Through Eternals, MCU Phase 4 will alter perceptions of how powerful Thanos (Josh Brolin) really was in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The Mad Titan is commonly regarded by audiences as the most powerful villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which isn’t much different from the reputation he has in the comic books.

There’s no question that Thanos is the biggest challenge any hero in the MCU has faced. In Infinity War, Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones forced Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to team with Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop him. Despite their numbers, Thanos accomplished his goal and prevailed in the end. He then cemented his status as the most destructive force in the MCU by wiping out half of the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet. Endgame further demonstrated Thanos’ threat level by creating a situation where it took an entire army of superheroes to oppose him. However, it wasn’t their power that ultimately brought him down. Thanos had to be killed by Iron Man’s Infinity Gauntlet.

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As powerful as Thanos was in the MCU, opinions of him may change a bit when Eternals releases in 2021. That’s because the upcoming Marvel movie will include a number of characters who are near, equal, or above him in power. For that reason, Thanos will incidentally come off as less impressive and menacing as he did before. The Celestials, for instance, are among the most powerful beings in existence. These titanic, god-like aliens are the creators of the Eternals who visit various worlds, creating life and passing judgment onto them. Thanos uses armies to decimate populations, but in the comics the Celestials can eradicate entire worlds with minimal effort.

Thor fighting Eternal

There’s also the matter of the Eternals themselves. In the comics, every Eternal possesses more abilities than DC’s Superman, which makes each member of their species a force to be reckoned with. At least one – Gilgamesh – is on the same level as Thor when it comes to strength; he alone could be a match for the Mad Titan, which is a startling notion. All things considered, if the Eternals had fought Thanos, the Avengers never would have been needed. Also, their species being similar to him in terms of power isn’t surprising when taking into consideration that Thanos’ comic book counterpart is an Eternal. It could be that the MCU version is as strong as he is because he’s an Eternal too.

The Celestials and the Eternals aren’t the only characters who may change what people think of Thanos’ strength. The Deviants could have a part to play in that as well. Admittedly, the Deviants (with the possible exception of Tutinax the Mountain Mover) are considerably weaker than Thanos, but it seems quite plausible that Marvel will be giving them all big upgrades in Phase 4. They’ll have to be stronger than Thanos if they’re going to be a challenge for characters as powerful as the Eternals.

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