Thanos Creator & Infinity War Directors Image

Screen Rant

Avengers: Infinity War Directors Share Photo With Thanos' Creator

By Matthew Erao

Published Oct 24, 2017

The Russo brothers post a photo with Thanos creator Jim Starlin, stoking the rumor that he'll have a cameo in Avengers: Infinity War.

The Russo brothers have shared some love for the creator of Thanos ahead of next year's release of Avengers: Infinity War. With the 10-year anniversary of Marvel Studios right around the corner, the superhero film company is now on top of the world. Characters like Iron Man and Thor have become household names to rival Spider-Man and Batman, a number of the studio's films have broken the $1 billion mark, and the future is wide open.

For comic fans and creators, the popularity of the movies have also helped to catapult certain characters to a level of fame that was once unimaginable, with Rocket and Groot the go-to examples of this. That popularity certainly helps with merchandising, but it also cycles back to the comics where these characters were born. Of course, all that increased revenue doesn't always go back to the people who created the characters. Marvel and DC have both had issues properly compensating creatives for invented new characters, but perhaps that will someday change.

The Russo brothers took to their Instagram to share a photo with Jim Starlin, signaling his importance to Avengers: Infinity War. Among other characters like Drax and Gamora, Starlin helped create Thanos, who's only risen in popularity over the years. He's regularly featured in the comics, and even has his own series as part of Marvel Legacy. In the films, he's been hanging on the sidelines for a long time. But Starlin's creation is ready to make a big splash.

Hanging with THE MAN. A post shared by The Russo Brothers (@therussobrothers) on Oct 24, 2017 at 11:47am PDT

The Russos posing with and praising Starlin, of course, doesn't mean he'll be receiving any more compensation for his work. Still, it points toward better practices. The Russos previously gave Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker a cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so perhaps something similar is being teased for Avengers: Infinity War. After all, the Russos said earlier this year that they're open to a Starlin cameo.

Interestingly, it was Starlin who not too long ago expressed frustration with Marvel. The creator revealed the small role KGBeast had in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice netted him more than all he'd received from Marvel for his various characters who had appeared in their films. Clearly, some type of change needs to occur on both the comics and film side of things.

Again, there's no indication that this photo op will change any of the issues with regard to Marvel and their compensation practices with certain creators. But with the Russos now in charge of two films starring Thanos, Drax, and Gamora, perhaps they'll usher in some sort of change. With Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon, we should know more soon.