Thanos presented a version of Titan's destruction in Avengers: Infinity War, but did the Mad Titan lie to the Avengers and destroy Titan on purpose? The Marvel Cinematic Universe teased the introduction of Thanos back at the end of The Avengers in 2012. He was used sparingly after in Guardians of the Galaxy and in a post-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron. That was before the combination of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame proved why Thanos was worth the wait as a villain for the MCU's heroes.

After years of waiting for the menacing villain to take on the Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War did a great job establishing what Thanos wanted, where he came from, and how powerful he was. He was essentially the main character of the team-up movie and even finished the film victorious. Thanos wanted to gather all six Infinity Stones to snap his fingers and eliminate half of all life across the universe. Despite being known as the Mad Titan in the comics, Thanos' MCU motivations were somewhat understandable in a twisted way. His goal to rebalance the universe was due to the population increasing to a point where the universe would not sustain itself.

Related: MCU Theory: Eternals Explains How Thanos Had The Mind Stone

Thanos wasn't just guessing that the continued growth of life in the universe could lead to it ending, as he has some experience in watching overpopulation ruin a planet. Avengers: Infinity War visited Thanos' home planet of Titan and showed it to be completed destroyed and lacking life. Thanos claimed his experience on Titan is what drove him to believe that he needed to intervene to save the universe, but what if he lied? It's entirely possible Thanos could've destroyed Titan on purpose.

What Happened To Titan In The MCU

Thanos using the Reality Stone to create an illusion in Infinity War

The MCU didn't visit Titan until Avengers: Infinity War when different MCU heroes arrived there to take on Thanos. Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy met there unexpectedly and devised a plan to defeat Thanos on his turf. When they got there, though, they found Titan to be a completely desolated planet. There were crashed ships, destroyed buildings, and no visible signs of any life. The planet's axis was also eight degrees off its axis and gravitational pull all over the place. When Thanos arrived there, he explained to Earth's Mightiest Heroes what happened to his planet that left it in such a terrible state.

Thanos used the Reality Stone to show the Avengers what Titan looked at when it was still a thriving civilization. It was a rich and lush world with advanced technology and plenty of inhabitants. However, a younger Thanos saw that the growing population was leading to a deterioration of natural resources. Thanos feared that if left unchecked, the growth of Titan would be its demise. He proposed killing half of its civilians to avoid this future. The leadership of Titan rejected this plan, though, and cast Thanos out as an extremist. At an unspecified point in the future, the predicted collapse of Titan happened and left Thanos as the lone survivor of the planet. In the years that followed, Titan's atmosphere was also destroyed by electrical storms. There's no question that Titan is destroyed in the MCU, but what if Thanos lied about how it happened?

Theory: Thanos Destroyed Titan On Purpose

Thanos destroyed Titan on purpose Theory Avengers infinity war

At this point in the MCU, Thanos' explanation is the only version of Titan's history that is known. But it's also known that he will lie and manipulate others if need be to achieve his goals. He used the Reality Stone in Avengers: Infinity War to trick the Guardians that they caught him off guard on Knowhere and Gamora into believing that she killed him. He also specifically notes that he never taught Gamora or Nebula how to lie, indicating that he is quite skilled in the art of lying. If Thanos can't be completely trusted, then there is a chance that he lied about Titan's destruction. One reason he could do this is to shift the blame to someone else and cover up the fact that he was responsible for destroying his home planet.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Failed To Resolve A Key Thanos Storyline

The MCU isn't the first time Titan was destroyed in a Marvel continuity, as the planet was decimated in the comics. This version of Titan's destruction made Thanos solely to blame. He became an outcast as a kid due to his appearance and was manipulated by the entity known as Death. After Thanos not winning Death's love with multiple galactic conquests, he turned to what was left of his home planet to try and prove his worthiness for Death's affection. He ultimately destroyed the planet and what was left of life with an attack orchestrated with his army. There is a possibility that something similar happened in the MCU, even though the Death motivation isn't part of Thanos' story.

Thanos may have told a version of the true events of Titans' destruction in Avengers: Infinity War and slyly left out the part where he was the one who gave the planet a devastating blow. The MCU's version of Thanos is established as a galactic conqueror who has no problem taking lives to meet his own goal. Thanos became this way after he was exiled from Titan, and he could've returned there at a later date. Once back on his home planet, Thanos could see that Titan is struggling just as he predicted. Instead of helping Titan get back on track, it wouldn't be that surprising if Thanos was a bit more vengeful and put his planet out of its misery. This would explain why Titan is so destroyed by the time of Infinity War, too.

Phase 4 Could Reveal The Truth About Titan

Thanos doesn't have any future in the MCU's future story, but there is still an opportunity for Phase 4 to reveal if he was responsible for Titan's destruction. The best chance for this to happen is with Eternals. The movie will explore 7,000 years of the MCU and the history of the Eternals. The advanced humanoid race has ties to Thanos, as he is an Eternal in the comics. It is unknown if the MCU will make Thanos part Eternal, but the mention of his Eternal father A'Lars in Avengers: Infinity War comes before the Eternals movie in 2021. The movie could show how the Eternals established Titan as their home planet and what happened when it was actually destroyed. Some of the main characters could've been survivors of Thanos' attack or at least know that he was responsible for their planet's destruction.

If Thanos destroying Titan isn't shown in Eternals, it isn't clear where that story could be told in the MCU. Eternals sequels could hold the key to this story or any other cosmic movie that explores different points in the MCU's history. Marvel Studios can also detail this event by having other cosmic-based heroes from the past know what happened. Another possibility could be that someone from Thanos' army is still around and will detail what really went down. There are several characters associated with Thanos who could fit that description and appear later on, such as his son, Thane, or his brother, Starfox. Ultimately, it is safe to assume that Marvel Studios is operating under the belief that Thanos' version of Titan's destruction is what really happened. Still, this theory or another variation of the truth can be revealed later if they want.

MORE: Phase 4 Is Introducing Another Hero Strong Enough To Defeat Thanos Alone

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