The end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga saw the demise of the Titan Thanos, who has gone on to achieve popularity amongst mainstream fans. There are few alternatives for MCU’s best villain other than Thanos, but interest in the character continues to grow despite no plans to reintroduce him into the live-action universe.

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This has led to fans seeking information from Marvel Comics as a way to learn more about him, although quite a lot should be known beforehand to comic book readers. Regardless, there are some essential facts about Thanos that both new and old fans should brush up on, as it gives a clear context of how far the villain has come since his debut.

His First Appearance Was In An Iron Man Comic

Thanos first appearance in Invincible Iron Man comic

Thanos and Iron Man were notable rivals in the MCU, and it’s fitting that the villain first appeared in the superhero’s comic. This was 1973’s Invincible Iron Man #55, where Iron Man teamed with Drax the Destroyer to take on the Blood Brothers until it was revealed that Thanos was behind the attack.

Thanos proved to be a force to be reckoned with as he took hits from Iron Man’s armor but eventually escaped after his lair was destroyed. It was also shown that Thanos had cloned robots of himself, as Iron Man realized he’d just battled a robot after Thanos had fled.

He Took Control Of Everything Through The Cosmic Cube

Thanos holds the Cosmic Cube in Marvel Comics

One of the objects that has garnered the interest of the MCU fanbase is the Tesseract, due to Loki’s association with it. The comics showed Thanos taking a great interest in it to harness its power and impress Mistress Death.

He successfully achieved this goal in Captain Marvel #28, where Thanos commanded the cube to change reality by transferring its power into Thanos himself and began controlling everything in the universe. However, he was mistaken in assuming the cube was useless as, after discarding it, Mar-Vell destroyed the Cosmic Cube, thus stripping Thanos of its power.

He Has A Superhero Brother

Thanos Back in Brother Starfox Body Comic

Thanos isn’t an only child, with the character having a younger brother known as Eros of Titan. Along with his connection with Thanos, Eros is a superhero in his own right, going by the moniker of Starfox. Also unlike his brother, Eros is carefree, adventurous, and a womanizer.

The contrast in their personalities is evident from his first appearance in Iron Man #55 itself, with the character later siding with Mar-Vell to battle his brother. His powers include the standard superhero abilities, along with the ability to control other people’s emotions.

He Was In Love With Death

Death rejects Thanos in Marvel Comics

In contrast to the MCU, where Thanos was known as the Mad Titan due to his extreme intentions to rid the world of overpopulation, the comic book version achieved his reputation for obsession with Death. This was a physical embodiment of the state of being, known as Mistress Death.

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In fact, Thanos completed the Snap in the comics with the express intention of impressing Mistress Death, as seen in The Infinity Gauntlet #1. In other stories, such as the Deadpool vs. Thanos comics, this has taken a comedic turn where Mistress Death prefers Deadpool over Thanos.

The Black Order Aren't His Children

Thanos Black Order

The Black Order is a relatively recent team, who was introduced in full in 2013’s Infinity #1. In the comics, the group was introduced as some aliens that Thanos had recruited from around the galaxy to hunt down the Infinity Gems.

In fact, after Thanos died in Infinity Wars Prime #1, Corvus Glaive took over the Black Order and formed a new version separate from Thanos’ vision. Glaive then took his own life rather than suffer at his returning master’s hand in Thanos Vol. 2 #1.

His Real Name Is Dione

Thanos's real name is revealed in Marvel Comics

In Thanos Vol 2 #14, the villain is brought millions of years into the future where he meets an old man he realizes is his future version. Originally believing it to be a trick, Thanos is convinced that it’s genuine when the old man calls him by his birth name.

It was revealed that Thanos’ mother had planned on calling him Dione, which only Thanos knew about and this information was the reason why he acknowledged the Old Thanos as his future counterpart.

His Defeat By Squirrel Girl's Hands

Squirrel Girl defeating Thanos in Marvel Comics

This is a sour point for many comic book fans of Thanos, as his defeat at the hands of the comic relief character Squirrel Girl is an infamous one. In 2005’s Great Lakes Christmas Special, Thanos somehow lost to the superhero, who was only armed with a single squirrel.

The defeat took place offpage, as Thanos was shown to have fallen in the next panel. According to Uatu the Watcher, this was a genuine win for Squirrel Girl, as it wasn’t one of Thanos’ clones that lost. It also meant that she is one of the few canonical Marvel superheroes known to beat Thanos.

He Is An Eternal-Deviant Hybrid

Thanos old, young, and baby versions in Marvel Comics

Deviants are essentially mutants found in different species, having unstable genetics that gives them powers. Thanos is the son of the Eternals known as A’Lars and Sui-San but carries the Deviant gene, which is why he appears different compared to others from his species.

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Although his appearance was revolting even to his own mother, Thanos’ status as an Eternal-Deviant hybrid made him a far more powerful member of his race, capable of gaining the number of abilities he has thus far in his comic book run.

He Was Once Merged With DC's Darkseid To Form A New Character

Darkseid and Thanos merge in Marvel Comics

The Amalgam Comics have a different continuity to the prime universe of Marvel and DC. While fans of both fandoms have argued if MCU’s Thanos is better than DCEU’s Darkseid, Amalgam Comics’ Bullets and Brains #1 introduced a merged version of both villains.

This character was known as Thanoseid, whose mission was to find the Ultimate Anti-Life Nullifier to win the favor of Lady Death. To this end, he joined forces with the villain called Doctor Doomsday to annihilate the universe.

He Has A Son With An Inhuman

Thanos and Thane in Marvel Comics

Thanos had no love for his own children, having killed many unnamed offspring earlier in hopes of winning Mistress Death through this evil act. One child was born without Thanos knowing about him, with this being the character known as Thane.

Thane was unique due to being the child of an Inhuman woman with whom Thanos had sired him, giving him powers of causing instant death to whomever he came in contact with. The Infinity comic book storyline saw Thanos lay siege to Earth with the intention find and kill his son.

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