Movies

Thanos’ Backstory Explored But Not in the INFINITY WAR Movie

by Eric Diaz
Apr 16 2018 • 12:15 PM

Although some of the trailers we’ve seen for Avengers: Infinity War seem to indicate we’ll be seeing the origin of Thanos, the film’s “big bad,” to steal a Buffy the Vampire Slayer phrase, it seems the backstory for the cosmic villain won’t be seen in the movie after all. Instead, Marvel Studios is taking another approach to revealing Thanos’ intricate and complex history.

According to the folks at io9, this coming November, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking a page from Star Wars, and is expanding into the medium of prose, with its first, officially canon tie-in novel. Writer Barry Lyga will bring us Thanos—Titan Consumed, which should tide fans over during the long year between Avengers films. You can read the official synopsis, and check out the cover art, down below:

Space. Reality. Mind. Power. Time. Soul. Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots…

Infinity Stones. Only beings of immense power can hope to wield these stones, but for those who are worthy, the powers of a god await. Thanos is one such being. But he wasn’t always. Born on a doomed world and cast out by his people for his genius, physical deviancy, and pragmatic but monstrous ideas, Thanos is determined to save the galaxy from the same fate as his homeworld… no matter how many billions have to die.

Learn the origins of the most formidable foe the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther have ever faced—a foe whom even a group of remarkable people, pulled together to fight the battles nobody else could, will fail to stop. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives. Thanos is here.

In the pages of Marvel Comics, Thanos’ motivation for acquiring the Infinity Gauntlet is centered around his desire to impress the physical embodiment of Death, for whom he has been in love with for eons. All signs point to that motivation being changed for the movies. Interesting to note that the official synopsis for the new novel includes the idea that the Avengers “failed to stop” Thanos. That’s a pretty big spoiler for Infinity War, wouldn’t you say?

While speaking with io9, author Barry Lygga refused to spill too many secrets about the upcoming book, but when asked if any of Thanos’ connection to the Jack Kirby created The Eternals would pop up, he didn’t outright deny it. With rumors abounding of a possible Eternals movie in Marvel’s Phase 4, it’s got us wondering if we may be seeing those Marvel deep cut characters sooner rather than later.

Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos—Titan Consumed by Barry Lyga will be released November 20 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.

Are you excited to get the fully fleshed out backstory of Marvel’s biggest bad guy? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel Studios


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