Since Thanos' cinematic debut during the post-credits scene of the first Avengers film, the Mad Titan's motivations in the MCU have been kept under wraps, until now.
Entertainment Weekly 's latest issue features a cover story about Avengers: Infinity War, including a tidbit about Thanos and his reason for collecting the six Infinity Stones. EW spoke with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who revealed the villain's motivations in the upcoming film will be very different than those of his comic counterpart.
"He's from a planet called Titan that's no longer inhabited because of things that he thought he could help prevent, and he was not allowed to do that," Feige told EW. "What he feared most happened, and the planet and everybody on it basically went extinct. He vowed not to let that happen again. He thinks he sees the universe going down the tubes. He thinks he sees life expanding outward unchecked. That will bring ruin, he believes, to the universe and to that life."
Thanos' mission in Avengers: Infinity War is to destroy one-half of the universe to save the other. "That's either genius or horrific, depending on your point of view," Feige explained. "And most of our point of views say it's pretty horrific."
In the 1991 miniseries, Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is motivated by his love for the physical embodiment of Death. To make Death happy, Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to slaughter half the universe, but in the end the Mad Titan's feelings aren't reciprocated. The story never mentions his home planet or the plight of its people as a driving force behind his actions.
It seems as though Marvel Studios is changing things up to make Thanos a more sympathetic figure in Infinity War. It'll be interesting to see the heroes challenge his ideals.
Avengers: Infinity War releases April 27.
What do you think of Thanos' motivations in Infinity War? Do you prefer his comic book backstory? Let us know in the comments section below.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Phillip Martinez is a game and culture reporter for Newsweek. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2018, he was a reporter ... Read more
