron Man, Star-Lord, and Gamora minifigures alongside a Thanos bigfigure,[121][122] while Hasbro released a five pack of Marvel Legends with Thanos and his children.[123] Hot Toys released two figures of Thanos after Endgame debuted in theaters; a regular version which came with the Infinity Gauntlet[124] and a battle damaged version that came with the Nano Gauntlet.[125] 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,[126] while Pops after the film released included Thanos in his Garden attire.[127] After the season one finale of What If...?, Funko announced a Ravager Thanos Pop.[128]
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.[129] To celebrate the Infinity Saga, Funko released a Thanos Pop using the colors of the Infinity Stones,[130] while Lego released multiple sets, including two sets for Endgame's final battle. One included Sanctuary II[131] and the other was set at the Avengers' Compound.[132] Lego also released an Infinity Gauntlet with articulating fingers, allowing for builders to put it in a snapping pose,[133] while Hasbro released a Marvel Legends two-pack featuring a battle damaged Iron Man in his mark LXXXV armor and a battle damaged Thanos.[134]
Entertainment Weekly released an issue of their magazine for Infinity War featuring Thanos on the cover and a cover story interview with Brolin.[135] Empire had two covers for each of Infinity War[136][137] and Endgame[138][139] 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[140] and one featuring the children of Thanos.[141] 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.[142] For the Avengers posters, Thanos was prominently included on the Infinity War and Endgame versions.[143]