Thanos in the 21st Century Has Been the Worst Version of Marvel’s Iconic Villain

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While Marvel boasts a wide array of compelling villains, Thanos has become the most iconic in recent years. His popularity has surged in the 21st century, largely thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over the course of a decade of films, Thanos was built up as the ultimate antagonist, culminating in the massive success of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. These films successfully adapted the character’s complex backstory, showcasing the depth that made him so captivating to comic book fans.

Thanos’s popularity surged in the comics after becoming a major character in the Marvel films. While there have been many Thanos stories published since the first Avengers movie fourteen years ago, most fans agree they don’t measure up to his classic appearances. Though many consider Thanos Marvel’s best villain, it’s become clear that the character has lost some of his original appeal. Despite his recent popularity, Thanos isn’t nearly as captivating or well-developed as he was decades ago.

Marvel Has Forgotten What Made Thanos Great

I first encountered Thanos way back in the ’70s, and he quickly became a major player in Marvel’s cosmic side, which Jim Starlin was really shaping at the time. Starlin built a whole epic around four key characters: the original Captain Marvel, Adam Warlock, the Magus, and, of course, Thanos. What always struck me about Thanos was how he wasn’t just a bad guy, but a genuinely nihilistic figure – he actually fell in love with Death because he believed life was ultimately meaningless. Starlin used him brilliantly, and even though he wasn’t as huge as he is now, he was a real favorite of mine. Sadly, he was killed off in the early ’80s while trying to get his hands on a Cosmic Cube to wipe out half the universe for Mistress Death! But then came the game-changer: Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet event, and that’s when a whole new generation discovered just how awesome – and terrifying – Thanos could be.

The Infinity Gauntlet storyline isn’t just about a massive, universe-altering event; it’s a deep dive into the psychology of Thanos. Jim Starlin revealed Thanos’s origins on Titan, showing how his upbringing and feelings of inadequacy created a villain driven by a need to prove his worth. He sought godhood to validate himself, but ultimately undermined his own success because he felt unworthy. This marked a turning point for Thanos, leading to a more complex character who, surprisingly, began to exhibit heroic qualities – especially in the often-overlooked Infinity War storyline, and to a lesser degree in Infinity Crusade. While still retaining aspects of his former self, Thanos evolved beyond being simply a monster; he became a more nuanced and developed character, though not necessarily a hero.

Thanos underwent a significant evolution throughout the 1990s comics. Each appearance showed a changed and developed character. What makes that era of Thanos compelling isn’t that he became a hero, but that it demonstrated his inherent ability to change – something often lacking in modern superhero comics. A common issue with comics today is the reluctance to allow characters to grow, preferring to maintain the status quo and repeat familiar storylines.

I think the biggest issue with Thanos lately is they’ve lost what made him interesting. Originally, he wasn’t just a villain, but a truly compelling character, like Jim Starlin originally wrote him. There have been some great moments – I immediately think of “Thanos Wins” and storylines like “The Unworthy Thor” or Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers leading into “Secret War” – but Marvel seems to have fallen into the trap of only using him as the main bad guy. They’re keeping him firmly in that role, which is what most people know him for, but it’s really limited his potential and made the stories feel stale. It’s honestly hurt the character, in my opinion.

Marvel Needs to Allow Thanos to Change

Thanos started as a classic villain in the Marvel Universe, but he quickly evolved into a more complex character, a risk that ultimately worked. He featured in many popular storylines during the 1990s, thanks to writers like Jim Starlin (including Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Silver Surfer Vol. 3, and Thanos Quest), as well as others like Dan Jurgens in The Mighty Thor. This success continued into the 2000s, with Marvel: The End being a standout example of a story that used Thanos’s developed character while still portraying him as a major threat. However, in the 2010s, Marvel largely disregarded the nuances of his character, simply portraying him as an overwhelmingly powerful antagonist.

While Thanos is a compelling villain, the truly great ones evolve over time. Characters like Doctor Doom, Magneto, and Doctor Octopus remain popular because they’ve changed and allowed for fresh stories. Unfortunately, Marvel has limited Thanos’s development in recent years, particularly in the movies. This has resulted in a less interesting portrayal of the character than fans remember from the 1970s and 80s – the Thanos we loved is largely missing.

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2026-01-14 19:15