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Summary
The undisputed most iconic villain of theMarvel Cinematic Universe , Thanos left quite a legacy behind , though not one unblemished by some inauspicious realities . Few superhero movie antagonist have been as well received as Thanos , whose lengthened character development amplified his latent power as one ofMarvel ’s strongest villainsto leave a lasting depression in the minds of fan . However , as the Mad Titan himself submit , " reality is often disappointing " – go back over his many MCU appearance unearths some inconvenient flaws .
Thanos is widely hail as one of Marvel ’s greatest villains , both in terms of accomplishment and storytelling . That being said , he is n’t without flaws , and being the best MCU villain is n’t a terribly high bar to clear . As great as the alien warlord is as a " final genus Bos " for the original Avengers lineup , there are some aspects to his story , motivation , and overall place within the series that could ’ve been done comfortably . Objectively revisiting his seven MCU appearances make these critiques painfully obvious .
10It’s Clear The MCU Didn’t Have A Plan For Thanos Early On
As confirmed by the creators themselves
Avengers : EndgameandAvengers : Infinity Warwere unbelievable capstones to the Infinity Saga of the MCU , butre - watching Thanos ' early appearances make it clear that Thanos ' architectural plan was n’t always written in stone . AvengerswriterJoss Whedon has hold being unsure how Thanoswould match into the future of the MCU at the time of his early appearance , and his action and negotiation certainly make this apparent . Thanos willingly handing over the Mind Stone to Loki inThe Avengersis especially incongruous to his ultimate finish to pull together all six of the hefty cosmic artifacts .
9Thanos Isn’t Nearly As Interesting In Endgame As Infinity War
The character narratively and literally has two different versions within the duology
Avengers : eternity Warwas largely Thanos ' flick , fundamentally acting as the film ’s principal type despite being the antagonist . It was a breath of fresh air to see Marvel take the time to prepare their villain as the aroused and narrative throughline of a major installment . Unfortunately , all the shade and astuteness to the character would largely be toss out inAvengers : Endgame , with the retiring interlingual rendition of Thanos who return as the last antagonist , being a shallow , cartoonishly evil bad guy compared to the Thanos audiences had become acquaint with .
8The MCU Keeps Making Thanos Less Intimidating
From mysterious mastermind to one-note villain to a punchline
The mystery and grandeur of Thanos as the ultimate scoundrel of the serial was seeded early on with his appearances in the first twoAvengersmovies , as well asGuardians of the Galaxy . However , in every subsequent appearance following his successful Snap that delete one-half of all aliveness in the universe , Thanos has been continuously nerfed to the point in time of irrelevance . From being quickly kill by Thor inEndgameto becoming a punchline or being defeated in minute by Ultron inWhat If … ? , Marvel has refused to honor Thanos ' retentivity as an restrain baddie .
7Thanos Has Distracting Differences In His Early Appearances
The more comic accurate look and eventual re-cast is distracting on later re-watches
Thanos ' often - block appearances in post - credit scenes early on on in the MCU ’s history face a distractingly different - looking take on the role . Beyond wear his iconic armour , faithful to the comic but quickly put away in theInfinity WarandEndgame , Thanos was playact by a different actor entirely , Daimon Poiter . Between the re - casting of Josh Brolin and the significant changes in character design , it ’s toilsome to even conceive of the Thanos that seem in the first one-half of the Infinity Saga and in the one in the 2nd half as the same character .
6Thanos' Plan Never Made Sense
Why not just use the Infinity Stones to double the universe’s resources?
retaliator : Infinity Warexplained Thanos ' motivation for wanting to eliminate one-half of the universe , describing his origin as the solitary survivor of an overpopulated satellite ravaged by an contrition of resource . YetThanos ' plan makes no sense , as the Infinity Stones could be just as easy used to duplicate the universe ’s resource as a solution or else . Admittedly , Thanos ' plan has always been a thin blanket for his messiah complex and hallucination of grandeur , but it would ’ve been more interesting to see the audience finding themselves being able to empathize his reasoning , making for a stronger villain .
5Thanos' Motivation From The Comics Could’ve Avoided Some Long-Term MCU Complications
The MCU wouldn’t have struggled to try justify his comic motivations as much
In the comic strip , Thanos ' desire to eliminate so much life is really done out of love , hoping to impress the distaff personification of Death in the Marvel Universe . This goal is hinted at in one of his earlier appearances , before Marvel Studios had determine what to do with the character , as one of his minions mentions him " courting death " by meddling with humans . While this motivation would ’ve sure enough been less noetic , it would ’ve been a fascinating avenue to explore , and would n’t have required so much mental gymnastics on behalf of the MCU attempt to justify the overpopulation angle .
4Thanos Is More Easily Shaken From His Convictions Than It Seems
The Mad Titan is more easily convinced than he let on
Part of the appeal of Thanos as a villain is his fanaticism , unflinchingly committing to his cause enough to even kill his own daughter if it mean furthering his goal . Yet the MCU has repeatedly demonstrated that Thanos is capable of being convince to re - evaluate his position somewhat easily . InAvengers : Endgame , he quickly drops the pretence of trying to be anything other than a Galax urceolata - shell authoritarian at the slightest resistance from the Avengers , and inWhat If … ?T’Challa is able-bodied to babble Thanos out of his plans totally . It ’s a piddling unsatisfying that Thanos ' convictions are n’t that strong .
3Thanos Takes A Long Time To Do Anything
The Mad Titan spends most of his early appearances in the MCU sitting in a chair
Today , Thanos is remembered by his standout appearances inAvengers : EndgameandAvengers : Infinity War , but it ’s easy to draw a blank that his three earlier show were largely denigrate by Marvel buff before the payoff was revealed to be worth it . In two back - to - back flirt in the first two Avengers movies , Thanos does little more than sit on a throne , not exactly transfuse affright in his first opinion . It ’s a disgrace that Thanos was n’t give more to do in the first place on , which could ’ve helped establish him even more as a threat live intoAvengers : Infinity War .
2Thanos and Gamora’s Relationship Should’ve Been More Fleshed Out
Fans only get to see a single flashback of them interacting, and it happens as late as Infinity War
One of the most defining moments of Thanos ' character is his willingness to give his girl , Gamora , to the cause , earning the Soul Stone with heartbreaking blood . However , other than a single flashback in which Thanos abduct Gamora from her home , audiences never got to see how close-fitting their family relationship was – Characters like Nebula and Thanos himself simply say as much , and audiences are given piffling choice but to believe them . It would ’ve matte up more like a sacrifice on Thanos ' behalf rather than a cruel murder if their father - girl relationship was more developed .
1The Memes Of Thanos' Lines Has Undermined Their Weight
It’s hard not to chuckle at what was once serious dialogue
Beyond simply being the most famous and recognized MCU baddie , Thanos has also become the most memeable . Nearly every line the Mad Titan speaks has been misconstrued as a hilarious running jape among moviegoers , to the point thatre - watching his prospect makes it hard not to think of these jokes , almost eclipsing the literal weight unit of his words in the films . It ’s unclear as to just what it is that makes Thanos ' lines so easy to make meme out of , but it certainly nominate it hard to take him seriously when re - watching hisMCUappearances .
