Thanos is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Josh Brolin via motion capture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics supervillain of the same name. Thanos is depicted as an alien warlord from the doomed planet Titan with a Malthusian mindset and galactic-spanning genocidal agenda. His primary goal is to obtain the six Infinity Stones, cosmic gems with the power to stabilize the universe’s overpopulation and prevent what he views as its inevitable demise. With the help of his adopted children and after the Infinity War primarily against the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and their allies, Thanos is successful in assembling the Stones within his Infinity Gauntlet and committing the Blip, which disintegrates half of all life in the universe.
He then atomizes the Stones and retires, but is eventually killed by Thor. In 2023, the Avengers utilize time travel to obtain past versions of the Stones and undo Thanos’ actions. An alternate version of Thanos from 2014 manages to enter their timeline with his army and plans to use the Stones to erase all life and create a new universe to his liking. However, he and his forces are erased from existence by Tony Stark, who sacrifices his life with the snap of his own gauntlet.
Thanos is a central figure in the MCU’s “Infinity Saga“, having appeared in five films, most notably in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Several versions of Thanos from within the MCU multiverse also appear in Endgame, the Disney+ animated series What If…? (2021–present), and the Phase Four film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
The character has been well received by critics and fans alike. Thanos is often credited one of the MCU’s best villains, as well as one of the greatest film villains of all time.