Thanos is a fictional comic
book character, a supervillain that has appeared in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973) and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin. Debuting in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, the character has been featured in over four decades of Marvel continuity and a self-titled series. Thanos has appeared in other Marvel-endorsed products, including animated
television series, arcade and video games, toys and trading cards. Thanos appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a non-speaking cameo at the end of the
2012 film The Avengers, and Josh Brolin portrays him in 2014'
s Guardians of the Galaxy and
will reprise the role for future films. Thanos was ranked number 47 on IGN's top 100 comic
book villains of all time.
Thanos is a mutant member of the race of superhumans known as the Titanian Eternals. The character possesses abilities common to the Eternals, but amplified to a higher degree through a combination of his mutant Eternal heritage, bionic amplification, mysticism, and power bestowed by the abstract entity,
Death. Demonstrating enormous superhuman strength, stamina, and durability, Thanos can absorb and project vast quantities of cosmic energy and is capable of telekinesis, telepathy and matter manipulation. Thanos is an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained in the art of war on
Titan.
Thanos is a
genius in virtually all known fields of advanced
science and has created technology far exceeding contemporary Earth
science. He often employs a transportation
chair capable of space flight, force field projection, teleportation, time travel and movement through alternate universes. Thanos is also a master strategist and uses a space vessel called Sanctuary II as a base of operations.
