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The countdown is well underway for the release of Avengers: Endgame. When we last saw the Avengers, things were not going well.

The movie left fans wondering: “Could this be the last we see of the Avengers together?” Thanks to Thanos, the fate of many of the characters was left up in the air.

Who is Thanos in the MCU?

Thanos is the evil villain in the Avengers world. He comes from Titan, a moon of Saturn and he has a serious ax to grind. Thanos was horribly disfigured, leaving him angry and vengeful. This led him to go on the ultimate hunt for power.

Thanos is the adoptive father to Gamora. Thanos destroyed her home planet, killing both her parents. He then took her under his wing to train her as an assassin. But Gamora turned on him to keep the power out of his hands.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos was able to get his hands on all of the infinity stones, giving him ultimate power. Fans were left to watch many of their favorite Avengers disappear into a pile of dust. Will this be undone with the release of Avengers: Endgame? Fans will have to wait and see.

Thanos is played by Josh Brolin

It’s hard to recognize him under all that makeup, but Thanos is played by veteran actor Josh Brolin. Brolin has revealed that it took convincing from more than one MCU actor to take the role of the evil villain.

Brolin told Seth Meyers in a 2018 that he asked fellow Marvel star Mark Ruffalo (aka The Hulk) his thoughts about taking the role. Brolin says that Ruffalo told him, “You’re going to feel more ridiculous than you’ve ever felt.” He explained all the things about the costume that made the part uncomfortable. But then he assured the actor, “When you see it, eventually, your mind will be blown.”

Brolin later admitted that it was also the work of Dr. Strange himself that helped convince him to take the role. He told Entertainment Weekly Radio that a YouTube video of Benedict Cumberbatch filming the Hobbit inspired him, “He was in this [motion capture], and he was in this big warehouse, and he’s crawling around like a snake, snapping his tongue out doing this incredible performance. I saw that and was like, all right, that’s the bar. This is not like bulls***t. This is something you can actually… you have to sink your teeth into conviction, embarrassment, and all this kind of stuff. And I decided, yeah.”

Brolin had a successful career long before entering the Marvel Universe

Before starring in the Avengers franchise, Brolin had a long career in acting. The actor got his start as Brand in the cult classic The Goonies. After The Goonies, Brolin appeared in 21 Jump Street, Private Eye, and The Young Riders. By the early ’90s, Brolin was consistently acting in successful movies.

Though Thanos was his first character from the Marvel Universe, it was not the last. In 2018, Brolin appeared as Cable in Deadpool 2. He is set to reprise the character in the upcoming X-Force. He is also set to appear in Dune and an untitled TV series.

Brolin has famous parents

If you think you’ve heard the name Brolin before, you’re not wrong. Josh Brolin has some pretty famous parents. Brolin’s father is actor James Brolin, who is currently playing the role of John on the CBS comedy Life in Pieces. His mother, Jane Cameron Agee was also an actress. Sadly, she died in 1995. Brolin’s step-mother is none other than the legendary Barbra Streisand.

Avengers: Endgame is on Disney+.

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