Summary
One of Marvel’s most iconic villains, the Mad TitanThanoshas appeared in countless adventures since his first appearance in 1972. Of course, his most famous is his reign as the MCU’s big bad, striking down Earth’s Mightiest Heroes inAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame. However, whileThanos' cinematic story got a great endingon film, a final image improves the Mad Titan’s MCU journey by bringing it closer to the comics.
In art shared to Instagram, artistbosslogicdepictsThanos sitting on a throne in Death’s Domain, being comforted by the embodiment of mortality herself. While the image itself is striking, it also functions as a smart endcap to Thanos' MCU journey, and one that follows his comic life and death.
As most fans know, the comics depictThanos as obsessed with the embodiment of Death, with his murder of half the universe originally being done in her honor. And in the comic stories where the Mad Titan is killed, he indeed ends up sitting on a throne in the afterlife.
Thanos' original arc was taking on Earth’s heroes, dying and waking up in Death’s domain as her consort.
Thanos Got Off Easy in the MCU (If He’d Lived, He’d Have Suffered More)
Thanos may have died in the MCU, but even that isn’t enough to outweigh his perpetual suffering in Marvel Comics, as the MCU version got off easy.
Thanos' Comic Death Matters in a World with So Many Afterlives
Thanos' relationship with Death has always been complex, and in multiple ways. 2013’sThanos Rising(from Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi) asks whether Thanos chose to worship Death or if Death targeted Thanos as her acolyte. Their relationship also isn’t one of simple adoration. Countless stories - including Jim Starlin, George Pérez and Ron Lim’s iconicInfinity Gauntlet- show that while Thanos loves Death, he still wants to be more powerful than her, rather than being ruled by Death as all things must be. While Thanos presents his iconic ‘snap’ as a gift to Death inInfinity Gauntlet, she disdains the act because she can tell he’s seeking cosmic power for himself.
While their relationship has soured over time,Death and Thanos' original arrangementwas as depicted in bosslogic’s art. After his original death pre-Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos joined Death in her domain, where he was kept as a sort of cosmic royal consort and given his own throne beside his love. Even inThe Thanos Quest- the 1990 Jim Starlin and Ron Lim comic that begins Thanos’Infinity Gauntletquest for the Infinity Stones - Thanos is shown as a member of Death’s royal court.Thanos' original arc was taking on Earth’s heroes, dying and waking up in Death’s domain as her consort.He could have stayed there forever if he’d truly been happy just to be with his love.
What’s great about bosslogic’s hyper-realistic art is that it allows MCU fans to imagine a similar arc for the movie Thanos. Beheaded by Thor, Thanos perishes having (he believes) permanently achieved his mission to ‘balance’ the galaxy. The idea of him descending to Death’s Domain and finding love with the goddess of mortality is a bittersweet final note in his story of mythic proportions, as well as being what originally happened in the comics (where ultimately, no ending actually lasts forever.) GivingThanoshis comic ending as a subject in Death’s Court is an awesome final note for his MCU story, and fans get to experience that at least a little thanks to this awesome fanart.
