Thanos, The Mad Titan, the big purple guy from Avengers: Infinity War, he actually made his debut in the post-credits scene of the original Avengers movie, smiling menacingly at the camera.
There was always a plan for the Mad Titan and Marvel put it in play as soon as they got all the big name superheroes together in one film. But just because Thanos has a history doesn't mean who and what he is has ever been completely clear. Here are just a few things that are hard to understand about Thanos.
Why Did He Retire?
For a character who claimed he was trying to save and fix the universe by murdering an entire half of it, it's strange that the Mad Titan Thanos would then retire after his fateful snap. Did he really trust the remainder of life to do better this time?
Did he think that population control was the one thing that could make life better across the universe he claimed to be fighting so hard for? It's hard to believe (even of a supervillain) that one terrible action was enough to send him on his way.
Why Did He Love Gamora Best?
Gamora was Thanos' favorite daughter, he made that clear to everyone, from the audience to Gamora herself, and her less loved sister, Nebula. What wasn't clear was exactly why Thanos loved Gamora best.
In Thanos' eyes, she should have been the problem child. She ran away and ed the good guys, she was always undermining her "father's" plans and told him to his face that she neither loved nor liked him. Why Thanos thought she was his best daughter is a bit confusing.
How Does He Know English?
When Thanos finally speaks it's in Josh Brolin's deep and distinct English. He doesn't speak a strange alien tongue or uses any special science fiction tech to communicate with the Avengers who find him.
How is English the dominant language of the universe? It certainly makes it easier to cast the movie, but it doesn't necessarily make sense in a universe that's supposed to be so vast. No backstory is added to offer any sort of explanation.
How Does He Survive His Wound to the Chest?
Of course, Thor should have gone for the head, all fans, and all Avengers, know that now. But, the fact is, taking Stormbreaker to the chest is quite the blow.
While Thanos does have time to snap his fingers and snuff out half of life in the universe, the fact that he was then able to teleport away and heal himself, even with the Infinity Gauntlet at his disposal, feels like it's a little bit of a stretch.
Why Didn't The Stones Hurt?
When Fans watch Tony Stark use the Infinity Stones at the end of Endgame, the power of the gauntlet has been detailed enough that viewers know the act will kill him. However, when fans watched the Hulk use the gauntlet he lives, though he is in total agony as the power slips its way up to his arm.
Why, especially when being compared to the Hulk, is Thanos relatively unscathed every time he uses the power of the stones? Even when he uses all of them to perform the infamous snap?
Why Did He Depend on Loki?
In the original Avengers movie, it is Loki who plays the big bad and works to get ahold of the tesseract and all the power it possesses (as it has an infinity stone inside). Loki is working for Thanos and, though the Titan does not make his own appearance until the after-credits scene, one has to wonder why he decided Loki was the guy he was going to depend on to get this particular stone.
Loki didn't have that much experience on earth yet and, it wasn't as if Thanos didn't have other minions at his disposal.
Why Is The Black Order Devoted To Him?
Speaking of minions, it isn't until Avengers: Infinity War, that Ebony Maw and his other cronies start slipping across the universe to do Thanos' bidding. Ebony is even told that "earth is closed," by Iron Man himself. But why is the Black Order so devoted to Thanos?
What drew them to his vision? What made them his soldiers? What were their lives before they entered the Mad Titan's service? It's a little detail that isn't explored on-screen.
Could He Have Snapped Himself Out of Existence?
Murdering fifty percent of the universe seems to have been a random occurrence for everyone. Each individual had a fifty percent chance of living and a fifty percent chance of dying. The question is, did that include Thanos himself?
Was he willing to sacrifice himself in that way for the greater good? (At least as he saw it?) It seems like quite a risk to take if he wanted to see that his plan came to fruition.
How Did He Know The Stone's Sizes?
The Infinity Gauntlet is ready and waiting by the time Thanos makes his appearance in Avengers: Infinity War. But, since Thanos had yet to obtain all of the infinity stones, one has to wonder how the gauntlet was designed so exactly to fit each of the infinity stones even before they had been seen.
Had Thanos read about the stones somewhere? Hoe was he able to prepare to exactly for their coming and fit them into his weapon?
Why Was He On That Asteroid?
When Thanos is spotted at the end of the original Avengers movie he seems to be hanging out on a scrap of asteroid somewhere out in the universe. But, if his mission was so important, and if, as a Titan, he was so powerful, what was he doing out there in the darkness on a nothing piece of rock?
Even though he was just preparing to obtain the ultimate power, it's strange that he wouldn't be located somewhere a bit more impressive.
