Josh Brolin’s Thanos Returning To Save Marvel?

By Sckylar Gibby-Brown | Published

Is Thanos here to save the (Marvel) Universe? When Avengers: Endgame was released, it quickly became the MCU’s biggest victory, grossing a total of $2.7 billion and briefly becoming the most successful movie of all time. However, the 2019 film was Marvel’s peak and the subsequent movies led to a string of disappointments with the studio’s most popular features never coming close to the Endgame mania.

Josh Brolin Returning As Thanos In The Marvels?

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But a new update in the trailer for the upcoming The Marvels movie may have slipped a major spoiler that could turn Marvel’s luck around — a line spoken by Josh Brolin that suggests Thanos may be returning to the MCU.

Could this little tidbit mean that the Mad Titan is set to come back in a big way to Marvel stories? And would his return be an admission that things have gone completely wrong with him coming back as a stabilizing and familiar force in the universe? It would make some sense.

Marvel In Trouble

Over the last couple of years, critics have wondered if fans are getting tired of Marvel movies. The panned critiques, lackluster box office results, and unsatisfactory reviews have ignited progressively louder discussions surrounding superhero fatigue.

The notion suggests audiences may be growing weary of superhero films and shows in general (not just the MCU).

However, if Josh Brolin is returning as Thanos, this might be the pick-me-up the studio needs to keep going for another decade of superhero content.

Josh Brolin Was Last In Avengers: Endgame

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Thanos, whose last appearance in Avengers: Endgame left an indelible mark on the MCU. Evil, powerful, and devoted to a mission to destroy the world for the greater good, Thanos is a complicated character and fans adored Brolin’s remarkably profound and truly immersive portrayal of the Mad Titan.

While Thanos’s time as the big bad in the MCU has passed, featuring the character in future movies might be exactly what Marvel needs to bring fans back to the theaters.

Thanos Variant

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In Avengers: Endgame, a variant of Thanos managed to enter the main MCU timeline and nearly succeeded in his mission to wipe out all existence.

The battle resulted in the death of some of the Avenger’s best players and caused immense trauma to the heroes who survived. Based on what we know so far about The Marvels, the upcoming feature is sure to dive into how this trauma is affecting Captain Marvel in particular.

In The Marvels?

In the updated trailer, a line of dialogue can be heard through a voice-over with Brolin’s Thanos threatening, “There will always be more to finish my work.”

This phrase has never been heard in any previous MCU film, sparking speculation about the return of the dreaded villain.

But whether this actually means that Thanos will be returning remains to be seen as Marvel is notorious for leading their viewers astray during the trailers and this line could simply be a leftover piece of dialogue unused in a previous film.

Dar-Benn And Thanos

Thanos’ line can be heard over images of Zawe Ashton’s character, Dar-Benn. The MCU teaser strongly suggests that Dar-Benn might be carrying on the legacy of Thanos, possibly continuing his malevolent crusade.

While little is known about Dar-Benn’s role in the film, dialogue from Captain Marvel implies that the villain is targeting places important to Carol Danvers, setting the stage for a significant team-up between Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan.

While it would be unconventional for a character like Thanos to make a return in a film like The Marvels, the MCU has a history of surprising its audience. However, we’ll know soon enough as the Captain Marvel sequel hits theaters next week on November 10.