‘Captain Marvel 2’ One-Ups Its Own Villain With Thanos

Marvel Studios might’ve accidentally given away a huge villain reveal months before the premiere of their next MCU Phase Five installation, The Marvels (2023).

Related: Marvel Quietly Scraps Another Phase Five Project

Marvel Struggles To Find Its Footing Post-Infinity Saga

It’s been over four years since Marvel’s widely-praised Infinity Saga came to a bittersweet conclusion with Avengers: Endgame (2019). And years later, as the superhero studio flounders its way through an admittedly disjoined Phase Four and now, Five, it’s clear that the MCU is still struggling to move on.

When looking back on the Infinity Saga, it’s important to note just how much of an unprecedented success it was for Marvel, who didn’t have much luck in the movie landscape prior to 2008’s Robert Downey Jr.-led Iron Man. 

Related: ‘The Marvels’ is the Cheapest Movie in MCU History

The studio made magic happen by detailing the climactic, world-saving adventures of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and Co., leading to a multi-billion-dollar franchise that unquestionably changed the entertainment industry forever.

But with the days of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, and many others now firmly in the past, the MCU has been trying — and frequently failing — to replicate the same level of success they’d achieved throughout the Infinity Saga. In response, Marvel brought back characters like Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) for their own Disney+ series.

It’s safe to say that the studio’s plan to expand its TV presence backfired hard, save for Loki, Emmy darling WandaVision, and the critically acclaimed yet scarcely-watched Ms. Marvel, leading Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger to admit Marvel had gone too far with trying to grow their Disney+ catalog.

While it’s unclear whether or not the House of Mouse will actually cut back on MCU content in the future, the latest teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated Captain Marvel (2019) sequel did confirm one thing: Marvel isn’t ready to let go of an iconic Infinity Saga villain just yet.

Marvel Brings Back Iconic ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Villain in New Teaser for ‘The Marvels’

Captain Marvel 2 is set to break new ground when it flies into theaters this November, featuring an all-female team made up of Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan.

Story specifics remain unknown for Marvel’s next intergalactic adventure, but according to new footage, it looks like the comic book sequel will also see a surprise cameo from the Mad Titan himself, Thanos (Josh Brolin), marking his first live-action appearance since Avengers: Endgame.

Thanos recently popped up in Chinese marketing for The Marvels, where he can briefly be seen fighting Carol Danvers in what seems to be a flashback sequence to the events of Avengers: Endgame. 

The international teaser highlights certain scenes from Captain Marvel’s last major MCU adventure, including a look at the iconic all-female circle-up seen at the climax of the film and the ensuing war with Thanos and his Chitauri army.

Audiences then get a glimpse at footage from Carol’s confrontation with Thanos, in which she attempts to defeat the towering big bad on her own. From there, it flashes to the present day, where Carol, Kamala, and Monica go up against Kree General Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) to untangle their light-based powers.

Check out the full clip (via Brie Larson Worldwide on YouTube) below:

Will Thanos Appear in Future MCU Projects?

So, what does Thanos’ unexpected cameo in this new teaser mean for The Marvels? Well, as disappointing as it might be to some, probably not much.

Given that the supervillain has now been vanquished twice in the MCU, it would be a little odd to see Thanos play a prominent role in the Captain Marvel sequel. With Avengers: Endgame cementing that the Mad Titan was officially dead and gone, audiences would almost surely roll their eyes at his return this quickly after his defeat, making Tony Stark’s tragic sacrifice obsolete.

Still, the MCU’s next cosmic adventure does technically take place in the Multiverse Saga, which could open the door for his eventual return — a very real possibility considering Marvel’s next Thanos-level threat, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, is currently in the midst of a highly-publicized legal battle following his March arrest.

Of course, Thanos has appeared in other post-Infinity Saga projects, including the animated Marvel’s What If…? anthology series. But even so, it seems doubtful that Josh Brolin would reprise his role for a Captain Marvel movie, of all things. If the MCU does decide to resurrect Thanos somewhere down the line, it would be better suited for an Avengers team-up or some sort of Multiversal romp.

As for The Marvels, the impact of Thanos’ Snap will almost certainly play a pivotal role in the story. We already have some idea of how his actions affected Monica, who lost her mother to cancer while she was Snapped out of existence, and Kamala, who avoided the five-year Blip, but fans have yet to really find out how it changed the mindset of Carol. 

We got new insights into how Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) processed the traumatic events of the Snap in Marvel’s Disney+ Secret Invasion show, and by the looks of it, Carol might be in the same boat. In the first batch of trailers, the high-flying superhero is seen living out her days in solitude, staying on her ship in the vast void of space with no one to keep her company except her trusty Flerken-feline, Goose.

Based on this new Chinese promotional footage, it seems like Thanos’ appearance simply serves as a reminder of Carol’s impressive powers, as Marvel wants to jog viewers’ memories going into The Marvels. Zawe Ashton’s Dar-Benn is unquestionably going to take the spotlight in the new film, though she probably won’t be quite as threatening as Thanos.

The legendary supervillain’s cameo could very well signal that the effects of his Snap will play heavily into the story, teasing a more emotional addition to the MCU that could see the central trio processing their shared trauma together as a team.

Either way, The Marvels arrives in theaters on November 10, 2023.

What do you think of Marvel “resurrecting” Thanos for this new The Marvels teaser? Do you want to see the Mad Titan return for future MCU projects? Let us know in the comments below.