Marvel Superhero Thanos (Photo Credit – Prime Video)
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Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame achieved unprecedented box office success, grossing a cumulative $4.9 billion, establishing the absolute zenith of the superhero genre. However, this cinematic triumph did not materialize without assimilating elements from disparate genres, including mythology.
The duology’s phenomenal success is inseparable from its antagonist, Thanos — a villain who ruled with cold calculus over moral conviction. Portrayed by Josh Brolin, the villain is loosely predicated on another mythological character from Greek mythological figure Thanatos, transcending beyond the Norse deities Thor and Loki, as per ScreenRant.
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Thanos-actor Josh Brolin has shared this heartfelt message that Thanos wrote to his own mother… pic.twitter.com/9lJE8l7BYW
Thanatos represents a minor figure in Greek mythology, defined as the personification of death itself, which precipitated the creation of Thanos, the Marvel Comics villain originally introduced in the 55th issue of The Invincible Iron Man by writer-illustrator duo Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich. Starlin attributed the Mad Titan to Sigmund Freud’s concept of the death drive, or inner death wish, which he had defined through Thanatos, per HV1. This implementation has structured Thanos and many cinema villains’ predilection to engage in perilous schemes, leading to quick and unnatural death.
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Marvel Fact: Thanos was first introduced in an Iron Man comic (The Invincible Iron Man #55) pic.twitter.com/zb7TrRYyc0
The story of Thanatos proves far more nuanced than many could conceive. The character largely opposed violence, and, like Thanos at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War, he brings an end to billions of lives through painless deaths.
Additionally, Thanos can also be considered a diminutive of the Greek male name Athanasios, which translates to “immortal.” The paradox between death and immortality eventuates the philosophical foundation that distinguishes Thanos from typical comic book antagonists. Where most villains pursue destruction for personal gain, Thanos operates under what he perceives as a cosmic necessity, mirroring Thanatos’s role as an inevitable force rather than a malevolent entity.
How Thanos’ Inspiration Compares To Marvel’s Superheroes
For anyone familiar with Greek mythology and legends like Homer’s The Iliad, Odyssey, or Virgil’s The Aeneid, Greek characters, including gods and the mightiest warriors, have all partaken in morally questionable activities ranging from non-consensual sexual encounters to slavery and violence. This dynamic led Marvel to Thanos, a rare entity within the Marvel Cinematic Universe that does not abide by the franchise’s black-and-white moral framework.
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This complexity compensates for the lack of moral ambiguity in Marvel’s heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man, all of whom follow practically identical cycles of change and growth while never genuinely threatening innocent lives, even for the greater good. For instance, the events of Avengers: Infinity War would never have been exacerbated had the Captain disintegrated Vision, an artificial being, and rid of the Mind Stone at the earliest.
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🎬:Chris Evans as Nomad Steve (Captain America) in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) pic.twitter.com/su0vfBCzXw
Thanatos appears as a minor character briefly mentioned in The Iliad, the prelude to The Odyssey. He opposes violent death, and his principles are repeatedly codified throughout Greek literature. Like Thanos, he appears with facial hair, though he also carries a sword and dons a black cloak, symbolizing his role as death’s inevitable executor rather than its violent instigator.
Here’s the “test footage” of Josh Brolin’s Thanos that was shown to @MarvelStudios executives prior to filming AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR… pic.twitter.com/P48lvSMI0w
This mythological foundation provides Thanos with philosophical weight that reintroduces him beyond typical superhero antagonists, creating a villain whose motivations stem from ancient concepts of cosmic balance rather than personal vendetta — a distinction that explains why some fans genuinely relate to the Mad Titan’s philosophy, declaring “Thanos was right” in his desire to eliminate half the population.
