Created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich, Thanos is arguably the most formidable and imposing villain in the Marvel Universe. So much so that Marvel chose to use him as the big bad that’s been pulling the strings throughout the majority of the films in the MCU.
Now, with the Mad Titan set to unleash his full might in next year’s Avengers: Infinity War, we here at Epicstream decided to compile a list of the 8 most badass things Thanos has ever done in the comics:
Turned His Daughter Into An Assassin (And Also Killed Her)
Born among the peaceful Zen Whoberis, Gamora became the sole survivor of her race when they were wiped out by a genocidal religious empire. However, before she met the same fate, she was rescued by Thanos, who brought her from Earth-7528 to Earth-616 (the main Marvel Universe).
Thanos would raise Gamora as his own, using sophisticated technology to grant her enhanced abilities, while simultaneously instilling his own corrupted values into her, thereby blurring her perception of the lines between good and evil and turning her into his own personal weapon.
Gamora would remain a loyal soldier of Thanos until she learned of his plan to destroy the universe as a sacrifice to Lady Death. Finally realizing the error of her ways, Gamora attempted to kill Thanos but instead lost her own life in the battle.
Beat The Silver Surfer To Death, Then Resurrected Him Out Of Spite
Thanos and the Silver Surfer have had a long, storied, and often tumultuous history in the Marvel Universe. However, one of the greatest examples of their struggles actually resulted in the Surfer’s death and subsequent resurrection.
Upon learning that Thanos’ beloved Lady Death wanted him as her new consort, the Surfer attempted to express his concerns to the Mad Titan, himself. Unfortunately, Thanos was in no mood for an open dialogue and as such, killed the Surfer in a fit of rage. When he tried to offer the Surfer’s body to Death, though, he felt that his love was unappreciative of his gift, so he brought the Surfer back to life as an insult.
Bombed His Homeworld
Thanos’ obsession with Death has caused him to commit countless acts of horror. Bombing his homeworld, though? That was merely his first in many attempts at wooing the macabre being.
After being exiled from the Saturn moon of Titan, Thanos used a stolen starship to travel to other systems and recruit soldiers to form his own private army. Once his fleet was amassed, they traveled back to Titan and bombarded it with nuclear weapons, killing millions in the process. He then declared himself the new ruler of Titan and set his sights firmly on Earth.
Protected One Earth By Destroying Others
Prior to Secret Wars, the heroes of the main Marvel Universe (Earth-616) were desperately seeking a way to put an end to Universal Incursions – an event in which two worlds literally collide, causing the destruction of both. The Illuminati only resorted to destroying the other Earths as a last resort, but thanks to Thanos, the Cabal was far more trigger-happy.
Believing themselves to be saviors, the Cabal had no qualms when it came to decimating the incoming Earths. Unlike the Illuminati, though, who felt remorse, Thanos and the Cabal took great pleasure in savagely slaughtering the inhabitants of the other Earths, inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible under the guise of protecting the 616 universe.
Razed Wakanda
Although the aforementioned Cabal was originally founded by Namor, Thanos’ influence was quite powerful, even before he took full control of the group. That being said, when the Cabal needed to establish a base of operations, they decided to sack the nation of Wakanda in Black Panther’s absence.
The Cabal laid waste to Wakanda, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. They then set up shop in Necropolis – the city of the dead, which is where the group planned their response to the incursions and where Thanos usurped Namor as the figurehead.
Convinced Corvus Glaive To Kill Himself
Arguably the most important member of the Black Order is Corvus Glaive, who was long considered to be Thanos’ right-hand man. He spent years studying Earth’s history of warfare, which made him a valuable asset when leading Thanos’ armies into battle.
However, in Thanos’ absence following the rebirth of the Multiverse by Reed Richards, Corvus decides to build his own Black Order, seizing his former master’s Black Quadrant for himself and spreading his influence throughout the galaxy. This doesn’t sit well with the Mad Titan, who swiftly defeats his one-time companion and gives him the option of being killed or taking his own life. Fearing what Thanos has in store for him, Corvus opts for the latter.
Demanded The Death Of Inhumans Between The Ages Of 16 And 22 Just To Kill His Son
Ordering the genocide of youths is one thing. Doing it because it’s the easiest way to ensure your son is killed, though? That takes evil to a whole new level.
Upon forming the Black Order, Thanos demanded they bring him the head of every Inhuman between the ages of 16 and 22. However, this wasn’t because of his disdain for Black Bolt but rather because the whereabouts of his son Thane, an Inhuman, eluded the Mad Titan. As such, the only way he could reasonably ensure his death was by inflicting massive collateral damage to the rest of the young Inhumans, though Thane was ultimately able to evade his father’s wrath.
Killed Half The Universe
The list of those who have wielded all six Infinity Gems by way of the Infinity Gauntlet includes the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Nebula, Adam Warlock, Magus, Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, Professor X, Doctor Doom, and even DC’s Darkseid. Still, despite this, the first being to use all six in unison was – you guessed it: Thanos.
In The Thanos Quest, the Mad Titan was resurrected by Death and tasked with correcting a so-called “cosmic imbalance.” With more sentient beings alive than had ever died, Death believed the only way to correct the imbalance would be to eliminate half of said beings (think population control on a galactic scale). Thanos, who was still madly in love with Death, sought out the six Infinity Gems to aid him in his mission.
Upon apprehending all six gems, Thanos mounted them on his left glove, which he dubbed the Infinity Gauntlet, and fulfilled his quest as a twisted “gift of love” for Death. With the snap of his fingers, half the population of the universe was instantly killed, and the Mad Titan thereby cemented himself as Marvel’s ultimate badass.