# Thanos
**Thanos** is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics), a cosmic tyrant known as the Mad Titan who quests for the [Infinity Stones](https://www.edgepedia.org/infinity-stones) and, in his most famous storyline, erased half of all life in the universe. Created by writer and artist [Jim Starlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-starlin), he first appeared in *Iron Man* (1968) #55, cover dated February 1973, in a story credited to Mike Friedrich and Starlin.[1](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/9610/spa/aggregate) Decades later he became the central antagonist of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018) and *Avengers: Endgame* (2019), played by Josh Brolin.[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appearance | *Iron Man* (1968) #55, February 1973, by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin[1](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/9610/spa/aggregate) |
| Creator | Jim Starlin (born 1949, Detroit), who conceived the character in a college psychology class[3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html) • [2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) |
| Name origin | The "Romanesque" version of Thanatos, the Greek personification of death[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) |
| Appearance | Purple, rugged, misshapen skin caused by a Deviants gene; listed height 6'7"[4](https://www.marvel.com/characters/thanos/in-comics/) |
| Signature story | *The Infinity Gauntlet* (1991), six-issue limited series by Starlin with art by George Pérez and Ron Lim[5](https://nwaccwww.omniweb.cloud/_documents/studentnewspaper/2018/evmay2018.pdf) |
| Comic motivation | Obsession with the goddess Death; he wiped out half the universe to impress her[6](https://time.com/5227586/mcu-six-infinity-stones/) |
| MCU motivation | Restoring "balance" by killing half of all living things to address overpopulation[6](https://time.com/5227586/mcu-six-infinity-stones/) |
| Screen actors | Damion Poitier in *The Avengers* (2012); Josh Brolin from *Guardians of the Galaxy* (2014) onward[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) |
## Creation
Jim Starlin, a Detroit-born writer and artist who had served in the Navy during the [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war), conceived Thanos in a college psychology class after hearing [Sigmund Freud](https://www.edgepedia.org/sigmund-freud)'s ideas about Thanatos, the Greek personification of death.[3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html) • [2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) He sketched the character within weeks and used the early concept drawings in the portfolio that got him work at Marvel.[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) Starlin has said the name is the "Romanesque" version of the character's Greek ancestor, and he recalled a Greek restaurant on his walk to the Marvel offices called Thanotos, a name meaning death.[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview)
The character's look and role owe a debt to [Jack Kirby](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-kirby)'s New Gods. Starlin has acknowledged that Thanos drank from Kirby's Darkseid in his origins, though in a later interview he said the inspiration was not straightforward: "You'd think that Thanos was inspired by Darkseid, but that was not the case when I showed up."[3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html) • [7](https://comicbookco.com/comics/darkseid-vs-thanos/) Editor Roy Thomas saw promise in the young artist and gave him *Captain Marvel*, where Thanos's early stories unfolded.[3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html) Starlin packed his characters into *Iron Man* #55 because, as he put it, he believed his career would last weeks.[3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html)
## Comic book history
**1970s origins.** After debuting in *Iron Man* #55, Thanos became the antagonist of Starlin's run on *Captain Marvel*, with his first battle against Earth's Mightiest Heroes chronicled in *Captain Marvel* (1968) #28–33.[8](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/1023/thanos-victories) The so-called Thanos War arc ran across *Captain Marvel* #25–33 in 1973 and 1974.[9](https://www.mycomicscollection.com/en/blog/artistes-majeurs-thanos/) In this period he was turned to stone by the Avengers, Spider-Man, and [Adam Warlock](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-warlock), and was later revived by Death.[4](https://www.marvel.com/characters/thanos/in-comics/)
**The Infinity trilogy.** When Starlin returned to Marvel in the 1990s, he made Thanos the protagonist of his largest story. In *The Thanos Quest* (1990), Thanos gathered the six [Infinity Gems](https://www.edgepedia.org/infinity-gems), known earlier as soul gems, from their various holders.[3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html) • [10](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/227/thanos-the-mad-titan?EML=080318_Pulse_Character&cid=Pulse) *The Infinity Gauntlet* (1991), a six-issue limited series written by Starlin with art by [George Pérez](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-perez) and Ron Lim, then showed him wielding all six at once.[5](https://nwaccwww.omniweb.cloud/_documents/studentnewspaper/2018/evmay2018.pdf) To impress Death, he erased half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers; Death rejected the gesture, claiming he had become her superior, and the Avengers, Galactus, and Eternity were swatted aside before his granddaughter Nebula stole the Gauntlet from him.[4](https://www.marvel.com/characters/thanos/in-comics/) Adam Warlock recruited Thanos to help defeat Nebula, and afterward a self-aware Thanos briefly farmed, joined the [Infinity Watch](https://www.edgepedia.org/infinity-watch), and safeguarded the Reality Gem.[4](https://www.marvel.com/characters/thanos/in-comics/) Starlin followed with the sequels *The Infinity War* (1992) and *Infinity Crusade* (1993).[11](https://www.comics.org/creator/6581/) The character's appearances now number in the hundreds: the Grand Comics Database indexes 439 issues featuring him.[12](https://www.comics.org/character/5680/issues/?page=1&sort=-publication_date&story_type=13&story_type=19&story_type=21&story_type=5&story_type=6&story_type=7)
**Later runs.** Notable modern series include *Thanos* (2016–2018), begun by Jeff Lemire and taken over by Donny Cates with Geoff Shaw, whose story "Thanos Wins" depicted a possible future in which the villain had eliminated all the heroes.[13](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/22653/thanos_%282016_-_2018%29) • [14](https://databasecomics.com/2022/02/08/dc-vs-marvel-darkseid-or-thanos-better-villain/) In Jonathan Hickman's 2015 *Secret Wars*, Doctor Doom ends his fight with Thanos by ripping out his spine.[15](https://www.9to5marvel.com/is-thanos-in-avengers-secret-wars-josh-brolin/)
## Powers and the Infinity Gauntlet
Without artifacts, Thanos is a physically formidable alien: Marvel's profile credits his gruesome appearance to a Deviants gene, and fan summaries of his published power set describe extreme durability, strength below the Hulk's, energy projection, limited telepathy, resistance to mind control, and access to Eternal-level technology such as teleportation.[4](https://www.marvel.com/characters/thanos/in-comics/) • [16](https://comicbookco.com/comics/thanos-powers-explained/)
[The Infinity Gauntlet](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-infinity-gauntlet), a glove from Thanos's own armor modified to house the six Infinity Gems, grants its wearer near-omnipotence when all six are united.[17](https://avengers-marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet) • [18](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet) Marvel's database states that even the combined powers of cosmic beings including Eternity, the Celestials, [Death](https://www.edgepedia.org/death-marvel-comics), Mephisto, and Galactus made up only a small fraction of the Gauntlet's power, and that the only known beings exceeding it are the [Living Tribunal](https://www.edgepedia.org/living-tribunal) and the One Above All.[18](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet) One stated limit is internal: the Gauntlet cannot be used to destroy itself.[18](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet) In the 1991 story, Thanos's anger at a mere 2 percent of the Gauntlet's full strength sank the west coast of the United States and Japan underwater and shattered the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard.[18](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet)
## Screen adaptation
Thanos entered film quietly: Damion Poitier played him in the mid-credits stinger of *The Avengers* (2012), and [Josh Brolin](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-brolin) took over the role from *Guardians of the Galaxy* (2014) through *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*.[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) The films are loose adaptations of Starlin's 1990 *Thanos Quest* and 1991 *The Infinity Gauntlet*.[19](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/5-predictions-we-have-for-avengers-doomsday-after-watching-avengers-endgame-encore/) The screenwriters changed his motivation: in the comics he destroys half the universe to impress Death, a tangible divine being, while in *Infinity War* he is concerned with overpopulation and seeks to "restore balance" by killing half of all living things.[6](https://time.com/5227586/mcu-six-infinity-stones/) Starlin accepted the changes, saying he expected them and found them minor.[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) In a 2019 Time ranking of every MCU villain, Thanos placed first, the only villain on the list who accomplished his goal and defeated the Avengers.[20](https://time.com/5553690/marvel-cinematic-universe-villains-ranked/)
## Reception
Starlin himself expected little: "I had always thought he was too weird and esoteric to actually get into the mainstream," he said in 2019, calling the character's fame surrealistic.[2](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview) Commentators have debated the character's handling after his creator's run; a ComicBook.com feature argued that 2010s Marvel reduced him to an all-powerful bad guy, discarding the complicated character development of earlier stories.[21](https://comicbook.com/comics/feature/thanos-in-the-21st-century-has-been-the-worst-version-of-marvels-iconic-villain/) Comparisons with DC's Darkseid are a fixture of fan discussion, with writers noting that Thanos's philosophy, nihilism, and relationship with Death are Starlin's own contributions rather than a copy of Kirby's character.[7](https://comicbookco.com/comics/darkseid-vs-thanos/)
## References
1. [Iron Man (1968) #55, Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/9610/spa/aggregate)
2. [Jim Starlin on "Thicc Thanos" and the '80s Sitcom That Inspired Him, Inverse (2019)](https://www.inverse.com/article/55330-thanos-creator-jim-starlin-interview)
3. [Cómo el LSD creó a Thanos, el gran villano de 'Vengadores: Infinity War', El País (2018)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/04/10/ka_boom/1523371872_011176.html)
4. [Thanos (The Mad Titan) In Comics Profile, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/characters/thanos/in-comics/)
5. [The Eagle View student newspaper (2018) on The Infinity Gauntlet](https://nwaccwww.omniweb.cloud/_documents/studentnewspaper/2018/evmay2018.pdf)
6. [Everything to Know About Marvel's Infinity Stones, Time (2018)](https://time.com/5227586/mcu-six-infinity-stones/)
7. [Darkseid vs Thanos: Who Wins, and Why It's Complicated, ComicBookCo](https://comicbookco.com/comics/darkseid-vs-thanos/)
8. [Thanos' Victories, Marvel Comic Reading List](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/1023/thanos-victories)
9. [The Artists Who Defined Thanos, My Comics Collection](https://www.mycomicscollection.com/en/blog/artistes-majeurs-thanos/)
10. [Thanos Character Close Up, Marvel Comic Reading List](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/227/thanos-the-mad-titan?EML=080318_Pulse_Character&cid=Pulse)
11. [Jim Starlin creator page, Grand Comics Database](https://www.comics.org/creator/6581/)
12. [Thanos character index, Grand Comics Database](https://www.comics.org/character/5680/issues/?page=1&sort=-publication_date&story_type=13&story_type=19&story_type=21&story_type=5&story_type=6&story_type=7)
13. [Thanos (2016–2018) series page, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/22653/thanos_%282016_-_2018%29)
14. [DC vs Marvel: Darkseid or Thanos, Database Comics (2022)](https://databasecomics.com/2022/02/08/dc-vs-marvel-darkseid-or-thanos-better-villain/)
15. [Is Thanos in Avengers Secret Wars?, 9to5marvel (2026)](https://www.9to5marvel.com/is-thanos-in-avengers-secret-wars-josh-brolin/)
16. [Thanos's Powers Explained, ComicBookCo](https://comicbookco.com/comics/thanos-powers-explained/)
17. [Infinity Gauntlet, Avengers Marvel Wiki](https://avengers-marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet)
18. [Infinity Gauntlet, Marvel Database (Fandom)](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet)
19. [5 predictions for Avengers: Doomsday, GamesRadar (2026)](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/5-predictions-we-have-for-avengers-doomsday-after-watching-avengers-endgame-encore/)
20. [We Ranked Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Villain, Time (2019)](https://time.com/5553690/marvel-cinematic-universe-villains-ranked/)
21. [Thanos in the 21st Century Has Been the Worst Version of Marvel's Iconic Villain, ComicBook.com (2026)](https://comicbook.com/comics/feature/thanos-in-the-21st-century-has-been-the-worst-version-of-marvels-iconic-villain/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Visual arts and design › Illustration and illustrators › Comic books and characters › Comic book characters and teams › Marvel Comics characters and teams*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license