They say behind every great man is a woman, and in the case of Thanos, behind the Mad Titan stands a mother horrified at what she let loose into the universe. Most of Thanos’ family are off-screen players, and his most consistently appearing relative is his brother Starfox, Eros of the Eternals. But in a recent story, both of Thanos’ parents appeared briefly. Though her time on the page is short, Thanos’ mother Sui-San makes sure to deliver a line to her son that he will never forget.
Thanos’ relationship with his parents is at the center of Eternals #10, from Kieron Gillen, Esad Ribiç. Matthew Wilson, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Darren Shan. The issue sees Thanos’ parents forever imprisoned in the Exclusion by their fellow Eternals for all the harm caused by their son. After being elected Prime Eternal, the Mad Titan takes the opportunity to visit.
As Thanos threatens and interrogates A’Lars and Sui-San in their cells, it becomes clear that his parents will not divulge the information he seeks. In her parting words, Sui-San tells her eldest son, “I do not believe in unconditional love, Thanos. But know this: my hate for you is unconditional.“
Thanos’ Face is One Not Even A Mother Could Love
Truthfully, a large part of this Eternals series focuses on Thanos’ tangled history with the Eternals. He and Starfox are the end result of a fringe experiment by A’Lars and Sui-San: to prove that Eternals could procreate. However, Deviant properties affected Thanos’ development in utero, and are responsible for his trademark purple skin and Skrull-like chin. Looking upon his face for the first time and seeing the dark potential in his eyes Sui-San attempted to murder Thanos shortly after giving birth to him. Thanos would later kill Sui-San and perform an autopsy on her corpse, so clearly no love is lost between the two of them.
Thanos was not aware of the full abilities awarded to his parents as True Eternals, and so he is quite surprised to learn upon his election to Prime Eternal that A’Lars and Sui-San have been resurrected and imprisoned long ago. He executes the both of them multiple times, and is disgusted to discover that their resurrection cannot be halted so long as the Machine That Is Earth functions. Thanos’ later interrogation of his parents is predicated on learning the secrets of his makeup and recoding himself as a True Eternal to enjoy those same benefits. His mother’s final words impress upon Thanos so deeply that he risks destroying the entire planet, either to enter the resurrection protocol, destroy the Machine and thereby make his parents vulnerable to a final death, or be obliterated trying.
Sui-San’s Words Trigger Thanos’ Oldest, Deepest Wound
Thanos is no stranger to dramatic or damning dialogue. His MCU counterpart made waves with Thanos’ simple “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Still, the Mad Titan has tough competition in that arena thanks to his own mother. Two short sentences, but they cut to the heart of their deeply twisted relationship. At that moment, Sui-San speaks to Thanos’ oldest trauma, standing firm as the perpetrator and having no regret. It might be colder than anything Thanos has uttered thus far.
Eternals #10 is available from Marvel Comics.
