Thanos’ MCU Origin & Motivations Are Different from the Comics

After 6 years of teases, we finally know how the Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War will differ from the comics. Marvel’s next big movie is on the horizon and thanks to EW‘s Infinity War coverage we’ve been learning all sorts of exciting things about the MCU film today. Alongside 15 covers for the magazine showing off the characters from the movie, fans have been given new images that feature the various heroes and villains seeking to either protect or destroy the Earth.

Though plenty of questions remain regarding the Avengers and the Guardians in Avengers: Infinity War, the mysterious nature of Thanos himself makes the Mad Titan a source of much speculation. Marvel have spent decades fleshing him out in the comics, but we’ve only had snatches of him in the MCU. Earlier today, we got an exciting image of Thanos throwing a moon. Now, we finally know more about Thanos’ revised origin and his motivations for seeking the Infinity Stones.

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EW have a rundown on a number of characters and storylines in Avengers: Infinity War, including our first real details on the big bad of the movie. According to Kevin Feige, Thanos will have some familiar traits but there will be a few twists to his comic book backstory:

“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. 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.”

Some of this stays in line with the comics. Thanos is from Titan (hence the nickname Mad Titan), though it’s the real life moon of Saturn rather than a planet. As for its destruction, that actually comes at his own hands. The miniseries Thanos: Rising details the Mad Titan’s origin and the destruction of his home, while The Infinity Gauntlet saw Thanos wiping out half of the universe to impress Death. Now, it seems as if his scheme will be Thanos’ version of population control. And though he thinks of himself as righteous, Feige speaks for the rest of us when he says:

“That’s either genius or horrific, depending on your point of view, and most of our point of views say it’s pretty horrific.”

The change in origin certainly makes Thanos seem less deranged and more of a human character, but it also removes Death as a major player in his life. The MCU has dealt with some heady concepts, but it’s skirted around universal constructs as actual characters. Though Thanos’ obsession with Death was teased in the post-credits scene of The Avengers, it seems that bit of comic lore won’t be making it fully into Avengers: Infinity War.

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