Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Thanos
Thanos
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
	Thanos as portrayed by Josh Brolin via motion capture in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
First appearance	The Avengers (2012)
Last appearance	Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Based on	Thanos; by Jim Starlin
Adapted by	Joss Whedon; Zak Penn; Christopher Markus; Stephen McFeely;
Portrayed by	Josh Brolin
Voiced by	Josh Brolin (What If...?)
Motion capture	Damion Poitier (The Avengers)
In-universe information
Alias	The Mad Titan
Species	Titan
Affiliation	Children of Thanos; Chitauri; Sakaarans; Outriders;
Weapon	Infinity Gauntlet; Double-sided sword;
Family	A'lars (father); Eros (brother);
Children	Gamora (adoptive daughter); Nebula (adoptive daughter); Corvus Glaive (adoptive son); Cull Obsidian (adoptive son); Ebony Maw (adoptive son); Proxima Midnight (adoptive daughter);
Home	Titan; Garden;

Thanos is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Josh Brolin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics supervillain of the same name. He is depicted as an alien warlord from the doomed planet Titan with a universe-spanning agenda to wipe out half of all life to stabilize overpopulation and prevent what he views as life's inevitable extinction. To do this, he sets out to obtain the six Infinity Stones, cosmic gems with the power to achieve his goal. With the help of his adopted children, Thanos fights against the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and their allies, in the Infinity War, succeeds in assembling the Stones, and disintegrates half of all life in the universe in an event that is known as the Blip. After escaping to the Garden and destroying the Stones, he is eventually killed by Thor. Five years later, an alternate version of Thanos from 2014 time travels to 2023 to battle the Avengers once again, but is killed by Tony Stark.

Thanos is a key figure in the 23 films that make up the MCU's Infinity Saga, having appeared in five of its films, most notably Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Several versions of Thanos from alternate realities in the MCU multiverse also appear in Endgame, the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present), and the Phase Four film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Thanos' appearance changed drastically over the course of his appearances as advances in CGI and motion capture technology allowed for better capture of Brolin's facial features. A new facial capture application called Masquerade was created for Infinity War and Endgame using machine learning. The character has been well received by critics and fans alike, with Brolin winning multiple awards for his performance. Thanos is often credited as one of the MCU's best villains, as well as one of the greatest film villains of all time. After his appearance in Infinity War, he became a key figure in popular culture and memes, making appearances in a variety of other media.
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