Who is Thanos? A Look at the Bad Guy at the End of The Avengers

Marvel
By Steve DiMatteo
Contributing Writer

By now if you’ve seen The Avengers you know about the mid-credits scene that shows a glimpse of a potential villain for future Marvel films. You’ve also probably heard his name, Thanos.

But who is he? Like many characters and villains in these films, not much about them is known to the general public. However, Thanos has a long and complicated history within the Marvel Universe.

Here are a few things you need to know about him as The Avengers prepare to potentially confront him in their second movie.


He Comes From Titan

Born on the Saturn moon of Titan to a race known as the Eternals, Thanos was essentially born as a monster. This helped fuel his villainous spirit. As he became more and more powerful, he was eventually banished from his colony (for a number of possible reasons) which is where he really began to get himself into trouble.


He Does it All For Love

In the mid-credits scene of The Avengers, you’ll notice Thanos flashes a smirk when told confronting The Avengers is to “court Death.” Well, Thanos just so happens to be in love with the female personification of Death.

His love for Death has been the root cause of many of his pursuits, as he attempted to win her approval multiple times through shows of strength and domination over others. This includes going so far as to wipe out half of the universe’s living beings. The things guys do for love, right?


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He’s Got His Eyes on the Infinity Gauntlet

As we pointed out in our last Thanos article, the Infinity Gauntlet has already made an appearance in the first Thor film. By collecting the Infinity Gems, Thanos was able to create the Infinity Gauntlet and become omnipotent before being spurned by Death and, ultimately, defeated.


He’s Battled The Avengers Before

Whether it’s fighting on Asgard or using the Hulk as a mental vessel, Thanos has certainly had his run- ins with various members of The Avengers. In his pursuit of the Cosmic Cube (or Tesseract in the films), something will make him an all-powerful being, Thanos has battled the group numerous times. Knowing this, it makes perfect sense to begin incorporating him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Thanos is hell-bent on ultimate power and impressing Death and he’s shown time and time again he’s willing to do anything to meet those goals. His quest for the Cosmic Cube and Infinity Gauntlet, along with his undying attempts to gain the approval of Mistress Death, has led to numerous wars that have resulted in the death of many heroes and even Thanos himself, in the comic universe.

What will the thirst for power bring Thanos in future Marvel movies?

We'll be finding out soon enough as Iron Man and Thor are set to release in theaters during the 2013 calendar year.






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