Because of Gamora’s story, Thanos’ secret child in Marvel Comics could be alive somewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Introduced in the 2010s, Thane is a foe of his father’s and a character who has appeared sporadically in a few Marvel Comics storylines. In the comics, Thane is counted as both an Eternal and an Inhuman.

Thane was at the center of a 2013 crossover titled Infinity, which revealed his existence to the MCU’s heroes. The story hinged on Thanos’ efforts to find him, as he believed that Thane could one day kill him. And although Thanos is dead in the MCU, some have wondered if Marvel might still be interested in the prospect of exploring his son on the big screen. After all, the MCU just introduced Thanos’ brother. Played by Harry Styles, Starfox made his first appearance in one of Eternals’ two post-credits scenes. With Starfox joining the MCU, there’s a chance that other members of Thanos’ family will show up at some point as well. One such candidate would be Thane.

Related: Thanos’ Soul World Moment Betrays His Infinity Saga Arc

How Marvel told Gamora’s story in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame provides a way for Marvel to explain how Thane could exist in the MCU. Thanos kept his adopted children close, but he may not have done the same with Thane. As he admitted in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) was his “favorite daughter”. It was made clear through his interactions with Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Gamora that he never treated his children equally. The fact that he preferred Gamora over Nebula was not a secret. Since it’s known that Thanos is certainly capable of playing favorites with his kids, it isn’t implausible that he could have a biological child who wasn’t a part of his MCU story at all.

Thane Marvel Comics

In the comics, it was established that Thane was a healer, which makes him fundamentally different from Thanos. If the MCU’s Thane isn’t a warrior and lacks the potential to be as cold-blooded or as efficient as Gamora, it makes sense that Thanos would push Thane to the side and abandon him. Thanos used his children as weapons, and if he didn’t feel that the MCU's Thane had what it took to follow in his footsteps, he could have cast him aside long ago. For this reason, Thane could’ve grown up on a different planet, far away from Thanos and his daughters. If this was the case in the MCU, it would give the MCU an easy explanation for why he was never mentioned and why he wasn’t around in Infinity War and Endgame.

As for whether or not Marvel would ever have any use for Thane in any of its upcoming installments, there’s a chance that he could fit into the MCU’s plans for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or Eternals 2. He could pop up during the Guardians’ search for Gamora, especially since she has such strong ties to Thanos’ legacy. Or, it could be revealed that he fits into what comes next for Starfox, who could make additional movie appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future.

More: Barry Keoghan Is Wrong, Druig Couldn’t Beat Thanos

Key Release Dates