Thanos is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, created by writer-artist Jim Starlin. First appearing in 1973, he is a powerful Eternal-Deviant mutant from Titan who seeks to win the affection of Mistress Death by eradicating half of all life in the universe, most famously through the Infinity Gauntlet.
Thanos makes his first appearance in Iron Man #55, created by Jim Starlin. He is an Eternal-Deviant mutant from the moon Titan, obsessed with acquiring power and courting Mistress Death. #Marvel #Villain
In Captain Marvel #29, Thanos battles Drax the Destroyer and Moondragon, solidifying his role as a cosmic threat. Drax is created specifically to destroy Thanos. #Marvel #Cosmic
In Strange Tales #178, Thanos seeks the Soul Gem, one of the six Infinity Gems, marking his first pursuit of ultimate power. He battles Adam Warlock. #InfinityStones #Marvel
In Captain Marvel #33, Thanos murders his mother Sui-San during her attempted assassination of him, a pivotal moment in his backstory. This act hardens his path toward nihilism. #Marvel #Tragedy
In Captain Marvel #38, Thanos obtains the Cosmic Cube from the Controller, using it to nearly destroy the Avengers and other heroes. He is eventually defeated by the combined efforts of Captain Marvel and others. #CosmicCube #Avengers
In Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2, Thanos allies with Mistress Death to eradicate life, but is betrayed by her. His obsession with Death becomes a defining trait. #LadyDeath #Marvel
In the graphic novel 'The Death of Captain Marvel', Thanos orchestrates Captain Marvel's death from cancer, a rare moment of respect for a foe. Thanos later resurrects. #CaptainMarvel #Death
In a two-issue series 'Thanos Quest', Thanos systematically collects all six Infinity Gems by manipulating and defeating cosmic beings. This sets up the Infinity Gauntlet saga. #InfinityGauntlet #Marvel
The 'Infinity Gauntlet' #1 is published, written by Jim Starlin. Thanos uses the completed gauntlet to wipe out half of all life in the universe, including the Avengers and other heroes, to impress Mistress Death. #InfinityGauntlet #Snap
In 'Infinity Gauntlet' #6, Nebula steals the gauntlet from Thanos, who is then defeated by Adam Warlock. Thanos later becomes a farmer on Titan, temporarily ending his reign of terror. #InfinityWar #Marvel
In 'Infinity War' #1, an evil doppelgänger of Adam Warlock called the Magus uses the Infinity Gems to create chaos. Thanos assists the heroes to stop him, revealing his complex morality. #InfinityWar #Marvel )
In 'Infinity Crusade', the Goddess (a good side of Warlock) steals the Infinity Gems to enforce universal peace. Thanos opposes her, preferring free will. The story explores Thanos's nihilistic philosophy. #InfinityCrusade #Marvel
Thanos helps Adam Warlock form the Infinity Watch, a group tasked to guard the individual Infinity Gems. Thanos himself becomes the keeper of the Soul Gem. #InfinityWatch #Marvel
In 'Secret Defenders' #11-14, Thanos manipulates events to test humanity's worth, showcasing his long-term scheming. He spares Earth but warns of future threats. #SecretDefenders #Marvel
In the graphic novel 'Thanos: The End', Thanos conquers the universe and eliminates most life, but becomes bored. He forces Death to undo his actions, but is later killed by Warlock. The story is a possible future. #ThanosTheEnd #Marvel
In 'Avengers: The Ultron Imperative' and subsequent stories, Thanos is resurrected by Hala, the Supreme Intelligence, to combat Ultron. He quickly returns to his villainous ways. #Avengers #Resurrection
In 'Annihilation: Prologue', Annihilus captures Thanos to exploit his knowledge of the cosmic universe. Thanos is tortured but eventually escapes. This leads to the Annihilation event. #Annihilation #Marvel )
In 'Annihilation' #1-6, Thanos breaks free and seizes control of the Annihilation Wave, becoming a temporary ally to the heroes against the insectoid forces. His motives remain ambiguous. #Annihilation #Marvel )
In 'Annihilation Conquest' #1, Thanos is revealed to have survived the previous war and manipulates events, including the Phalanx invasion, to advance his own agenda. #AnnihilationConquest #Marvel
In 'Secret Invasion: Inhumans' #3, Thanos allies with the Skrulls but secretly uses them to his advantage. The tie-in explores his manipulation of the superhero community. #SecretInvasion #Marvel
In 'War of Kings' #1-6, Thanos advises the Shi'ar Empire but has secret plans to obtain the T-Bomb. He is defeated by the combined forces of Black Bolt and others. #WarOfKings #Marvel
In 'The Thanos Imperative' #1-6, Thanos escapes the Cancer-verse and aligns with the Revengers (evil counterparts of the Guardians of the Galaxy) to bring death to the universe. He is killed by Star-Lord wielding the Cosmic Cube. #ThanosImperative #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy
In 'Avengers vs. Thanos' (part of 'The Thanos Imperative: Devastation'), Thanos is resurrected from the Cancerverse by the Magus. He returns to the normal universe with a vengeance. #Avengers #Marvel
In 'Infinity' #1-6 by Jonathan Hickman, Thanos launches a massive invasion of Earth because his son Thane is there. He is opposed by the Avengers and the Illuminati. #Infinity #Avengers )
In 'Infinity' #5, Thanos's son Thane uses his power to encase Thanos in a solid block of amber, leaving him trapped for years. This shows a rare defeat at the hands of his own offspring. #Thane #Marvel )
In 'Original Sin' tie-in, Thanos is freed from his amber prison by the Avengers when they investigate his past. He quickly resumes his plans for universal domination. #OriginalSin #Avengers )
In 'Secret Wars' #1-9, Thanos is part of a rebellion against God Emperor Doom in Battleworld. He is killed by Doctor Strange but later restored. #SecretWars #Marvel )
In 'Thanos' (2016) #1 by Donny Cates, Thanos recovers from his near-death and sets out to become the new cosmic overlord. He kills his son Thane and begins a bloody conquest. #Thanos2016 #Marvel )
In 'Thanos' (2016) #6-12, the story 'Thanos Wins' reveals a future where an older Thanos has conquered the Marvel Universe, killing all heroes and gods. The younger Thanos is inspired to achieve this destiny. #ThanosWins #Marvel )
In 'Thanos Legacy' #1, Thanos fights and kills several members of the Black Order who betray him, reinforcing his rule by terror. He then sets his sights on the entire universe. #BlackOrder #Marvel )
In 'Thanos' (2016) #18, Thanos takes the power of the Black Hand and becomes the literal embodiment of death, merging with Mistress Death's essence. He now controls the very concept of mortality. #GodOfDeath #Marvel )
In 'Thanos' (2016) #19-24, Thanos battles his siblings who reappear from a pocket dimension. He ultimately traps them, but is left alone and empty. #ThanosSiblings #Marvel )
In 'Thanos vs. Deadpool' #1-4, Deadpool kills Thanos multiple times, but Thanos eventually wins and curses Deadpool with immortality. The story is a comedic take on their rivalry. #ThanosVsDeadpool #Marvel
In 'The Avengers' (2018) #24 by Jason Aaron, a future King Thanos rules a barren universe with his Thanos Corps, hunting down superhumans. The story explores his ultimate victory. #KingThanos #Avengers )
In 'Avengers: The Age of Khonshu' and 'Death of the Inhumans', Thanos attempts to claim the Phoenix Force but fails. He continues his quest for absolute power. #PhoenixForce #Marvel )
In 'King in Black' #1-5, Thanos is briefly resurrected by Knull but is quickly defeated. The event shows Thanos's enduring nemesis role. #KingInBlack #Marvel
In 'Avengers: Forever' #1-12, a multiversal Thanos from another reality leads an army of evil Avengers. The story culminates with the defeat of this Thanos variant. #AvengersForever #Marvel
In the graphic novel 'The Infinity Revelation', Thanos is resurrected by Adam Warlock and given a chance at redemption, but he rejects it and continues his war on life. #InfinityRevelation #Marvel
In 'Strange' #1-10, Thanos is brought back by a rogue sorcerer to fight Doctor Strange, but he escapes and remains a cosmic menace. #DoctorStrange #Marvel )
In 'Thanos: The Dreadful' #1-5, Thanos obtains the Heart of the Universe and becomes all-powerful, but is tricked into losing it by the Living Tribunal. The story reaffirms his obsession with Death. #ThanosTheDreadful #Marvel
In 'Eternals: Thanos Rising', Thanos battles his Eternal relatives on Titan, showcasing his birth and the hatred from his mother. The story fleshes out his origin. #Eternals #Marvel )
In the current 'Absolute Power' event, Thanos returns with a new cosmic weapon, threatening the entire multiverse. He is confronted by the Avengers and the X-Men. #AbsolutePower #Marvel