Buzz
Thanos stands as one of Marvel's most iconic and menacing characters in the comic book world. His dominance was a foregone conclusion when he was first teased in the post-credits scene of 2012’s *The Avengers*, sparking a wave of excitement among fans. Then came *Guardians of the Galaxy*, where Thanos' quest for the Infinity Stones was revealed, sending audiences into a frenzy. The anticipation only grew when Marvel announced in October 2014 that the culmination of the Avengers saga would involve a two-part *Infinity War*. By the time *Avengers: Age of Ultron* arrived, with its own post-credits scene of Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, fans were practically on the edge of their seats. But who exactly is Thanos, and what makes him such a formidable presence?
10. He Came from a Chaotic and Troubled Family
Thanos hails from the Eternals, a race of enhanced humans who were created by enigmatic alien beings. The Eternals are unique in that they are long-lived, but not immortal. Their incredible abilities include superhuman strength, flight, teleportation, and the capacity to generate various forms of energy, such as heat, radiation, and light. These ancient beings established their civilization on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, although they also maintain a duty to protect Earth from their enemies, the Deviants.
Though Thanos was born to two Eternals on Titan, he was also a mutant, which amplified his powers. His deformities were so pronounced that he was rejected by both his family and his community. In fact, his mother found him so repellent that she attempted to kill him upon his birth. As a result, Thanos watched helplessly as his brother, Eros, was chosen to lead the planet. His isolation deepened when he experimented with forbidden dark magic, resulting in his father exiling him. After a period of exile, Thanos was allowed to return to Titan, but his return was marked by devastation—he wiped out the entire civilization of Titan. This act of destruction led to a vengeful pursuit by his father and grandfather, further fueling the bitter legacy of his fractured family.
9. He Gained Ultimate Power (And Lost It Multiple Times)
In 1966, Marvel introduced the powerful Cosmic Cube, a mysterious object with nearly infinite potential. Over time, more of these cubes were created, each possessing immense power. (In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Tesseract is essentially a Cosmic Cube.) Thanos, ever the opportunist, sought to seize this power and even managed to absorb the energy of one Cube, which granted him near-omnipotence. Unfortunately for him, his omnipotence didn’t extend to understanding when someone was deceiving him. Captain Marvel tricked him into thinking the Cube’s power was exhausted and discarded it. Once Thanos let it go, Captain Marvel destroyed the Cube, stripping Thanos of his newfound strength.
Next, Thanos set his sights on the six Infinity Stones (also called the Soul Stones), each one controlling a fundamental aspect of the universe. He mounted all six on a gauntlet, gaining god-like control over existence itself. After wiping out half of all life in the universe, including several superheroes, Thanos decided to shed his mortal form and merge with the fabric of creation. This was a critical mistake, as he neglected to remove the Gauntlet from his body, which allowed the superhero Nebula to seize it and reverse all of Thanos’s actions, including the loss of his omnipotence.
The story arc *Marvel: The End* introduced an entity known as the Heart of the Universe, a force (or object, depending on how you look at it) that grants its wielder the ability to unify with all of existence. The Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten was abducted by aliens and merged with the Heart’s power. When he returned to Earth, he killed several superheroes. Thanos, not wanting to be overshadowed, managed to steal the Heart for himself. With a greater understanding of its abilities than Akhenaten, he quickly made himself omnipotent.
Cosmic beings, desperate to stop Thanos, rallied almost every superhero in the Marvel universe to take him down, but none succeeded. Furious, Thanos absorbed the entire universe into himself, remaking it with him as the ultimate being in charge. Fortunately, the hero Adam Warlock was outside the universe at the time and survived. He identified a fatal flaw in all of creation and convinced Thanos to undo his actions, ultimately sacrificing himself to restore the space-time continuum.
8. He’s an Expert Fighter
When Thanos (played by Josh Brolin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) gets his time to shine in future films, he'll display some truly remarkable abilities. As an Eternal, Thanos is already endowed with the incredible powers of his genetically enhanced race. But that’s not all—he was born a mutant, granting him nearly indestructible purple skin and strength far beyond that of any other Eternal. On top of all that, he’s had numerous cybernetic enhancements implanted into his body.
Physically, Thanos surpasses even Thor and the Hulk, having defeated both of them on multiple occasions. The Silver Surfer, a being capable of surviving the deadly forces within a black hole, was nearly beaten to death by Thanos using only his fists. Not only is he physically superior, but Thanos is also a genius, outsmarting iconic characters like Reed Richards and Bruce Banner. His technological creations, including his transport throne, rival even the brilliance of Tony Stark.
Even without his throne, Thanos possesses the ability to teleport across time and dimensions. Much like the Scarlet Witch, he can manipulate objects with his mind and communicate telepathically. As an Eternal, Thanos can generate and project energy from his body, typically through his eyes and hands. These energy blasts can manifest as concussive force, similar to Iron Man’s repulsor beams, or they can take the form of magnetic or heat energy. Thanos can also create an energy shield stronger than Captain America’s iconic shield. To add to his formidable powers, he can absorb energy blasts from opponents and return them with even greater force.
7. With a Simple Snap, He Can Erase Billions from Existence Using His Infinity Gauntlet
Out of all the ultimate weapons in the Marvel universe, the Infinity Gauntlet is considered one of the most powerful. This is due to the six Infinity Stones embedded within it, each granting its own unique abilities. Four of these stones have already appeared in Marvel’s films. The Tesseract, which appeared in *Captain America: The First Avenger* and *The Avengers*, contained the blue Space Stone, capable of opening portals between dimensions and transporting anyone to any location in the universe. Loki’s scepter housed the yellow Mind Stone, which can manipulate the will of almost anyone and unlock dormant powers within people.
The red Reality Stone, known as the Aether in *Thor: The Dark World*, gives its user the power to manipulate and warp reality itself. The purple Power Stone, introduced in *Guardians of the Galaxy*, has the destructive power to tear apart entire planets. The remaining two are the Soul Stone, which can manipulate the dead and steal abilities, and the Time Stone, which grants control over time. Both of these will likely make their appearances in future films. Keep in mind that the colors of the stones differ between the comics and the movies, so keeping track can be a bit tricky.
So where are the stones now? The Tesseract (Space Stone) is currently stored in Odin's Treasure Room, the Mind Stone is embedded in the forehead of Vision, and the Reality Stone is held by the Collector. The Collector almost secured the Power Stone too, but after a series of chaotic events involving dolls, the Guardians of the Galaxy left it with the Nova Corps.
In the comics, Thanos acquired the Infinity Gauntlet in 1991 and immediately wiped out half of all life in the universe, including Daredevil, most of the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.
6. . . . And Killed Notable Superheroes
In addition to the mass genocide, Thanos has personally carried out some gruesome, custom-made murders. As a child, he began by killing animals, a classic indicator of sociopathy. As he matured, he progressed to taking human lives and, eventually, torturing and vivisecting his own mother. In the fourth issue of the *Infinity Gauntlet* series, Thanos, alongside his ally Terraxia, killed Marvel’s finest, including Thor, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Cyclops, Cloak, Nova, Quasar, and Captain America. Though they were all later resurrected, Thanos firmly established himself as Marvel’s top purple space villain.
Throughout his career, Thanos has killed many beloved heroes, including Adam Warlock and Pip the Troll. He even turned the shape-shifting Skragg into stone and wiped out an entire innocent family just to cover his arrival on Earth. When the patriarch of that family was resurrected as Drax the Destroyer, Thanos killed him once again.
5. He Has Died Multiple Times
Thanos first appeared in 1973’s Iron Man #55. Just four years later, he was killed off at the end of the storyline titled 'The Final Threat.' After his attempt to conquer the universe using the Cosmic Cube, Thanos began gathering the powers of the Soul Gems to create a weapon capable of destroying entire planets. The Avengers, along with Spider-Man, united to thwart him, with Spider-Man managing to free Adam Warlock, who quickly turned Thanos to stone.
But Thanos didn’t remain dead for long. When his old rival Captain Marvel succumbed to cancer (which he contracted from a nerve gas explosion during a battle with the supervillain Nitro), Thanos appeared as a ghost to guide the Captain into the afterlife.
Thanos was absent from the comics for over a decade, until he was finally resurrected in 1990 to continue his pursuit of the Soul Gems, now known as the Infinity Gems. Another 15 years passed before Thanos was killed again, this time when Drax the Destroyer literally punched his heart out of his chest.
This seemed like a final end, but Thanos came back to life inside a cocoon. In the storyline titled “The Thanos Imperative,” Drax attempted to finish him off once more with a massive bomb. But even after his flesh was vaporized, the Mad Titan survived as a skeleton and began to regenerate. Later, Thanos’s own son, Thane, imprisoned him in a cube of amber known as the 'living death,' though it’s unlikely anyone expects it to keep him contained for long.
4. He Has Children (And Has Tried to Kill Them All)
Gamora, one of the more tragic characters in the Marvel universe, was raised by Thanos from infancy. The Mad Titan hid his true nature from her, but rather than simply not being evil, he altered her mind so she wouldn’t recognize his darkness. When the truth came out, she attempted to kill Thanos, only to be killed herself. Luckily, Adam Warlock was nearby and placed her soul in the Soul Gem, allowing her to return to life during the 'Infinity Gauntlet' story arc. Her relationship with Thanos remains complicated.
As for Thanos’s biological children, he had several illegitimate offspring scattered across the universe, but he killed them all, typically by destroying the entire planet they lived on. The last surviving child was Thane, a half-Inhuman who resided on Earth. The Inhumans are a genetically enhanced superhuman race created by aliens in the distant past. When Thanos attempted to kill Thane, his son trapped the Mad Titan in the 'Living Death' mentioned earlier.
Clones created by Thanos didn’t fare much better. Known as Thanosi, these were not perfect replicas of Thanos but contained traits of his deadliest enemies. A flaw in their creation left them mentally impaired, and they used their abilities to wipe out millions. As per usual, Thanos attempted to destroy them, but a few managed to escape.
3. He Has A Thing For Death
Marvel’s Death, like other celestial beings, can assume any form it desires. In the 2013 origin story “Thanos Rising,” Death first appeared to the young Thanos as a little girl, subtly encouraging his emerging sociopathic tendencies. Under her guidance, Thanos learned dark, forbidden knowledge that paved the way for his rise to power. Later, when he became an adult, she appeared as a woman, and Thanos became infatuated with her. His obsession with her motivated nearly all the evil deeds he committed afterward.
After Thanos's first death, Death resurrected him to restore balance in her realm. She explained that the universe was becoming too crowded and would soon overwhelm her abilities. Thanos agreed to reduce the population by half, and once he obtained the Infinity Gauntlet, he carried out his plan. However, Death was unimpressed and rejected his affections.
Nothing seemed to impress Death. Thanos created his own companion, Terraxia, but she showed no signs of jealousy. He carried out mass genocide across planets, yet Death remained indifferent. In a desperate attempt to be with her, Thanos even sought his own death, only to be returned to life again, much to his frustration.
Death, too, had her own relationship troubles. She once fell for the Silver Surfer and sent Thanos to capture him. But, true to form, Thanos attempted to kill him instead. Later, she became involved with Walker, the personification of death in another galaxy. Their relationship was intense, and as a gesture of affection, Walker offered to obliterate everyone in his realm. When Death refused, they clashed, with Thanos once again by her side. Finally, when Death became attracted to Deadpool, Thanos cursed him with immortality to prevent them from ever being together.
In one particular storyline, “The Thanos Imperative,” their dysfunctional dynamic was on full display. Death revived Thanos to send him to the Cancerverse, a universe where death doesn’t exist. Once there, Thanos was defeated by an evil Captain Marvel. Desperate, Thanos begged Marvel to kill him. But it was a trap—when Marvel killed him, Death was able to enter the Cancerverse, wiping out Captain Marvel and the entire universe. However, she spared Thanos. Despite his pleas for recognition, Death remained indifferent and ignored him.
2. His Younger Brother Is Everything Thanos Isn't
We've already discussed Thanos’s fractured family, but one particular member stands out. Thanos may possess god-like powers, but he has that one annoying younger brother. Eros, spoiled and narcissistic, often acts as the bad boy of the superhero world, making Thanos appear somewhat heroic by comparison. The differences in their personalities are not the only source of tension—they both carry a complicated history, with Thanos having killed their mother and destroyed much of their home world. To make matters worse, Eros later adopted the name Starfox and joined the Avengers, the very team Thanos despises.
As an Eternal, Eros is endowed with extraordinary strength and the ability to fly—qualities that have made him quite popular with Earth’s ladies. But his greatest power lies in his ability to manipulate the pleasure center of the brain, which allows him to make others like him or even sleep with him. If that seems creepy, it’s because Eros is one of the few Marvel characters to have been charged with sexual assault. He even had a run-in with She-Hulk, who gave him a beating after he used his powers to seduce her. Despite his numerous conquests, he always returns to his lover, the provocatively named prostitute Heater Delight.
1. He’s Gone Toe to Toe With Deities
Marvel boasts a vast array of characters who are considered gods or have god-like powers. There's Galactus, the sentient survivor of a destroyed universe with a penchant for consuming entire planets. The Stranger, a being composed of billions of humanoid minds from the long-extinct planet Gigantus, is another. The powers of Mistress Love, Sire Hate, Lord Chaos, and Master Order are as straightforward as their names suggest. Of course, there's also Eternity and his sibling Infinity, along with Eternity’s son Eon and grandchildren Epoch and Era. And Thanos has faced them all.
Thanos defeated Galactus by convincing two even older god-like entities to join forces against him. The Stranger attempted to confront Thanos after he had secured the Infinity Gauntlet, but it ended poorly for the Stranger. Lord Chaos and Master Order were so terrified of Thanos that they secretly manipulated fate to create Adam Warlock and the Avengers. When Thanos clashed with the Asgardian god Odin, their battle nearly destroyed Thor’s realm. Thanos casually obliterated Eternity and Infinity when he acquired the Heart of the Universe. The Living Tribunal, considered the universe's most powerful being, also tried to take down a Heart-powered Thanos and failed—though this event has been quietly erased from continuity.
