‘Avengers: Endgame’: New Theory Suggests Thanos Chose Who Survived the Snap in ‘Infinity War’
Despite claims to the contrary about the events that led to Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, a new theory suggests that Thanos (Josh Brolin) actively chose who survived the snap in Avengers: Infinity War. In the film, Thanos assured the Avengers that he would wipe out half of the life in the universe at “random,” leaving chance to determine who survived the culling. Turns out this is completely different than the storyline in the comics, in which Thanos actively decided who lived and who died in the snap.
Inside Thanos’ snap in the comics
There are big differences between the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Thanos and the character’s storyline in the comics, but one similar element is the fact that neither of them acted neutral when it came to eliminating half of life in the universe.
In the comics, Thanos’ father is a man named A’lars, who also goes by the moniker Mentor. Not only is Mentor the leader of the Titan, but he is also a member of the Eternals (a story that might be explored in the upcoming film The Eternals).
When Thanos finally got all of the Infinity Stones and snapped away half the universe, he made sure that his father was among the people who disappeared.
He later explained his reasoning to his brother, Eros, and revealed that he was worried that Mentor would stop him from fulfilling his destiny. This clearly shows that Thanos didn’t rely on randomness in the snap, something fans believe he shares with his MCU counterpart.
Marvel makes another big change from the comics
Speaking of changes between the versions of Thanos, there was also a big difference in how he acquired the Soul Stone in the comics.
While Thanos killed Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to get the stone in Infinity War, the comics had him taking the stone from a character named the In-Betweener.
Thanos basically tricked the In-Betweener into believing they were going to team up before stealing the Soul Stone and leaving him to suffer consequences from Master Order and Lord Chaos.
In the comics, Thanos’ big plan with the Infinity Stones is to become equal with Death, with whom he is in love. Marvel decided not to include this storyline in the MCU, though there are some elements that are similar across the different formats.
Was the snap in ‘Infinity War’ random?
One thing that is similar between the characters is how Thanos seemingly chose who would die in the snap and who would survive.
Although Thanos stated that the snap would be random, he wasn’t being completely honest. After all, he had to spare himself from the snap or else run the risk of one of the Avengers taking the Infinity Gauntlet and reversing what he did.
We do not know if Thanos willed anyone else specifically out of existence, but it definitely seems like he gave himself an out.
Will Marvel explore Thanos’ childhood?
While Thanos was killed off in the final scenes of Avengers: Endgame, the villain’s time in the MCU might not be over.
There has been a lot of speculation about Thanos returning in a future project and multiple theories have surfaced that his brother or son might help bring him back. Now that we know that people who perish in the snap can be brought back to life, we cannot rule out the same thing happening to Thanos.
Unfortunately, Marvel has not confirmed any of the rumors surrounding Thanos. But even if the studio doesn’t bring him back in the current timeline, he may pop up in The Eternals next year.
The movie will reportedly span several thousands of years and explore the beginnings of the superhero group known as the Eternals. With Thanos’ parents belonging to the group, there is a chance that fans will see more of his backstory in the film.
The Eternals, starring Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, and Kit Harington, is set to premiere in theaters in 2021.
Fans can stream Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
