Infinity War: 5 Reasons Why Thanos Doesn’t Disappoint

Beware, fair reader! If you haven’t yet seen Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, read no further. For what lies within is a breakdown of the Mad Titan that delves into all sorts of spoiler territory.

Still with me? Then I’m assuming you’ve seen Infinity War or you just don’t give a fuck. In the case of the latter, I admire your gusto. Infinity War promised a lot and mostly delivered the payload. However, the major item we all wanted to see work was the main antagonist. First teased in the mid-credits sequence of The Avengers, Thanos has popped up here and there to remind us that he exists. He’s never really done anything of note, though.

There was a certain worry among some that he simply couldn’t live up to the hype as a villain. This worry was amplified when Michael B. Jordan’s impeccable work as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther cast doubt over Thanos being a villain of substance. Well, having now seen Infinity War, I’m happy to report that it was worth the wait. Here are five reasons why.

 

1. Josh Brolin Crushes It

Josh Brolin is a man with his fingers in many Marvel-shaped pies. Over in Fox’s portion of the superhero spectrum (a portion that will soon be Disney’s as well), he’s playing Cable in the upcoming Deadpool 2. For such a busy guy, it’s a wonder the man can find the time to sleep. Maybe he can’t, who knows?

A man of his talents was always going to do well in the role, but I don’t think anyone’s ready for just how good he is. From his very first appearance, Thanos is an intimidating presence who evokes a sense of constant dread.

Brolin has always been somewhat of a specialist in playing gruff characters, so it’s no surprise that that element of the character works. But it’s the little things that he’s able to do (thanks in part to outstanding performance capture work). There’s a shockingly wide range of emotions for him to convey, and that can be demanding when you’re embodying such a force of nature. You never forget that Thanos is to be feared, but you also have a vested interest in what he’s going to do. That’s all down to Brolin’s ability to forge a connection between the character and the viewer.

 

2. He Has a Substantial Role

It would be completely fair for anyone to assume that Thanos would still take a backseat in Infinity War. He has vast resources at his disposal and only gets his hands dirty when absolutely necessary. Thankfully, the Russo brothers are proud of their big bad and make no efforts to hide him behind stooges. The Children of Thanos do hunt the Infinity Stones for him, yes, but he’s still doing his own thing while they wreak havoc on Earth.

Thanos could arguably be in danger of being overexposed if shown too much. But when you’ve been building him up since 2012, there has to be a decent level of payoff that can’t be pushed back until Avengers 4 next Summer. You have to strike while the iron is hot, and seeing a good chunk of Infinity War’s two-and-a-half hour runtime populated by Thanos is a welcome sight.

 

3. His Presence is Ever Felt

Sort of the inverse of the previous point, but Thanos is always looming over Infinity War in some way or another. It could be argued that his presence waned in the years between his debut and now. His brief cameos in Guardians of the Galaxy and Age of Ultron aside, we’d seen neither hide nor hair of him until his ship made an appearance during the mid-credits sequence of Thor: Ragnarok.

When your top bad guy’s threat level is so low, then by God we need to be sold on it in his true onscreen unveiling. While he is prominent in Infinity War itself, there are still countless scenes of the other Avengers and their peers preparing for a war. Thanos is name dropped more than that really cool celebrity that your obnoxious friend bumped into at the mall once. Every character who means anything has a conversation revolving around what he’s capable of. It goes a long way in establishing just how serious his intentions are.

 

4. He Has Depth

To bring things back around to Killmonger, Black Panther gave us a villain with such pathos and understandable motivations that some said he was the best comic book movie villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker. That’s the highest of high praise. While the dust is yet to settle on Infinity War and its lead nasty boy, Thanos is no slouch in the depth department.

For God’s sake, there is a mega spoiler coming next. If you didn’t heed my warning the first time, then click away now because shit’s about to get real.

We good? Okay. Upon the glorious return of Red Skull, who informs Thanos that a soul he loves must be sacrificed in order to procure the Soul Stone, Thanos’ killing of Gamora has a lasting impact on him for the remainder of the movie. A lesser villain would have offed his daughter, laughed maniacally and been on his merry way. To see that there is a semblance of humanity in Thanos bolsters just how seriously he takes his motivations.

His desire to wipe out half of the universe isn’t driven by rage, but a cold, hard logic. This logic being at odds with emotional intelligence grants Thanos with a well-rounded complex. We actually get to learn about how he thinks and operates. It’s refreshing to see in such a comically hulking behemoth.

 

5. He Actually Wins

The spoiler to end all spoilers. But if you’re still here then I hope you enjoyed the movie as well. Either that or I hope to one day attain the level of caution you’ve so willingly thrown to the wind. Some believed that Infinity War wouldn’t go the whole hog. I’ve seen many a tweet and Facebook comment proclaiming that the Avengers will find a way to beat Thanos and Avengers 4 will go down a different route. Some suggested the Secret Invasion arc, which would actually be pretty cool.

But it was not to be. Infinity War’s finale sees Thanos complete his set like the nerdy collector he is, snap his fingers and rid half the universe of its life. Many beloved characters fade into dust as Thanos sits in peace, proud of what he’s accomplished. This moment is followed by a deafening silence as we cut to black.

It’s a sombre, reflective ending that isn’t even broken up by a mid-credits scene. The villain has achieved exactly what they set out to do and lived to tell the tale. The consequences of his actions will form the basis of next year’s follow-up and I personally can’t wait to see where they take Thanos next.