Editing Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe) (section)

===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.