In Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Quill calls Thanos “Grimace.” Funny insult, but Thanos is anything but a cartoon character.
Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, is the central villain of Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster. If you’ve seen the movie already (I’m assuming you have, otherwise, why are you reading this?), then you know he’s an excellent villain. In fact, people all over the internet are raving about him. Some have even called him the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s best villain, full stop. (I think that distinction belongs to the Mandarin, but that’s just me.)
Thanos is indeed an excellent villain. Why is he so compelling? Why are audiences responding so well to such a bad dude? And for writers like you and me, what can we borrow from Thanos and share with our own villains?
Thanos is Tragic
Thanos’s life is a sad story. He’s an outsider with no home, and he’s pretty much the worst dad ever. He believes half the universe must die so the other half may live; this mission has left him utterly alone. Imagine having a calling for your entire life, which no one has ever agreed with or understood. That’s Thanos. His life is a tragedy. This is a significant reason why audiences respond so well to him.
Furthermore, the events of the film hit Thanos harder than any other character. Just after he’s collected all the Infinity Stones and his plan is finally set in motion, there’s a brief, somewhat hallucinogenic scene in which Thanos approaches a young Gamora, his adopted daughter who he sacrificed earlier in the film (told you not to read this). She asks if he accomplished what he said out to do; he answers yes. And when Gamora asks what it cost him, he says, “Everything.”
It’s these moments of humanity that make the character so resonant. It’s easy to write villains who commit terrible acts simply because the plot demands it. What is much more difficult, and ultimately more compelling, is a villain who earns our sympathy. Thanos does exactly that.
Thanos is Actually Kind of Right
Remember when I mentioned that Thanos has no home? It’s not because he’s been evicted. Rather, it’s because his home planet of Titan is dead. The cause of said death: overpopulation. In Thanos’s estimation, the resources of the planet could never sustain its demands. As a result, everybody went the way of the dodo.
Titan’s fate is essential to justifying Thanos’s evil plan. He’s not only claiming overpopulation is an issue—he’s actually witnessed its consequences. Likewise, the audience needs to see this as well. By observing the ruin of his home world, we as the viewers understand why he does what he does.
Furthermore, there’s a certain logic to his plan beyond the world of the film. Sadly, overpopulation is a real problem in the real world, as we know. Resources are not unlimited, at least not right now. So the film touches on a real issue, and works off a real problem.
Thanos is Positioned as the Film’s Protagonist
Classic storytelling structure dictates a story’s protagonist strives to achieve a central goal. The antagonist, on the other hand, must prevent the protagonist from accomplishing said goal. We usually see protagonists portrayed as heroes and antagonists portrayed as villains.
Now let’s apply that framework to Avengers: Infinity War. The central goal of the film is Thanos’s pursuit of the Infinity Stones—which would then make him the protagonist of the film. And that would therefore make the Avengers the antagonists, since they want to prevent the protagonist from achieving his goal. Co-director Anthony Russo confirmed this notion by stating, “The moment I felt like we had cracked the movie creatively, was when we started to think about Thanos as the lead character of the movie.”
There you have it. Thanos is a great villain because in many ways, he’s not a villain. In many ways, he’s actually the film’s protagonist.
In my opinion, Thanos’s reputation as one of the MCU’s greatest villains is spot on. A great deal of care, time, and thought went into this character, and it shows. Who knew a big, buff purple guy could be so deep?
Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his fiancee and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction.