Comic book movies often have forgettable villains – it’s common for these films to focus on making the heroes look good and ensuring audiences leave happy. But a few villains are truly exceptional. When people discuss the best, the Joker from *The Dark Knight* is almost always mentioned – he’s fascinating, with a mysterious backstory and a desire to create chaos. However, he’s not the only standout, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has also produced some impressive evildoers.
Thanos first appeared after the credits of *The Avengers*, but he didn’t become a major threat until *Avengers: Infinity War*. Once he started his plan, nothing could stop him from achieving his goal: eliminating half of all life in the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet. However, despite his initial victory, Thanos isn’t a flawless villain. Here are seven puzzling aspects of his character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
7) Giving Away an Infinity Stone
In *The Avengers*, Loki shows up with a powerful new weapon – a staff that lets him control others. It’s later revealed in *Avengers: Age of Ultron* that the staff actually contains an Infinity Stone. Although it seems logical to use one Infinity Stone to obtain another, Thanos makes a critical mistake and loses one of the stones he needs to achieve his ultimate goal.
6) Trusting the Wrong People
After being tricked by Loki, you’d expect Thanos to handle things personally. But in *Guardians of the Galaxy*, he’s surprisingly lazy, delegating the search for the Power Stone to his daughters and Ronan the Accuser. This plan backfires when Ronan and Nebula fail, and Gamora betrays him. Thanos’s decision to stay put ultimately forces him to make an unnecessary trip to Xandar.
5) Waiting Too Long to Attack
It’s a bit strange that the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t tell us when Thanos first learned about the Infinity Stones. It seems to have been years before the events of *The Avengers*. This means he just waited while the Avengers assembled and others, like Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch, gained powers that could eventually threaten him.
4) Letting Tony Stark Live
Although Thanos’s plan in *Infinity War* involves eliminating half of all life, he doesn’t personally enjoy killing. He mostly relies on his followers to do the dirty work, and even shows mercy at times – like when he leaves Tony Stark and the others on Titan. This act of kindness ultimately backfires, as it allows Tony to finish the time-travel research that eventually leads to Thanos’s downfall.
3) Never Mentioning His Brother
Thanos explains his history to Doctor Strange, detailing the downfall of his home planet, Titan. He claims the planet suffered due to a lack of resources, leading to disaster. Thanos presents himself as the sole survivor of his family, which isn’t true. His brother, Starfox, is still alive and identifies himself as Thanos’s relative. It’s unclear if Thanos knows Starfox survived Titan’s destruction, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t confirmed this yet.
2) Only Seeing One Way Through
The events on Titan were devastating and deeply affected those who saw them. Thanos argues his actions were necessary because resources are limited, but that’s not necessarily the case – he had the power to create resources with the Infinity Stones. Instead, he took it upon himself to decide who lived and died across the galaxy. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe portrays Thanos as intelligent, his choices ultimately reveal a lack of wisdom.
1) Having No Connection to Death
The movie *Infinity War* could have explained Thanos’s motivations more effectively by connecting him to Death, a powerful cosmic being in Marvel comics who controls life and death. The comics use this connection to great effect, giving Thanos a more compelling reason for his actions. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe generally aims for a sense of realism, and this approach unfortunately makes Thanos’s story less impactful than it could have been.
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2025-10-14 23:13