Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel’s biggest villain looks to be headed back into the MCU, according to actor Josh Brolin.
Related: Disney Will Continue From ‘Iron Man 3’, “Dead” Marvel Project Resurrected
Guided by Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios oversees a diverse lineup of superheroes sourced from Marvel Comics. Commencing with the release of Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has consistently asserted its dominance in the film industry, crafting an extensive roster of superpowered individuals — the Avengers — within its narrative.
All of this unfolded on the silver screen when established heroes from the shared universe, such as Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsorth), Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) united as members of the Avengers team. This team-up began in 2012 Joss Whedon-directed film, The Avengers, where they joined forces to save New York City.
This camaraderie persisted, despite the divisions in Captain America: Civil War (2016), leading to an ultimate showdown against the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin). The epic finale unfolded in brotherly directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) — no, they’re not coming back to Marvel — marking the conclusion of Phase Three in the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
Will Thanos Return to the MCU?
Thanos killed his daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) in Infinity War, securing himself the final Infinity Stone for his life-ending Infinity Gauntlet, the Soul Stone. He met his own end at the hands of the Avengers in Endgame, first in the original timeline after his “retirement” post-Snap, and then once more in the final battle, when the intrepid heroes turned back time to ensure his defeat (and the continued survival of the universe).
Now, Marvel actor Josh Brolin, who portrayed the menacing Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is speaking up about his character’s many deaths — and potential return.
Speaking to ComicBook.com about Dune: Part Two (2024), Brolin teased fans about Thanos’ return to the MCU.
The actor dropped hints for fans eager for a Thanos return that he had heard “through the grapevine”, that Marvel were keen to bring the character “back”, somehow:
You know, I hear kind of like through the grapevine, that they’re gonna bring him back.
Brolin continued, bringing up Thanos’ totally different portrayal in the fan-favorite Disney+ (Disney Plus) Marvel television series, What If…?, which brought many Avengers stars back to voice alternate variants of their characters:
And there’s the What If…? series and that’s a different kind of Thanos and all that. But I don’t know in the Marvel world whether they’re going to bring him back, but I didn’t know that he was the most killed-off Marvel villain … You learn something new every day.
With the Multiverse being a central factor in upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, the Thanos comeback could definitely happen, seeing as it was an “alternate” Thanos that the Avengers defeated at the end of Endgame.
Clearly, Brolin is still enthusiastic about the Thanos role, seeing as he seems totally on board with future MCU appearances.
This “grapevine” likely has its roots with Kevin Feige and his plans for the Multverse Saga — but only time will truly tell how things will pan out, considering the imminent Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) recast or character-scrapping.
With Deadpool 3 starring Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool/Wade Wilson) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett) slated to hit theaters this summer, the 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) X-Men Universe will be grandfathered into the MCU’s canon Multiverse.
If Sony’s variant Spider-Man stars and Fox’s X-Men are heading for Secret Wars — why not the MCU’s biggest baddie?
Do you want to see Thanos rejoin the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How do you think Marvel might do this? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!