by In the MCU, Thanos passed away for the seventh time following the most recent What If…? episode on Disney+.
Throughout the first eleven years of Marvel Studios’ narrative, Thanos served as the main antagonist and focal point of the MCU. Josh Brolin portrayed the character in the majority of his roles, and he continued to accrue MCU credits in Phase 5 even after he died in Avengers: Endgame.
The Reasons Behind All of Thanos’ MCU Deaths
What If…?‘s Season 2 debut, “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps,” began with the shocking revelation that Thanos had perished in this universe—the sixth time the Mad Titan had perished in a Marvel Studios production.
As the Watcher recounted, Ronan killed and betrayed Thaanos in the “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps” world, allegedly pulling Gamora down with him because his “thirst for power had met its match:”
“In this universe, Ronan the Accuser betrayed Thanos. The Mad Titan’s thirst for power had met its match. And in his fall, he took Nebula’s sister along with him.”
In What If…?, the Mad Titan ultimately met his fate a seventh time. Despite having another version of all six in his possession, a Kilmonger Variant used the power of the Infinity Stones to snap him away in the season two finale.
The following goes into further detail on each of Thaanos’ seven MCU deaths to date, along with two more possible defeats:
How Would You Feel If…? (1st episode of Season 2) Murdered by Ronan
Considering the most recent news of Thanos’ passing, the Mad Titan’s demise served as the inspiration for What If…? Nebula joined the Nova Corps in Season 2, Episode 1, and faced Ronan the Accuser and corruption.
With the use of the Kree Universal Weapon, Ronan had already defeated Thanos before the events of the premiere, assuming the title of greatest and most dreaded villain in the galaxy.
How Would You Feel If…? (Episode 9, Season 2) Captured by Kilmonger.
As Kahhori and Captain Carter confronted Doctor Strange Supreme in the Forge, encircled by Universe Killers, they engaged in combat with a newly arrived Thaanos Variant via a Space Stone gateway.
But before he could harm the two heroes, a Kilmonger Variant wearing a set of armor with all six Infinity Stones blasted Thanos out of existence.
Kahhori easily overcame this Kilmonger by using her abilities to transport him out of his superpowerful suit, leaving him for certain death by a swarm of Universe Killers.
Avengers: Endgame: Thor Beheads
The pre-time-jump start of Avengers: Infinity War was the first, and maybe most significant, death of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Following the Snap, the remaining Avengers spent weeks looking for the Mad Titan. When they eventually encountered him in the Garden, Thor used Stormbreaker to decapitate Thanos as he “went for the head.”
Avengers: Endgame: Iron Man Snaps
Who would have imagined that Marvel could eliminate Thanos twice in one film? Endgame authors Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus.
The Avengers faced a 2014 version that used time travel and a brainwashed Nebula to go to the present and try to take the Infinity Stones five years after they had defeated Thanos in their own time.
But, Tony Stark grabbed the gauntlet and snapped him out of existence, defeating him after he faced up against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
How Would You Feel If…? (Episode 5, Season 1) – Turned into a zombie
Josh Brolin’s Thanos is only one of the numerous MCU icons that have had various variations introduced by the Multiverse Saga.
How Would You Feel If…? presented the first of these in Season 1, Episode 5, whereby Thanos, having obtained all six Infinity Stones, arrived on Earth only to become a zombie due to a Quantum Virus infection.
Thus, this specific version of Thanos was less dead and more undead.
How Would You Feel If…? (Episode 8, Season 1) – Half-Cut by Infinite Ultron
How Would You Feel If…? Ultron confronted the mightiest force in the world in Season 1, Episode 8, setting the stage for another villainous Avengers team to gather the Infinity Stones.
The AI faced out against Thanos, who was already in possession of five of the six stones, in a reality where Ultron had been able to take over Vision’s body, use the Mind Stone, and realize his full potential.
However, Ultron surprised him by slicing Thanos in two, stealing the stones, and using them to battle the Guardians of the Multiverse.
The Illuminati Killed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The actual background behind Earth-838’s Thanos was deleted from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, although his aim was likely identical to Earth-616.
Doctor Strange decided to investigate the Darkhold in quest of answers as the Illuminati sought to fight Thanos. Unintentionally, he dream-walked and destroyed a whole universe, which led to an incursion.
The Book of Vishanti, which was essentially the opposite of the Darkhold, was used by the other Illuminati members to eliminate this particular Thanos.
BONUS.) What If? (Episode 4 of Season 2) – Iron Man and Gamora attacked
With Tony Stark free from the Grandmaster and on his way back to Earth, Gamora crept up on him to say she “can’t return to [her] father without him.”
However, bringing Stark to a sitting Thanos in chains proved to be a straightforward plot to depose her father. The Avenger hurled the Grandmaster’s Melt Stick toward her in the middle of her leap, causing it to collide with his chest armor.
It was shown in Thor: Ragnarok that this gadget could liquefy individuals at the touch, however, it’s unclear if this same effect applied to a powerful person like Thanos because the episode ended before it was made plain whether or not he truly perished.
BONUS.) What If? (Episode 7 of Season 2) – Wenwu and Hela attacked
Gamora’s home planet of Zen-Whoberi turned out to be one of their objectives as Hela and Wenwu banded together to start liberating the nine realms following her redemption and conversion to the side of life, just as she was first introduced to Thanos as a little girl.
It was unclear from their depiction if the Mad Titan was slain by the heroes or merely vanquished as they rode the Bifrost towards him and his army.
Will We See Thanos in the MCU Again?
The MCU’s Thanos era is coming to an end with Avengers: Endgame and the Infinity Saga’s culmination; instead, the attention is now on other adversaries. However, Disney still recognizes the worth and appeal of Thanos, as seen by their deceptive use of the Infinity War antagonist in The Marvel teaser.
Nevertheless, the Mad Titan will probably keep making appearances in What If…? as Josh Brolin has retained his role as the antagonist for the narration. Though he has only made a few brief cameos thus far, viewers should expect a more Thanos-focused episode in the future.
Furthermore, as the Multiverse continues to be the focal point of the MCU’s narrative, there is always a chance that a live-action Thonos Variant may make a comeback. It would be interesting to see King Thaanos, who vanquished the Avengers, appear in a later film like Secret Wars, as Disney Parks has introduced him.
Disney+ is currently offering all of Thanos’ Marvel Studios appearances for streaming.
Who replaced Thanos?
Given their comparable personalities and spheres of influence, Kingpin is being positioned as the next antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, taking the place of Thanos. Kingpin’s rise is similar to that of Thanos in the Infinity Saga in that he made a series of minor cameos before making his official debut as a villain.
Is Thonos in love with death?
In Marvel Comics, Thanos is well-known for his unwavering devotion to Lady Death; nevertheless, the Mad Titans’ true target was supposed to be a shape-shifting Skrull.
Why was Thonos`s actor replaced?
In The Avengers, Damion Poitier portrayed Thonos; however, Josh Brolin performed the role with motion capture starting with Guardians of the Galaxy. Recasting Thanos was a creative choice rather than a result of scheduling difficulties with the actor, as has happened in previous MCU circumstances.
