Marvel Offends Top MCU Villain Again Since Endgame, Altering Avengers’ Defeat Narrative in Infinity War

Since the release of Avengers: Endgame, where Thanos faced defeat, the Marvel Animation series What If…? has frequently illustrated the vulnerabilities of the Mad Titan. This narrative approach has inadvertently undermined the credibility of the Avengers, who were once depicted as the universe’s last line of defense. Thanos, notorious throughout the Infinity Saga as a formidable intergalactic tyrant and the adopted father to Gamora and Nebula, finds his legacy challenged in these Multiverse Saga tales. Despite his absence from live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, Thanos continues to appear in various forms, further diluting his once-feared reputation.

Thanos: The Undisputed MCU Villain

Thanos: The Primary Threat of the Infinity Saga

Thanos on Knowhere in Avengers Infinity War

Thanos was first introduced in a post-credits scene in 2012’s The Avengers, a pivotal moment that set the stage for his rise as the main antagonist of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. Few villains have matched his ambition, as Thanos aimed to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve unparalleled power and eradicate half of all existence.

Beyond being a feared warlord, Thanos also had a complex familial relationship. He adopted children across various worlds, training them to be formidable fighters known as the Black Order. Notably, Gamora and Nebula escaped his grasp, while others like Ebony Maw and Proxima Midnight remained loyal to their merciless father. Historically, Thanos’s strength appeared overwhelming in live-action narratives, yet What If…? has repeatedly contradicted this portrayal.

What If…? And Its Continuous Undermining of Thanos

Introducing Thanos Variants in What If…?

Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin, was ultimately defeated in Avengers: Endgame, but Marvel’s What If…? has introduced numerous alternate versions of the character. Throughout the series, many of these Thanos variants meet their demise in trivial and often humiliating ways, detracting from his previously established power in films like Infinity War and Endgame. The most recent example can be found in the fourth episode of season 3.

What If…? Episode	Release Date	Thanos’ Role
“What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?”	August 18, 2021	Retired
“What If… Zombies?!”	September 8, 2021	Zombie
“What If… Ultron Won?”	September 29, 2021	Killed by Ultron
“What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”	December 22, 2023	Killed by Ronan
“What If… Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?”	December 25, 2023	Killed by Gamora
“What If… Hela Found the Ten Rings?”	December 28, 2023	Attacking Gamora’s World
“What If… the Avengers Assembled in 1602?”	December 29, 2023	Fighting Captain America
“What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?”	December 30, 2023	Killed by Killmonger
“What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?”	December 25, 2024	Killed by Byrdie
“What If… What If?”	December 29, 2024	Wolverine Variant

Through various plotlines, Thanos has been depicted as an ineffectual character: he’s convinced to turn good, transformed into a zombie, cleaved in half by Ultron, and ultimately dispatched by various lesser characters. In the latest installment of What If…?, Thanos was portrayed as desperately vying for a coveted egg, ultimately leading to yet another defeat at the hands of Byrdie. This pattern of consistent belittling does not honor Thanos’s complex character as established in the Infinity Saga.

What If…? Alters the Legacy of Avengers: Infinity War

The Avengers’ Struggle Against Thanos

Thor failing to kill Thanos in Avengers Infinity War

The repeated suggestion that Thanos is easily beaten raises critical questions about the Avengers’ capabilities in Infinity War. If major heroes could not defeat the Mad Titan, this casts doubt on their strength and effectiveness. Moments that were once deemed pivotal, such as Thor’s critical miss, begin to appear as glaring blunders rather than heroism.

This narrative shift is echoed in Thanos’s brief appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where the Illuminati swiftly eliminated an alternate version of the Mad Titan before he could unleash chaos on their Earth. This juxtaposition starkly contrasts the struggles and failures of the original Avengers, as it suggests that Thanos’s defeat could have been achieved much more easily than previously believed.

Possibilities for Thanos’ Redemption in the MCU

The Future of Thanos in the MCU

Thanos watching the Avengers on the battlefield in Avengers Endgame

Marvel Studios has an opportunity to reinvigorate Thanos’s character through the promising multiverse concept. Various realities may exist where he was successful in his ambitions, presenting an avenue for deeper storytelling in upcoming projects like Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Such ventures could introduce a formidable version of Thanos alongside potential time-bending narratives involving characters like Doctor Doom.

The comics established Thanos’s involvement in Secret Wars, wherein he allied with the Cabal to annihilate realities, showcasing his lethal potential. This backdrop could craft a compelling return for Josh Brolin’s portrayal while hinting at another tragic demise at the hands of Doctor Doom, who infamously kills Thanos in the comics. Considering the ongoing theme of Thanos’s awaited redemption juxtaposed with his repeated defeats in What If…?, fans may anticipate a brutal yet redemptive arc in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Source & Images