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Recently, a new trailer for The Marvels, starring Brie Larson, hints that Thanos may return to the MCU. This surprises fans who thought Iron Man's in Avengers: Endgame sacrifice ended the Thanos storyline in 2019 as top Marvel superheroes teamed up to defeat the mad titan, played by Josh Brolin.
For a while, Thanos succeeded in erasing half of the universe's population. Furthermore, the recent trailer of The Marvels brings back Thanos using unused footage from Avengers: Endgame. Even though 10 MCU films have emerged since then, Thanos's still impact remains constant.
The Marvels trailer: Unpacking the surprise entry of Thanos
The Marvels trailer suggests a link between Thanos and its main villain, Dar-Benn as it revisits scenes from Avengers: Endgame featuring Captain Marvel and Thanos.
It then shifts to new footage of Dar-Benn, who says, "This is just the beginning," as she uses purple energy from her bangles.
The trailer hints that Dar-Benn shares motives with Thanos, possibly even drawing inspiration from him. Captain Marvel says Dar-Benn "has been destroying every place I call home." However, it's unclear if their connection goes beyond a shared desire for destruction.
The MCU often refers back to Thanos as it enters a new phase. Since he was a huge threat and achieved his goals, it makes sense for Marvel to keep mentioning him.
This shows how dire things can get in their universe. Meanwhile, the new villain, Kang, is less intimidating as his variants keep getting defeated, and time is running out for the villain to prove he's a bigger threat than Thanos.
Harry Styles has also been introduced as Eros, Thanos's brother, in The Eternals. So, it would only be fair to include references to the original Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, in upcoming films.
The Marvels: What is Josh Brolin's view on returning to MCU as Thanos?
Marvel Studios is developing Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror as the next major villain for Avengers: Secret Wars. Yet, they could still bring back Thanos for more chaos.
Brolin, who also portrayed Cable in Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool series, is willing to reprise his role as Thanos. He expressed this in a 2022 interview on Sirius XM's Jess Cagle Show and said:
“It’s not that I don’t have an interest. They have their own trajectory that they’re worrying about, and if they want me to do it, I would do it I’m sure. But I don’t know what they’re thinking.”
If he comes back, he shouldn't be the main MCU threat. However, more of Josh Brolin's performance is always welcome. Additionally, people might expect his return in Eternals 2, so seeing him in The Marvels would be a surprise.
Moreover, the new dialogue could just be recycled from unused Avengers footage. Marvel Studios likely has a lot of unused Thanos content from Infinity War.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps evolving, but the shadow of Thanos looms large. New villains like Kang have yet to prove they can surpass him in menace.
With Josh Brolin open to reprising his role and fans eager for more, Thanos could very well make a comeback. Even as the MCU moves forward, the enduring impact of Thanos serves as a benchmark for all villains to come.
