After 10 years of build-up in the cinematic Marvel universe, Thanos: The Mad Titan finally gets a story on the silver screen that unveils the true potential of the character. Thanos was created by Jim Starlin in a psychology class and named him after a Greek god named Athanasios which means “immortal”. Through Marvel’s comic history, Thanos has lived to his Godly status by not only coming from the dead twice, but by also wielding the Marvel universes’ most powerful weapons: the cosmic cube, and more famously, the infinity gauntlet. However, even without all the cosmic gems at his whim, Thanos is still a powerful being in the Marvel universe. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the character’s origins in the comics, Thanos is a tyrannical God-like creature from the Marvel cosmic universe that is obsessed and in love with Marvel’s personification of death (a darkly cloaked woman) and omnipotence. In this article, I will be exploring the many reasons why Thanos is considered a demi-God in the Marvel cosmic universe.
10. Super-Strength-
With this list, I’m going to go in order from the more common abilities often seen in the marvel universe, to the ones that are more unique to Thanos himself. Just based on Thanos’s physical appearance, one could easily assume that the big purple goliath has a great amount of strength, and that one person would be right in assuming so. Thanos’s strength was already a powerful strong-hold, but thanks to Death increasing his powers, Thanos’s strength is not only capable of taking on figures like Thor, Hulk, and the Silver Surfer, but he is also fully capable of destroying an entire planet with his bare hands. Watch out Ego: The Living Planet!
Thanos Vs. The Marvel Universe
9. Invulnerability-
In the marvel cosmic universe, Thanos is considered one of the ancestors of a group of small “g” Gods known as the celestials. Because of this, Thanos has the same level of invulnerability of as a god. Even before his power was increased by Death, Thanos was able to survive blasts from the Silver Surfer, the surfer’s former boss Galactus, Thor’s father Odin, and even survived a scream from Black Bolt; a powerful humanoid creature with earth shattering screams. This also makes Thanos about as immortal as a small “g” god and is immune to all known diseases, infections, and the effects of aging. His invulnerability is also assisted with the purple goliath’s healing factor. Although Thanos’s healing factor is exceptionally powerful, he is not able to re-grow his eternal organs, which is why when Drax: The destroyer gutted him and temporarily killed him, he wasn’t able to re-grow all his organs. Thanos’s immortality is so powerful that Death rejected Thanos from the underworld and was thus declared immortal.
The most tragic relationship since Romeo & Juliet...at least if you see it from Thanos' perspective.
8. Energy Manipulation-
Even without the infinity Gauntlet, Thanos can project pure energy as a concessive force. The energy of which Thanos can shoot out and manipulate include infrared heat-beams, disruptor beams, a mental link to his techno-chair to create force-fields, and quasi-mystical magic because of course this large power-house also studies magic. Talk about overcompensation! With this ability, Thanos has been able to take out the Hulk, Galactus, and the Watcher.
Tremble before the might of the Mad Titan.
7. Telepathy-
Thanos also possess internal abilities such as telepathy. It is because of this telepathy that Thanos is immune to psychic attacks by mutants such as Professor X and Jean Grey. Thanos’s manipulation of the mind is so powerful that he drove the Priests of Pama insane by a mere gesture, and made the Hulk attack the Avengers…although that’s at least every other month for the Avengers if we’re being honest.
Thanos playing intergalactic chess. Go figure.
6. Matter Manipulation-
With or without the Infinity Gauntlet and the cosmic cube (another forgotten favorite weapon of his), Thanos can manipulate and change matter at the atomic level. As evident in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos with the infinity gauntlet can turn people into anything he pleases such as blocks, bubbles, and ash, (*cough* cough*) In the comics it is said that he was able to turn a character named Skragg the Skrull into stone.
5. Curse Casting-
Yeah remember when I told you about Thanos having knowledge of magic? No? Well, I’ll tell you again: the already ridiculously powered giant purple people eater is not only by all accounts an immortal demi-god, but he has also studied the mystical arts. His knowledge rivals that of Dr. Strange and Dr. Voodoo. This isn’t an ability that is often advertised with Thanos (not that it needs to really), but in the comics he has used it to fight mystical foes, and even casted a curse of immortality to Deadpool to get him away from Lady death. It didn’t work too well really, there’s a weird love triangle thing going on with them.
Dr. Strange and Thanos go at eachother in Avengers: Infinity War.
4. Flight-
At this point is anyone surprised! Yes, Thanos can also fly. At first it was through a helicopter with his name on it (not even joking), but now he is able to fly through the use of the infnity gems when he’s not floating on his tele-throne.
Just a small reminder that Thanos used to travel in a helicopter with his name on it like he was Batman or something.
3. Teleportation-
Speaking of his throne, Thanos has the capability to teleport through his techno-mystical transport chair of which he has a telepathic link with. In Infinity War, you can see Thanos using the space stone to teleport his way throughout the galaxy.
Thanos teleporting to Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War
2. Combat-
Even though it’s not his preferred style of conquest, Thanos is a skilled unarmed combatant having been trained in the arts of war on Titan; his home planet. Thanos, when fighting, uses a combination of physical girth and energy manipulation. In the comics he has done combat with numerous Avengers and has done battle with the Silver Surfer on several occasions. In Infinity War and in The Infinity Gauntlet the comic book story of which it is based on, Thanos has beaten Hulk’s green fat ass in hand-to-hand combat, so much so that the Hulk didn’t even bother coming out for the rest of the movie. (Spoilers for Infinity War by the way…although it’s about to be on Blue-ray so if you haven’t seen it by this point, you probably don’t want to.)
Hulk vs Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War.
1.Intelligence-
Even though intelligence isn’t exactly a super-power, Thanos’s intellect is the driving force behind his ambition, and why he’s a widely known as a character in the marvel universe. In Jim Starlin’s storyline Infinity Quest, Thanos not only seeks to weld the stones, but he also mentally prepares himself for the endeavor of having cosmic omnipotence. It is here where Thanos displays his goal of balancing the scales of life and death for Mistress Death. Thanos also states that he is the only one with the imagination to weld all five infinity gems. Therefore, in the Infinity Gauntlet Thanos can use the gems effectively and making himself a universe shattering threat that even the celestials and Galactus and the superheroes of the marvel universe couldn’t stop. But like all great tragedies, Thanos’s downfall was his hubris, and the gauntlet was eventually taken away from him. However, even after the events of Infinity Gauntlet when Thanos is left as a farmer cultivating his own land, he still has his ambition and thirst for power; and that’s what makes Thanos a powerful being in the marvel universe.
Thanos's greatest accomplishment was achived in Jim Starlin's comic book storyline "Thanos Quest"
