Editing Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe) (section)

===Infinity War===

====Into His Own Hands====
With Loki and Ronan the Accuser failing to retrieve the Infinity Stones and conquer worlds, Thanos decided to take matters into his own hands. In 2015, he forced the Dwarves of Nidavellir to forge the Infinity Gauntlet, a powerful artifact capable of harnessing the power of all six Infinity Stones. After the Gauntlet was completed, Thanos massacred the Dwarves, sparing only [[Eitri (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Eitri]], whom he crippled to prevent him from forging anything else. Thanos believed that only he was capable of collecting the Infinity Stones and bringing balance to the universe.

By 2018, Thanos' adopted daughter, Nebula, attempted to assassinate him aboard the Sanctuary II but was captured. Accessing her memory files, Thanos discovered that Gamora had memorized the map to the Soul Stone before destroying it, realizing that she could lead him to the last missing Infinity Stone. Thanos then thoroughly investigated the locations and keepers of the Infinity Stones, which were scattered across the universe under the protection of various groups: the Asgardians, the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the Tivan Group, Vision, and the Nova Corps.

Armed with this knowledge, Thanos launched his campaign to gather the Infinity Stones, known as the Infinity War. His first target was Xandar, where the Power Stone was kept under the protection of the Nova Corps following Ronan the Accuser's defeat. Thanos infiltrated the Nova Corps Headquarters, acquired the Orb containing the Power Stone, and placed it into the Infinity Gauntlet. He then proceeded to decimate half of Xandar's population, furthering his goal of universal balance.

As Thanos' attacks became known, the Confederacy, a group of alien species, warned HYDRA about the threat Thanos posed to Earth and offered protection. However, HYDRA, aware that they were no match for Thanos, only exploited the Confederacy's offer to gain access to Earth's resources, particularly Inhumans and Gravitonium.

====Obtaining the Tesseract====
One week after his attack on Xandar, Thanos, aboard his ship Sanctuary II, tracked down the Asgardian survivors of Ragnarök as they fled towards Earth, including Loki and [[Thor (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Thor]]. The Black Order, Thanos' elite squad, massacred half of the Asgardians on board. Thanos personally confronted Thor, brutally beating him and dragging him across the ship. Thanos then demanded that Loki hand over the Tesseract in exchange for Thor's life.

Initially, Loki feigned indifference, but when Thanos began torturing Thor with the Power Stone, Loki finally revealed that he had secretly taken the Tesseract from Asgard before its destruction. He used his magic to produce the Tesseract, and while approaching Thanos, assured Thor that the sun would shine on them again. Thanos dismissed this optimism, and when Loki referred to himself as "not an Asgardian," he revealed their side had a secret weapon: the Hulk.

Before Thanos could react, [[Hulk (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Hulk]] ambushed him, smashing him against the ship's walls. However, despite Hulk's fury, Thanos quickly gained the upper hand, displaying superior strength and combat skill. After landing several devastating blows, Thanos subdued Hulk, leaving him defeated. Thor attempted a surprise attack on Thanos, but the Titan easily repelled him. Ebony Maw then used his telekinetic powers to restrain Thor.

With the Asgardians defeated, [[Heimdall (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Heimdall]] made a desperate attempt to warn the other realms of Thanos' threat. Using Hofund, Heimdall summoned the Bifrost Bridge and sent Hulk to Earth. Enraged, Thanos fatally stabbed Heimdall with Corvus Glaive's blade. Thor, bound and silenced by Maw, watched helplessly.

Maw then presented the Tesseract to Thanos, praising his strength. Thanos crushed the Tesseract, revealing the Space Stone within. He added it to the Infinity Gauntlet, granting himself the ability to teleport across the galaxy. With two Infinity Stones in his possession, Thanos ordered the Black Order to retrieve the Mind and Time Stones from Earth.

Before they departed, Loki approached Thanos, offering his services as a guide to Earth, citing his experience during the Chitauri Invasion. Thanos dismissed Loki's past efforts as failures. Loki then seemingly pledged loyalty to Thanos once more, declaring himself the rightful king of Jotunheim and son of Odin. However, as Loki approached Thanos, he attempted to stab him with a hidden dagger.

Thanos, suspecting treachery, used the Space Stone to immobilize Loki. Mocking Loki's "undying fidelity," Thanos lifted him by the throat and, despite Loki's desperate struggles, choked the life out of him. Thanos turned to Thor, who watched in horror as his brother was murdered. Thanos then dropped Loki's lifeless body in front of Thor, coldly stating that there would be no resurrection this time.

With the Tesseract secured, Thanos used the Power Stone to destroy the remaining parts of the Asgardian ship, the Statesman, before using the Space Stone to teleport himself and his children away, leaving Thor and the corpses of the Asgardians to drift in the void of space.

====Ambush in Knowhere====
Thanos arrived on Knowhere with the intent of acquiring the Reality Stone from the Collector, who had been safeguarding it since the Second Dark Elf Conflict. After securing the stone and adding it to his Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos anticipated the arrival of the Guardians of the Galaxy, knowing he needed Gamora to find the Soul Stone.

To lure the Guardians into a trap, Thanos used the Reality Stone to create an illusion, making it appear as if he was torturing the Collector and asking about the Reality Stone. He waited for the Guardians to arrive, while the illusion masked the true destruction of Knowhere. The Guardians eventually made their presence known, with Drax being knocked out by Mantis to prevent him from attacking immediately. Gamora charged at Thanos' illusion, breaking his weapon and stabbing the illusion in the throat, then using the switchblade Thanos had given her to stab the illusion in the heart.

As Gamora mourned what she believed was the death of her father figure, Thanos revealed himself, having used the Reality Stone to manipulate the surroundings and show the true, burning wreckage of Knowhere. He boasted about his ability to alter reality and offered Gamora a chance to join him willingly.

Gamora refused and tried to retrieve Godslayer, but Thanos easily restrained her and turned Drax and Mantis into stone and string with the Reality Stone. Star-Lord confronted Thanos, threatening him with his Quad Blasters. Thanos recognized Star-Lord as Gamora's boyfriend and challenged him to prove his love by shooting Gamora, believing that Star-Lord's affection would prevent him from acting.

Despite the pain, Star-Lord hesitated, and Thanos used the Reality Stone to turn his ammunition and blasters into bubbles. Thanos then teleported away with Gamora, admiring Star-Lord for his conflicted emotions, and restored Drax and Mantis to their normal forms.

====Interrogation of Nebula====
On the Sanctuary II, Thanos offered Gamora food, but she threw it at his throne, expressing her disdain for both the throne and her life under him. Thanos remained unperturbed, remarking that he had always hoped she would sit on that throne one day. Gamora bitterly recounted how Thanos had taken her from her homeworld, resulting in the massacre of her family and the suffering she endured as a child.

Thanos countered by explaining that his actions had ultimately led to prosperity for Zen-Whoberi, stating that the hardships of her people had been alleviated despite his ruthless methods. He dismissed her objections as a small price for the greater good, insisting that it was simply a matter of calculus.

Despite Gamora’s hatred and rejection of his ideology, Thanos calmly reminded her of the strength and skills he had helped her develop. He revealed that Nebula had been captured due to her attempt to undermine him and was being tortured, with her cybernetic implants forcibly removed.

Thanos used the Power Stone to inflict severe pain on Nebula, causing her to scream in agony. Gamora, horrified by her sister's suffering, begged Thanos to stop, claiming she had not found the Soul Stone. Thanos, however, was already aware of Gamora's deceit, having accessed a recording from Nebula's system that showed Gamora's lie.

Despite his confidence in Gamora's abilities, Thanos criticized her for failing to be a convincing liar and continued to torture Nebula. Ultimately, Gamora, overcome with remorse for her sister's pain, revealed that the Soul Stone was located on Vormir. With this information, Thanos ceased torturing Nebula and told Gamora must accompany him to retrieve the stone.

====Thanos on Vormir====
Thanos and Gamora arrived on Vormir through a portal created by the Space Stone. Thanos warned Gamora that Nebula would suffer if the Soul Stone was not where she claimed it would be. They proceeded to the top of a cliff, where the Soul Stone was rumored to be located.

At the cliff's summit, they encountered the [[Red Skull (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Red Skull]], the keeper of the Soul Stone. The Red Skull recognized Thanos as the son of A'Lars and Gamora as Thanos' daughter. He informed Thanos that obtaining the Soul Stone would require a significant sacrifice. Thanos, unfazed, declared that he was prepared to pay the price.

As the Red Skull led them to the top of a nearby cliff, Thanos asked how he knew so much about the Infinity Stones, to which the Red Skull explained that he had searched for the stones a lifetime ago and had even held the Tesseract in his hands. As the Red Skull continued his story, he simply explained that the Tesseract had banished him to Vormir to protect the Soul Stone before leading Thanos and Gamora to the end of the high mountain ledge.

The guardian of the Soul Stone explained to Thanos that obtaining the stone required the sacrifice of a loved one to ensure that whoever possessed the stone would understand its true power. Upon hearing this, Gamora mocked Thanos as heartless and uncaring, but Thanos, who truly loved Gamora like a daughter, shed tears at having to kill her.

Thinking back to Titan's fate, Thanos explained to Gamora that he could not ignore his destiny to seemingly save billions of lives a second time. Gamora was genuinely moved for a moment, but Thanos instead used the Reality Stone to turn her knife into bubbles as he tearfully apologized before grabbing Gamora by the wrist.

While Gamora tried to fight back, Thanos threw his beloved daughter off the cliff where she plummeted to her death. After committing this terrible act, Thanos looked sternly over the cliff and mourned Gamora's death, while a voice told him that his will was strong and his sacrifice had proven him worthy.  A light erupted and struck Thanos down, but when he awoke from a river, he had the Soul Stone in his hand and placed it in his Infinity Gauntlet, which granted Thanos greater power.

====Battle of Titan====
After sacrificing Gamora, Thanos arrived on Titan to meet the Black Order and collect the Time Stone. [[Doctor Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Doctor Strange]] was already there, noting that Thanos lived up to his name. Thanos, realizing that Ebony Maw had died but successfully brought the Time Stone, discussed Titan's past with Strange. He used the Reality Stone to show Titan's former beauty and explained his plan to use the Infinity Stones for a universe-wide genocide, with the goal of creating balance by eradicating half of all life.

Strange and the Avengers attacked Thanos. Strange used the Reality Stone to create illusions, while Iron Man, [[Spider-Man (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Spider-Man]], and Drax engaged Thanos in combat. Thanos responded with the Power Stone and Reality Stone, overwhelming his opponents. Star-Lord and Spider-Man briefly gained the upper hand with their attacks and traps.

Despite their efforts, Thanos remained largely unaffected, using the Infinity Gauntlet to counter their attacks. Iron Man’s missiles created a massive explosion, but Thanos absorbed and redirected the flames. Nebula, who had escaped from the Sanctuary II, joined the fight and attacked Thanos, demanding to know Gamora's whereabouts. Thanos dismissed her and overpowered her.

====Entrapped by Heroes====
Doctor Strange used an Eldritch Whip to trap the Infinity Gauntlet, while Drax and Star-Lord assisted in restraining Thanos. Spider-Man's webbing further immobilized him, and Mantis used her powers to put Thanos into a trance-like state. With Thanos restrained, Iron Man and Spider-Man worked to remove the Gauntlet.

During this time, Star-Lord demanded the location of Gamora, and Thanos, despite being under Mantis' control, revealed he had sacrificed her to obtain the Soul Stone. This revelation caused Star-Lord to act impulsively, hitting Thanos and disrupting Mantis' control.

Freed from the trance, Thanos retaliated violently, reclaiming the Gauntlet and defeating the heroes with a shockwave and a barrage of meteors from Titan's moon.

====Duel with Doctor Strange====
Amidst the meteor storm, Doctor Strange confronted Thanos using the Cloak of Levitation. Strange launched fiery beams at Thanos, who avoided them and retaliated with an energy beam from the Infinity Gauntlet, which Strange absorbed using the Mirror Dimension. Thanos crushed the Mirror Dimension with the Power Stone and then used the Space Stone to turn the remnants into a black hole, which Strange transformed into butterflies.

Strange created multiple replicas of himself to entrap Thanos with Eldritch Whips. Thanos dispelled the replicas with a blast from the Infinity Stones. Thanos then captured Strange, impressed by his magic skills, and noted that Strange should have used the Time Stone. When Thanos crushed the Eye of Agamotto, he discovered that Strange had already removed the Time Stone and threw him aside.

====Battle with Iron Man====
As Thanos prepared to search for the Time Stone, Iron Man attacked with his advanced technology, restraining the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos revealed knowledge of Stark from the Battle of New York, and Iron Man retorted that Thanos was his curse. Iron Man launched missiles at Thanos and used his suit to unleash a series of attacks, but Thanos quickly regained control and ripped off Iron Man's trap, re-accessing the Gauntlet’s power.

Thanos's energy blast was deflected by Iron Man's nanotech shield. Iron Man continued fighting, using his suit to restrain Thanos and deliver a powerful strike, which only amused Thanos. Thanos then overpowered Iron Man, severely damaging his armor and striking him repeatedly. Thanos broke Iron Man's sword and stabbed him through the stomach.

Gasping and bleeding, Stark was gently set down by Thanos, who expressed respect for him and promised that half of humanity would remember Stark's legacy. Thanos then prepared to use the Infinity Stones to execute Stark.

====Deal with Doctor Strange and Departure====
Before Thanos could kill Iron Man, Doctor Strange offered the Time Stone in exchange for sparing Stark's life. Despite Stark’s pleas, Strange used magic to reveal the Stone's location and handed it over to Thanos. With the Time Stone added to his Gauntlet, Thanos gained control over time and had only the Mind Stone left to complete his goal.

As Thanos reveled in his victory, Star-Lord attacked him in anger over Gamora's death, but Thanos was unharmed and used the Space Stone to create a portal. He departed for Earth to collect the final Infinity Stone, leaving the heroes on Titan feeling defeated.

====Cost of Victory====

====Battle of Wakanda====
Upon arriving in Wakanda with the Time Stone, Thanos faced both the forces of Wakanda and the Avengers and Guardians. Despite their combined efforts, Thanos, wielding the nearly complete Infinity Gauntlet, proved nearly invincible. He easily subdued and defeated the assembled heroes, using the stones' power to his advantage.

Thanos methodically approached [[Vision (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Vision]], who was attempting to destroy the Mind Stone. Although Wanda Maximoff used her powers to try and destroy the stone, Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse the destruction, restoring Vision and the Mind Stone to their original state. He then proceeded to brutally kill Vision again by ripping out the Mind Stone.

With the Mind Stone in his possession, Thanos completed his Gauntlet, achieving his ultimate goal.

====The Snap====
After collecting all six Infinity Stones and placing them into the Gauntlet, Thanos harnessed the combined power of the Stones. He experienced immense pain as the power surged through him, and, with a roar, he prepared to use the Gauntlet.

Thor, seeking vengeance for the deaths of Heimdall, Loki, and the Asgardians, attacked Thanos with Stormbreaker. He struck Thanos with a powerful lightning bolt and threw Stormbreaker, cutting through Thanos' energy beam and hitting him in the chest.

Thanos, gravely wounded, fell to his knees. As Thor stood over him, he demanded retribution and pressed the axe deeper into Thanos' chest.

After enduring a grievous wound from Stormbreaker, Thanos, while struggling, taunted Thor about not aiming for his head. Before Thor could react, Thanos snapped his fingers with the Infinity Gauntlet. A blinding white light erupted from the Gauntlet, flooding the battlefield, and Thanos briefly lost consciousness.

In the Soulworld, Thanos found himself without the Gauntlet and met a vision of young Gamora, who asked him what his actions had cost. Thanos solemnly replied, "Everything."

Returning to Wakanda, Thanos, now visibly damaged and with the Gauntlet scorched, saw Thor demanding answers about the Snap. Thanos gave no explanation, used the Space Stone to heal his injury, glared at Thor spitefully, and then teleported away.

====Retirement====
Following the Snap, Thanos retired to his Garden, where he peacefully watched the sunrise, satisfied with his accomplishment. Unable to hear the universe's cries of pain, he enjoyed a sense of fulfillment.

Three weeks later, fearing temptation and knowing the Avengers might come after him, Thanos used the Infinity Stones one last time to destroy them at the atomic level, causing severe wounds and permanent scarring, particularly where the Gauntlet was fused to his hand. Despite his injuries, he continued to live out his days in solitude, seeking peace in his final moments.

====Ambushed by the Avengers====
Two days after destroying the Infinity Stones, Thanos was at his Garden preparing a stew when the surviving Avengers found him. [[Captain Marvel (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Captain Marvel]] struck first, knocking Thanos back. She then subdued him with a headlock while Bruce Banner and [[War Machine (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|War Machine]] restrained his arms.

Thor arrived and severed Thanos' left arm, causing great pain and freeing the now-damaged Infinity Gauntlet. The Avengers, including [[Captain America (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Captain America]] and [[Black Widow (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Black Widow]], interrogated Thanos, demanding to know the whereabouts of the Stones. Thanos revealed that he had destroyed them to prevent any possibility of reversing the Snap, claiming his victory was permanent.

Despite Thanos' calm demeanor and explanation, Banner and others were enraged. Nebula confirmed that Thanos' claim about the Stones was true. Thor, driven by vengeance, decapitated Thanos with Stormbreaker, fulfilling his earlier taunt. As Thanos' body fell, Nebula mourned him, closing his eyes. The Avengers, despite their victory, were left with a sense of deep loss and resignation over the devastation Thanos had wrought.