MCU: How & Why Thanos Looks Different In Each Movie

Thanos' design in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed drastically over time, but here's how the Mad Titan's looks different in each film and why. Marvel Studios began teasing the inclusion of Thanos back in 2012 and introduced audiences to a character that would serve as a looming threat to the Avengers for the next seven years. After several smaller roles, it was in Avengers: Infinity War that audiences and the MCU heroes got a real sense of what Thanos could do.

It took several years, but Infinity War saw Thanos finally acquire all six Infinity Stones. This was the Mad Titan's mission from the very beginning, as he wanted to bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. Thanos' arrival immediately made him an imposing figure for the Avengers to face as he smacked around Hulk without using any of the Infinity Stones, and his power increased greatly once he had them in his Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos successfully snapped half of the universe out of existence by the end of Infinity War and allowed the Avengers to kill him at the start of Avengers: Endgame because his mission was complete. But, Thanos was still part of Endgame's plot afterward, as a past version of Thanos from 2014 discovered the Avengers' attempt to undo The Snap.

So far, this arc for Thanos saw him appear in five MCU movies in various capacities. These appearances only span a few years of Thanos' life, but his look has evolved with each passing film. The changes to Thanos' look are noticeable and are the result of Marvel Studios continuing to improve his CGI design. Here's how Thanos looks different in each MCU movie and why the changes were made.

The Avengers

Thanos' first appearance came at the end of The Avengers during the film's mid-credits scene. After The Other spoke about the strength of the Avengers, Thanos stood up from his chair and smiled at the prospect of challenging them. This portrayal of Thanos is distinctly different from every other version that comes after because The Avengers' Thanos was done practically instead of using CGI. This includes the first glimpse of Thanos' armor, which is mostly concealed during the scene.

Damion Poitier silently played the Mad Titan here and was transformed into Thanos with the use of prosthetics and makeup. The decision to replace him with Josh Brolin for future appearances is one of the main reasons why Thanos' facial structure is different here compared to his future roles. Thanks to Poitier, The Avengers' Thanos has more defined cheekbones and a more pronounced chin. This version of Thanos also has more of a pinkish skin.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Thanos' second appearance in the MCU came in Guardians of the Galaxy, but it was the first to use Josh Brolin. The addition of Brolin resulted in Thanos becoming a completely CG character. Although Brolin wasn't on set of the production, Marvel and director James Gunn had him do performance capture when he recorded his dialogue. This allowed Thanos to be modeled on Brolin's actual appearance and his performance to be replicated through a CG character.

In terms of the physical design, the use of Brolin as a basis for Thanos' design resulted in the facial structure changing to match his. His nose, cheeks, lips, and chin are some of Thanos' features that are different in Guardians of the Galaxy. But, the most glaring difference is the change of his skin tone. Instead of keeping the pinkish look from The Avengers, Thanos' skin is now a violet shade of purple. Even Thanos' armor went through a bit of a redesign, as the sides of the helmet are different, and the body of the suit became completely armored.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

The next appearance of Thanos in the MCU came in the mid-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron. This scene showed the Mad Titan walk into an unknown location and grab his Infinity Gauntlet, declaring that he'll get the Infinity Stones himself. Thanos' appearance here is very brief, and it matches up with how he was seen the year before in Guardians of the Galaxy. It isn't known if Brolin did performance capture for this scene, but Marvel didn't mess with the CGI character model. The only change to Thanos' look that comes in this scene is the addition of the Infinity Gauntlet, which he had yet to wear it in any of his previous MCU appearances.

Avengers: Infinity War

The look of Thanos took a brand new form starting with Avengers: Infinity War. Josh Brolin did motion and performance capture for the film and its sequel to bring Thanos to life like never before. The advancements in CGI and mo-cap technology in the years after Avengers: Age of Ultron allowed Thanos to look incredible throughout his starring role. The new design for Thanos used in Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame brought even more of Brolin's features into the character, while also maintaining the Titan's general design.

Thanos' new look once again saw the color of his skin change again, as it became more pink instead of a violet purple, but it was a more natural shade than the original pinkish color. Beyond the skin color, a subtle change to Thanos' design came with the scars on his cheeks. Earlier depictions of Thanos had four scars on each side running from his upper lip to the top of his cheeks, but he only has three such scars now. The lines on his chin meanwhile increased from nine to eleven. Thanos' wardrobe also changed with Infinity War, as he ditched the suit armor after the opening for his casual attire.

Avengers: Endgame

Thanos' most recent appearance in Avengers: Endgame is the most varied for his appearance since two different versions of him appear. At the very beginning of the film, Thanos is shown after he has used the Infinity Stones twice. The power of the stones has permanently damaged the left side of his body, so his arm and face are severely scarred. He's in even more casual clothing too as he channels his farmer Thanos look from the comics. But, the actual details of Thanos' physical design remain the same as how he was shown in Avengers: Infinity War.

Where Thanos' design changes slightly (or significantly depending on your viewpoint) is with the use of a version of him from 2014. Thanos' introduction takes place shortly before the events of Guardians of the Galaxy in the timeline, but his look resembles the design used in Infinity War. This decision further highlights how Thanos' look has progressed, as the differences between him in Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy are dramatic. Marvel didn't have a better option though, as it would've been more jarring to revert Thanos' design to the less-detailed and different colored look from previous MCU films. Beyond all the physical changes detailed before, the younger, brasher Thanos is fitted with a redesigned armor for the majority of his screentime and carries a double-bladed sword.

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