Editing Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe) (section)

==Biography==

===Early Life===
Thanos was born to A'Lars, a member of the Titan Royal Family, on the planet Titan. He was an anomaly among his people, born with a physical mutation that made him an outcast. Despite his status, Thanos was deeply concerned about the future of Titan when the planet faced overpopulation and the impending catastrophic event it would cause. Thanos proposed a radical solution: to kill half the population to save the other half. His idea was dismissed as genocide, and he was exiled from Titan. However, his warnings proved true, as Titan was devastated, becoming nearly uninhabitable, and the Titan species was on the verge of extinction.

====Fall of Titan====
The fall of Titan had a profound impact on Thanos, solidifying his belief that the universe's vast swell of life would eventually deplete its finite resources, leading to its destruction. To prevent other planets from suffering Titan's fate, Thanos became a world conqueror. He amassed resources and power, destroying half of all life on the planets he conquered in his quest to balance the universe. This campaign earned him a fearsome reputation as one of the most powerful beings in the universe, ruling over a vast region of space and commanding deadly armies such as the Chitauri, Sakaarans, and Outriders.

====Training His Children====
Thanos sought to strengthen his position by collecting orphans from races he conquered and training them to become his devoted warriors. His oldest children—[[Ebony Maw (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Ebony Maw]], [[Corvus Glaive (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Corvus Glaive]], [[Cull Obsidian (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Cull Obsidian]], and [[Proxima Midnight (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Proxima Midnight]]—formed the Black Order. During his attack on Zen-Whoberi, Thanos was captivated by a young Zehoberei girl named Gamora, who fearlessly resisted one of his soldiers. Impressed by her strength, Thanos took her in as his daughter, training her to become a ruthless assassin. Despite Gamora's eventual hatred for him, Thanos' love for her never wavered, and he always hoped she would inherit his throne.

Thanos also adopted Nebula, a Luphomoid, raising her as another deadly assassin. However, Thanos made it clear that he wanted his children to be rivals, not friends. He frequently pitted Nebula against Gamora, punishing Nebula whenever she lost by removing parts of her body and replacing them with mechanical enhancements. Thanos' harsh treatment of Nebula was part of his belief that it would make her stronger.

Thanos' methods were brutal, but he believed they were necessary to prepare his children for the harsh realities of the universe. Despite his ruthlessness, Thanos' actions were driven by his desire to prevent the fate that befell Titan from happening to other planets.

===Quest for the Infinity Stones===

====Seeking Power====
Thanos eventually realized that his mission to balance the universe by eliminating half of all life was too vast a task to accomplish on his own. To achieve his goal on a universal scale, he turned his attention to the Infinity Stones, six powerful artifacts that controlled different aspects of the universe. Thanos believed that by gathering all the Infinity Stones, he could permanently solve the issue of overpopulation and resource depletion. He made it his life's mission to collect these Stones and forged several alliances to aid in locating them.

The first Infinity Stone Thanos acquired was the Mind Stone, which he placed within a scepter. This scepter granted him the ability to manipulate minds, making it easier to control those who opposed him. With this powerful weapon, Thanos furthered his quest for the remaining Stones, determined to use their combined power to wipe out half of all life in the universe. He believed that by doing so, he would create a balanced universe and eventually retire to live a peaceful life on his farm, convinced that his actions would be seen as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

Throughout his search, Thanos sent his daughters, Nebula and Gamora, on missions to locate the Stones. When Thanos discovered a lead on the location of the Orb, which contained the Power Stone, he dispatched Nebula and Gamora to the Cloud Tombs of Praxius under the command of Korath. However, Nebula fell victim to a trap during the mission, and Thanos, who did not tolerate failure, forbade Gamora from rescuing her sister. As a result, Nebula was forced to amputate her own arm to escape, and the Orb was never recovered. Despite this failure, Thanos continued his relentless search for the Infinity Stones.

Thanos also sent Gamora to find the Soul Stone. Although Gamora found a map to its location, she lied to Thanos, claiming that her search had been unsuccessful. In reality, she had burned the map to keep the Soul Stone's location hidden. Thanos, however, saw through her deception but chose not to confront her at that time, continuing his pursuit of the remaining Stones.

====Chitauri Invasion====
By 2012, Thanos learned that the Tesseract, an object of immense power, was on Earth. His intermediary, [[The Other (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|The Other]], informed him of its location. To retrieve the Tesseract, Thanos formed an alliance with [[Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Loki]], providing him with the Mind Stone-embedded Scepter and a portion of his Chitauri soldiers to aid in the conquest of Earth. Thanos personally trained Loki in mind control to ensure the mission's success, and The Other reported that Loki was ready, predicting that humanity would be powerless against their assault.

Thanos then teleported Loki to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility on Earth using the Tesseract's energy. However, despite Loki's vast armies of Chitauri and powerful weaponry, he was ultimately defeated in the Battle of New York after Iron Man destroyed the Chitauri Command Center, which led to the collapse of their forces. As a result, the Scepter containing the Mind Stone fell into the hands of HYDRA, while Thor took the Tesseract and the captured Loki back to Asgard. The Other reported back to Thanos, warning him that challenging humanity was courting Death. In response, Thanos smiled, intrigued by the potential challenges ahead and began taking an interest in Earth's defenders, particularly Tony Stark, whom he saw as a kindred spirit "cursed with knowledge."

====Making Alliances====
In 2014, Thanos brokered a deal with the Kree Accuser Ronan, who sought to annihilate the Xandarians. Thanos promised to lend Ronan a portion of his forces in exchange for locating the Orb, which contained the Power Stone. Under Thanos' orders, Ronan led an attack on the planet Kylos, slaughtering half of its population, including [[Drax the Destroyer (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Drax the Destroyer]]'s family. This act of genocide fueled Drax's desire for revenge against Ronan.

====Slaughtering the Korbinites====
Thanos later ordered his daughters, Gamora and Nebula, to participate in the massacre of the Korbinites. After their victory, Thanos arrived on their Q-Ship, wiping blood from his Double-Edged Sword. He informed them that Ronan had located the Power Stone, and they would oversee its retrieval on the Dark Aster. Although Gamora expressed concern that Ronan might resent their presence, Thanos dismissed her worries, stating that Ronan had no choice but to comply. Nebula, eager to please her father, vowed not to fail him, while Gamora showed disdain for her sister's attempts to win Thanos' favor.

====Gamora's Betrayal====
Ronan and his Kree ally, [[Korath (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Korath]], discovered the Orb on Morag but were unable to deliver it to Thanos before it fell into the hands of Star-Lord, who attempted to sell it on Xandar. Thanos ordered Ronan to pursue Star-Lord and entrusted Gamora with recovering the Orb. However, Gamora, who resented Thanos for years of torment, planned to betray him and deliver the Orb to [[The Collector (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|the Collector]] instead.

When Ronan informed Thanos of Gamora's betrayal, the Kree Accuser expressed frustration at Thanos' apparent lack of concern. Ronan even killed The Other when he reprimanded him for disrespecting Thanos. Despite The Other's death and Ronan's growing defiance, Thanos remained composed, only showing slight annoyance. He instructed Ronan to refocus on his mission and ordered Nebula to take Gamora's place.

====Ronan's Betrayal====
Ronan and Nebula eventually managed to steal the Orb from the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, when Ronan contacted Thanos to update him, he revealed that he intended to keep the Orb for himself after witnessing its true power. Despite Korath's reminder that Thanos was the most powerful being in the universe, Ronan declared his intention to challenge Thanos after destroying Xandar. Unfazed, Thanos cut off communication with Ronan, allowing him to proceed on his doomed path. Ultimately, Ronan was defeated by the Guardians of the Galaxy, who handed the Orb to the Nova Corps, marking yet another Infinity Stone lost to Thanos.

===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.

===Endgame===

====Alternate 2014: Thanos' Plan and Nebula's Betrayal====
In an alternate 2014, Thanos discovered that Ronan the Accuser had located the Power Stone. He prepared his daughters, Nebula and Gamora, for a mission to retrieve it. However, Thanos became suspicious of Nebula after detecting that her mind had been tampered with. His concerns grew when he found evidence of her future self's intentions to take the Power Stone for herself.

Thanos ordered Ebony Maw to run diagnostics on Nebula's memory, discovering that her mind had been merged with her future self's memories. Maw revealed that these memories were from nine years later and included information about the Avengers planning to undo Thanos' actions. Realizing that the Avengers were aiming to prevent his future self's actions, Thanos was intrigued by the possibility of his own destiny being altered.

Thanos observed his future self's interactions and the eventual destruction of the Infinity Stones, leading to his own demise at the hands of Thor. This confirmed his belief that his destiny was fulfilled. Understanding that his current actions would shape the future, Thanos decided to use this knowledge to his advantage.

He captured 2023 Nebula and used her to devise a plan involving the Pym Particles, which would allow time travel. Thanos ordered 2014 Nebula to impersonate her future self and recover the Infinity Stones from the future. Thanos also directed Ebony Maw to reverse-engineer the Pym Particles to enable his fleet to time-travel and follow the Avengers.

====Arrival of Thanos in 2023====
After Nebula transported Thanos and his fleet to 2023, Thanos unleashed the Sanctuary II on the Avengers Compound, destroying it and trapping Hulk, War Machine, and [[Rocket Raccoon (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Rocket Raccoon]] under the debris. Ant-Man eventually rescued them from the rubble.

Thanos then retreated from the wreckage and awaited Nebula's return. He planned to lure the Avengers to him. As Thanos sat amidst the destruction, Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man confronted him. Thanos revealed that his original plan to halve the universe was flawed; the survivors' memories of the deceased would prevent them from flourishing.

Instead, Thanos now intended to use the Infinity Stones to destroy the entire universe and recreate it from scratch. His goal was to create a new universe where its inhabitants would never know about the old one, ensuring that they would be grateful for their existence.

====Battle For The Universe====
Upon hearing Thanos' plans, Captain America told him that the new universe would be born from bloodshed. Thanos countered that the new inhabitants would never know about the past, as he would ensure the Avengers were killed. In response, Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America, filled with disgust and rage, attacked Thanos. Despite their combined might, Thanos easily repelled their assaults.

During the battle, Iron Man and Thor launched an attack against Thanos, but he deflected Iron Man's repulsor blasts with his Double-Edged Sword. Thanos advanced on Iron Man, using him to block a thrown Mjölnir and knocking Iron Man out.

Thanos then retaliated against Captain America, sending him crashing through stones with a powerful punch. He then threw his sword at Thor, who dodged it but lost his weapon when Thanos knocked it away with Stormbreaker. Thanos continued his assault, knocking Thor’s weapon out of his hand and pinning him against a wall before tossing him across the field and pummeling him.

As Thor tried to summon Stormbreaker, Thanos caught it mid-air and attempted to stab him. He began to push the weapon into Thor's chest until Captain America intervened by knocking Thanos away with Mjölnir, proving himself worthy of its power. Thanos then kicked Thor unconscious before turning his attention to Captain America. He endured a series of blows from Mjölnir and Captain America's attacks, with the shield being used effectively to strike him.

Thanos was briefly stunned by a lightning strike from Mjölnir but quickly recovered, slamming Captain America to the ground and removing his damaged helmet. Thanos continued to assault Captain America with his sword, cutting his leg and disarming him. With immense strength, Thanos shattered Captain America's shield and defeated him with a brutal swing of his sword.

While Captain America lay on the ground, Thanos declared that despite his history of conquest and slaughter, his actions had never been personal. However, due to the Avengers' interference, he now intended to destroy Earth out of spite. As Thanos' army of Outriders, Chitauri, Sakaarans, and the Black Order arrived on the battlefield, he saw Captain America rising to confront them.

Unbeknownst to Thanos, Nebula had retrieved the Nano Gauntlet from Hawkeye but was killed by her future self. The Avengers, now joined by all their resurrected allies—including the deceased Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Wakandans, the Ravagers, the Masters of the Mystic Arts, and the Einherjar—prepared to fight against Thanos’ forces. Thanos watched tensely as his opponents assembled, and when Captain America gave the command, Thanos raised his Double-Edged Sword to lead his army into battle.

The battle raged fiercely, with neither side gaining the upper hand. Thanos used his sword both as a melee weapon and a boomerang, swiftly dispatching enemies like a Master of the Mystic Arts. Despite several losses on his side, including Cull Obsidian, Thanos fought alongside Corvus Glaive and Ebony Maw. When Thanos inquired about Nebula, he was informed she was not responding and was soon alerted that the Nano Gauntlet was in [[Hawkeye (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Hawkeye]]’s possession.

Thanos chased after Hawkeye, who passed the Gauntlet to Black Panther. Thanos threw his sword at [[Black Panther (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Black Panther]], knocking him down but was then confronted by Wanda Maximoff. Maximoff, filled with rage, declared that Thanos had taken everything from her. Thanos, unaware of what his future self had done to Vision, coldly responded that he did not know her and continued to cut through rubble thrown by Maximoff’s telekinetic powers. However, he was soon knocked down by Maximoff's rapid energy blasts and disarmed.

Enduring Wanda Maximoff's relentless attacks, Thanos picked up his Double-Edged Sword and began to counter, deflecting her energy blasts and engaging in close combat. Despite Thanos' superior skill initially giving him the upper hand, Maximoff, driven by anger, managed to repel his attack and slice his sword in half with her telekinesis. Thanos was then lifted by Maximoff's telekinetic grip, causing his armor to be slowly chipped away.

In pain from Maximoff's assault, Thanos ordered Corvus Glaive to initiate an airstrike from the Sanctuary II, despite Glaive’s concern for the lives of their troops. Thanos insisted, leading to a barrage of laser cannons from the warship, which successfully pushed Maximoff and the other Avengers back.

The airstrike was abruptly halted when interference from the sky caused the warship to redirect its fire. Captain Marvel arrived from space and destroyed the Sanctuary II with ease, leaving Thanos in shock. As Captain Marvel began to send the Infinity Stones back into the Quantum Tunnel, Thanos attempted to stop her.

[[Pepper Potts (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Pepper Potts]], [[Shuri (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Shuri]], and [[Wasp (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Wasp]] intervened, allowing Captain Marvel to approach the van. Thanos threw his sword at the Quantum Tunnel in a desperate attempt to destroy it, causing a massive explosion that threw everyone backward. Amid the chaos, Thanos raced to retrieve the Nano Gauntlet, which had been isolated by the blast. Iron Man intervened but was easily thrown aside by Thanos.

Thanos was again thwarted in his attempt to get the Gauntlet as Thor attacked him with brute force. After fending off Thor, Thanos grappled with him and tried to stop him from decapitating him with Stormbreaker. Thor, summoning Mjølnir in addition to Stormbreaker, forced Thanos into a struggle. Despite holding his ground with one hand, Thanos was eventually joined by Captain America, who attempted to push Stormbreaker into Thanos' throat. Thanos managed to knock Thor's weapon down, headbutt Thor, and punch Captain America, knocking both of them out.

As Thanos reached for the Nano Gauntlet, he was attacked by Captain Marvel, who landed two powerful punches. Thanos threw her aside and donned the Gauntlet. As he prepared to snap his fingers, Captain Marvel restrained him, grabbing the Gauntlet. Unable to overpower her, Thanos attempted to headbutt her with little effect and was forced to his knees as Captain Marvel tried to remove the Gauntlet. In a final effort, Thanos pulled out the Power Stone, using its power to punch Captain Marvel out of the battlefield.

====Erasure====
Placing the Power Stone back in the Nano Gauntlet, Thanos prepared to snap his fingers once again. Despite Iron Man's intervention, grappling with him momentarily to prevent the Snap, Thanos managed to knock Iron Man aside and put on the Gauntlet. With an evil smile, he declared himself inevitable and snapped his fingers with the intention of destroying the entire universe and creating a new one.

However, upon snapping his fingers, Thanos was shocked to find that nothing changed. The Infinity Stones had been removed from his Gauntlet and transferred to Iron Man’s Mark 85 armor. Confused and horrified, Thanos watched as Iron Man, now wielding all the Stones, performed the Snap.

Instead of destroying the universe as Thanos had intended, the Snap caused the demise of Thanos’ entire army, including the Black Order, Chitauri, Sakaarans, and Outriders, excluding only Gamora and Nebula. Iron Man sacrificed his own life in the process. Thanos witnessed his adoptive children and alien forces turn to dust before his eyes, and he looked at Captain America with a mix of horror and sadness.

Accepting his fate, Thanos sat on the ground and watched the sunset solemnly, acknowledging that there was no escape this time. As he and his army faded away, Thanos met the same end as his victims had five years earlier, bringing his threat to an end once and for all. However His blood was collected after the battle by [[Nick Fury (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Nick Fury]]'s secret Skrull unit and placed into a vial known as the Harvest alongside other enhanced DNA samples. The Harvest vial was then administered by Super-Skrulls [[Gravik (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Gravik]] and [[G'iah (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|G'iah]], granting them access to Thanos' physiology.