Avengers: Infinity War premieres later this week! Earth's Mightiest Heroes and several other Marvel characters will go up against the Mad Titan Thanos, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to have a thread dedicated to the villain of the movie. It's a change from the usual spotlight on various heroes I tried out in the past as we approached the premieres of other movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but given Thanos' arrival in this movie has been teased for around 6 years, I figured it was appropriate.
Thanos was first introduced in 1973, and was created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich. Interestingly enough, he made his debut in the pages of Iron Man #55, but he is not exactly an Iron Man foe. Throughout the years since his creation, Thanos had the chance to confront just about every other character in the Marvel Universe, on various occasions. He has plagued entire worlds, conquering or destroying everything he saw fit, sometimes in his quests for the Infinity Gems. Not to mention his courtship of Lady Death, which caused some more chaos along the way.
Also worth mentioning are the members of the Black Order, servants to Thanos who sometimes do his bidding. As well as his "daughters", so to speak, Nebula and Gamora, even though they are sometimes found working against Thanos (especially the latter, as she became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy).
Animation-wise, Thanos has only appeared in a few shows: Silver Surfer (1998), The Super Hero Squad Show (2009-2011), and the currently still airing Avengers Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy. His design changed from one show to another (well, apart from the last two I mentioned, since they are supposedly in the same continuity and the designs rarely change). Gary Krawford and Jim Cummings provided his voice work, and Isaac C. Singleton Jr. currently has the honor of voicing Thanos in animation.
For all its faults, I think the best animated version of Thanos is the one from the current shows. The Infinity Gauntlet story-arc from Avengers Assemble was pretty great, and I enjoyed his portrayal on Guardians of the Galaxy. Granted, the competition isn't that strong (I personally found Silver Surfer a little too boring and the show not having a proper ending didn't help things either, and The Super Hero Squad Show was kind of fun but just too silly for the most part).
It remains to be seen how often Thanos will be used in animation in the future - most likely depending on how Avengers: Infinity War plays out. As the current batch of cartoons has demonstrated on several occasions, it tries to mimic the live-action movies whenever possible. But I think Thanos will still make his presence felt, one way or another.
Use this thread to discuss Thanos - which is your favorite animated version of the character? How about a favorite voice actor? Is there a certain actor who has not had the chance to voice Thanos yet, but you think he would be perfect for the role? Do you have any favorite moments from his relatively few animated appearances? Are there any scenes from the comics featuring Thanos that you would like to see someday, either in animation or in live-action? What heroes (or even villains) would you like to see go up against the Mad Titan? And by extension, what team would you assemble, if you had the opportunity, to stand against Thanos?
Leave a comment below and discuss, and remember to be respectful of each others' opinions!
*Mod Note: Please remember to keep discussion of Avengers: Infinity War out of this thread, including any Spoilers once the movie comes out. A link to the movie's official Talkback thread will be added as soon as it is posted. EDIT 04/27: "Avengers: Infinity War" Talkback
Thanos was first introduced in 1973, and was created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich. Interestingly enough, he made his debut in the pages of Iron Man #55, but he is not exactly an Iron Man foe. Throughout the years since his creation, Thanos had the chance to confront just about every other character in the Marvel Universe, on various occasions. He has plagued entire worlds, conquering or destroying everything he saw fit, sometimes in his quests for the Infinity Gems. Not to mention his courtship of Lady Death, which caused some more chaos along the way.
Also worth mentioning are the members of the Black Order, servants to Thanos who sometimes do his bidding. As well as his "daughters", so to speak, Nebula and Gamora, even though they are sometimes found working against Thanos (especially the latter, as she became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy).
Animation-wise, Thanos has only appeared in a few shows: Silver Surfer (1998), The Super Hero Squad Show (2009-2011), and the currently still airing Avengers Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy. His design changed from one show to another (well, apart from the last two I mentioned, since they are supposedly in the same continuity and the designs rarely change). Gary Krawford and Jim Cummings provided his voice work, and Isaac C. Singleton Jr. currently has the honor of voicing Thanos in animation.
For all its faults, I think the best animated version of Thanos is the one from the current shows. The Infinity Gauntlet story-arc from Avengers Assemble was pretty great, and I enjoyed his portrayal on Guardians of the Galaxy. Granted, the competition isn't that strong (I personally found Silver Surfer a little too boring and the show not having a proper ending didn't help things either, and The Super Hero Squad Show was kind of fun but just too silly for the most part).
It remains to be seen how often Thanos will be used in animation in the future - most likely depending on how Avengers: Infinity War plays out. As the current batch of cartoons has demonstrated on several occasions, it tries to mimic the live-action movies whenever possible. But I think Thanos will still make his presence felt, one way or another.
Use this thread to discuss Thanos - which is your favorite animated version of the character? How about a favorite voice actor? Is there a certain actor who has not had the chance to voice Thanos yet, but you think he would be perfect for the role? Do you have any favorite moments from his relatively few animated appearances? Are there any scenes from the comics featuring Thanos that you would like to see someday, either in animation or in live-action? What heroes (or even villains) would you like to see go up against the Mad Titan? And by extension, what team would you assemble, if you had the opportunity, to stand against Thanos?
Leave a comment below and discuss, and remember to be respectful of each others' opinions!
*Mod Note: Please remember to keep discussion of Avengers: Infinity War out of this thread, including any Spoilers once the movie comes out. A link to the movie's official Talkback thread will be added as soon as it is posted. EDIT 04/27: "Avengers: Infinity War" Talkback
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