On Josh Brolin’s birthday, here are the top 5 Thanos theories before Avengers: Endgame

Ever since he was first introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos has always been teased as the most formidable villain the Avengers have ever faced. This idea was emphasised in the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos killed Loki and beat up the Hulk.

The character is played by Josh Brolin through performance capture, a technology that maps movements on an actor’s face and translates them into CGI characters. Brolin was first introduced in the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy. His plan came to fruition at the end of Infinity War, when he snapped half the universe’s population from existence.

With Avengers: Endgame around the corner, fans are speculating as to how the surviving Avengers can reverse Thanos’ actions. On Brolin’s 51st birthday, here are the top five theories Marvel fans have about Thanos.

Thanos might have split Bruce Banner from Hulk with his finger snap

In Infinity War, we saw Bruce Banner struggling to transform into the Hulk, who was no longer under Banner’s control anymore. A theory suggested that when Thanos snapped his fingers at the end of the film, he could have split the Hulk and Banner personalities. Or if recent leaks are to be believed, maybe even combined them. Images leaked from the film suggest that Endgame could feature the Professor Hulk character - a combination of Banner’s smarts and the Hulk’s strength.

Thanos’ snap split the universe in two and Iron Man may not have survived

The theory says that perhaps when Thanos snapped his fingers in Infinity War, it did not decimate half the universe but rather split it in two, something he didn’t realise either. After the snap, a parallel universe was created in which the half that had died in Infinity War, continued to live. However, in that universe, the ones who made it alive were the ones who disappeared. Which means both the sides mourned the loss of loved ones.

Thanos will redeem himself, will share Loki’s arc

The theory suggests that Thanos will be redeemed and will have an anti-hero’s arc, a lot like Loki’s. The fan wrote on Reddit, “The Russo Brothers made it clear that Infinity War was through Thanos point-of-view and the Avengers and Guardian’s are his obstacles. Thanos is certain, and even knows that his ambitions are the right thing to do - unlike any other villain in the MCU. Infinity War starts, and ends with Thanos. It describes Thanos journey as he eliminates the obstacles to get all infinity stones, and overcomes his biggest challenge - sacrificing Gamora for the soul stone.”

Thanos isn’t the main villain

A Redditor wrote a detailed post about why they believe that the actual villain of the 21-film Marvel Cinematic Universe is, in fact, the Mind Stone - one of the six Infinity Stones Thanos covets in Infinity War. Every time the Mind Stone plays a role in the plot, the theory says, characters are compelled to kill each other. So what if the Mind Stone had been controlling things all along?

Thanos will regret his snap, will work with heroes to bring back the dead

According to the theory shared on Reddit by u/AmericanAir88, after turning half the universe’s population to dust, Thanos will begin to regret his decision. It says Endgame will open five years after the decimation and will show how badly Thanos’ plan shaped up after all. The leftovers will mourn the death of those who died, there will be no happiness and things will go spiralling out of control soon enough.

Avengers: Endgame is set for an April release, and besides Brolin, it will star Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and others.

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