Thanos again? Then Marvel’s nostalgia habit has gone full rerun
After Avengers: Endgame closed the book on Thanos, hauling him back would all but confirm Marvel’s nostalgia habit has got wildly out of hand.
Right, let’s talk about Marvel’s apparent inability to let go of its own past—the latest example being the persistent chatter about Thanos possibly popping back up in the MCU. Marvel finished off the purple giant in spectacular fashion in Avengers: Endgame, tying a bow on the so-called Infinity Saga. But in true comic book fashion, death is merely a “suggestion” these days, and the Multiverse Saga has blown open the door for alternate versions, variants, and generally anyone Marvel fancies bringing back.
Josh Brolin was asked by Collider whether Thanos could return to the MCU: ‘I don't know how to answer that question’.
Brolin—who played Thanos and is currently out promoting The Dog Stars—gave a classic actor-who-knows-something-he-can’t-say answer. Instead of a straight yes or no, he meandered off about how Thanos’ mission to clear out half the universe wasn’t 'necessarily wrong' due to humanity’s own destructive behaviour on Earth. Which, fair, but probably not the main concern for fans wondering if he’s been fitted for a new CGI bodysuit.
Let’s be honest, though: Marvel actors have a well-established record of denying any involvement whatsoever, only to then appear grinning in the next film. So when Brolin doesn’t snuff out the rumour outright, it’s hardly reassuring. The rumour mill has even claimed Thanos was cut from Avengers: Doomsday but might make a grand comeback for Avengers: Secret Wars. Would Marvel really do it? At this point—who’d be surprised?
Robert Downey Jr. is reportedly returning as Doctor Doom, and may even show up as an Iron Man variant in Secret Wars.
Nostalgia Overload
If Marvel do bring Thanos back, it’s frankly hard to see it as anything but a backwards step. The studio just can’t seem to resist dusting off old characters. Iron Man had a heroic, conclusive exit in Endgame, but now Downey Jr. is allegedly trudging back for not just Doctor Doom but possibly even an alternate Tony Stark in Secret Wars. Chris Evans is also due a return as Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth is still wielding a hammer as Thor, and piles of old X-Men actors from the Fox era are being hauled out for Doomsday. At what point do we start letting the new lot actually lead an MCU film?
When Thanos, the ultimate MCU villain, returns from the dead in any form, it takes the sting out of every dramatic moment in the franchise. Why should anyone believe a character’s gone for good, when Marvel’s “resurrect-o-matic” is always plugged in? Deaths need some actual weight, or frankly, what’s the point of all these high-stakes battles? Thanos’ original arc was carefully constructed; undermining that now just for an applause moment feels incredibly cynical.
The MCU's Infinity Saga wrapped in 2019 with Thanos and his story finished for good — until Marvel started flirting with his return through multiverse shenanigans.