The translation ofThanosfound in theMCUis one of very few superhero moving-picture show villains to take in a truly infamous and iconic report for their on - sieve performance . While Marvel ’s prior roster of antagonists had some inviolable showings , none were so frightening yet so complex as Thanos the Mad Titan , a humanity - inhibit cosmic being define by his own moral compass and rules of behaviour . Indeed , one of the biggest government issue the MCU face in the Wake Island of Thanos ' defeat is just who can replace him , and match both the franchise - defining moments and quotes the intimidating Avengers opponent furnish .

ThroughoutAvengers : Infinity WarandAvengers : Endgame , Thanos ' MCU powersand motives saw himpresent himself as both an intergalactic tyrant and a philosophical warrior . This resulted in a true chain of mountains of interactions with his allies and enemies , each of which incline to contain at least one line that both perfectly define the character , and show him more and more fascinating . Proving to be the most iconic villain in MCU history , Thanos will be think of just for his iconic line of business , even if his plan was eventually and gratefully undo by the end of his stint as the main scoundrel inthe MCU timeline .

25"I Could Snap My Fingers And You’d All Cease To Exist."

Avengers: Infinity War

A powerful harbinger of the pain that would follow inAvengers : Endgame , this quote from Thanos inAvengers : eternity Warshows that the Mad Titan is not one to mince words . In one idiom , he both acknowledges the might of the Avengers andthattheir combined top executive is nothing in comparability to the power of the Infinity Gauntletin Thanos ’s mitt . Infinity Warends with Earth ’s Mightiest Heroes and all their allies , from Doctor Strange to T’Challa and all his Wakandan forces , face down the mighty Thanos and rule themselves falling victim to his use of the Infinity Gauntlet . He snap his finger , and half the Earth ’s universe vanished almost at once .

24"Fun Isn’t Something One Considers When Balancing The Universe. But This… Does Put A Smile On My Face."

Avengers: Infinity War Trailer

AsAvengers : Infinity Warexplored , Thanos was hellbent on his missionary post . Though he could have been written off as a two - dimensional superhero antagonist , he was a scoundrel that was driven by a complex purpose . While most run into him as a destroyer of universe , he saw himself as their creator and Good Shepherd . He point entire planets believing that they could come up anew out of the ashes , societies with a chance at more with far fewer inhabitants competing for resource .

Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones in the MCU , which is the perfect set up for a new cosmic baddie , one who could ransom an underutilized hero .

This short letter is only spoken in theInfinity Wartrailer , but still dish as a celebrated precursor to other like line that Thanos would give tongue to in his final face-off with the Avengers inEndgame , added a sense of poignancy to his overall villain arc .

MCU’s Thanos with the Infinity Stones floating behind him.

23"Perfectly Balanced, As All Things Should Be."

While reach for balance can be considered a stately objective , when it comes out of the voice of Thanos it just sounds chilling and disturbing . learn Thanos discuss how his mind-set and approximation will bring balance to the earthly concern was thus a very memorable moment , especially give the symbolism of the scene and what it think of for both Thanos and Gamora , and their warped transmissible kinship .

The biggest impact of the tantrum and quote is how it convey that all of Thanos ' musical theme hail from a space of distorted morals . He does n’t rightfully believe any of his military action are evil , and show up Gamora all about balance as a child was his creepy way of examine to convert others that his way was correct as well .

22"You Have My Respect, Stark. When I’m Done, Half Of Humanity Will Still Be Alive. I Hope They Remember You."

No matter if viewers loved or hate Thanos , most can agree he was n’t a typical villain . He was drive by his own sense of morals and his own code of conduct . As such , when Iron Man engages him in hand - to - hand combat for what will be the last prison term , he ’s no match for the Mad Titan , who stabs him in the chest .

Thanos ’s bloodline , which could just as easily have include , “ … when I ’m done , one-half of humanity will buy the farm , ” alternatively saw him choose to give Tony Leslie Townes Hope that the masses of Earth would move on . The respectful butominous idiom about them remembering Tony provide an eerie prefiguration of Iron Man ’s sacrifice inEndgame . At this point in his history , Thanos is n’t killing for fun - he ’s doing it for what he sees as a stately cause with unluckily necessary sacrifices .

21"You’re Not The Only One Cursed With Knowledge."

Continuing Thanos ' interaction with Iron - Man inAvengers : Infinity War , another enceinte piece of Thanos ' duologue is , " You ’re not the only one cursed with knowledge . “This Thanos quote comes when Iron Man and Thanos first cross route and it becomes clear that they already experience each other ’s names . It ’s an interesting take that Thanos immediately examine to gain sympathy from Tony Stark and his issues , as he march an unusual deference for the hero from the offset .

The popular theory surround Ant - Man and a gross tactic to defeat Thanos was address by Marvel two days ago , and now it only looks weirder .

It ’s also unusual because it sees Thanos almost touch on to his own self - ascribed vocation as a bad matter , suggesting his motivating was n’t as simple as it may have externally looked . He feel that his understanding of what must be done is a realization he wish he did n’t come to . It ’s less clear what exactly Stark ’s burden of knowledge is , though it certainly informed some of his early problems in motion-picture show likeAvengers : Age of Ultron .

Split image of Thanos being stabbed by Thor and Ant Man in full costume in the MCU

20"I Know What It’s Like To Lose.”

Thanos utters the full extent of this course -“I have it away what it ’s like to lose . To find so desperately that you ’re correct , yet to fail nonetheless … fear it . pass from it . Destiny get in all the same . And now it ’s here . Or should I say , I am . “- when address the Asgardians at the start ofInfinity War . While it may be hard to reckon Thanos feel heroic , the statement is profoundly poignant in how Thanos strain to come to to the bomber before destroying them , and recall sides of his case discover in comics likeThe Death of Captain MarvelorThanos Rising .

After Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to make half of Earth ’s population disappear , the Avengers seem to do incisively as he describes against the Asgardians ; run from their bankruptcy to have stop him . But whereas he proclaims himself the “ destiny ” that their future is made of , they decide to use their despair as strong suit , a symbolization of never giving up , and forge a new destiny inAvengers : Endgame .

19"Your Planet Was On The Brink Of Collapse. I’m The One Who Stopped That.”

During a particularly earnest moment between Gamora and Thanos , he carefully describes how he perceives her home plate planet , Zen - Whoberi , stating,“Going to layer hungry , scrounging for scraps . Your major planet was on the verge of collapse . I ’m the one who stop that . You know what ’s pass off since then ? The kid born have get it on nothing but full belly and clear-cut sky . It ’s a heaven . “From this , it ’s cleared that , in Thanos ' eyes , he plucked Gamora from obscurity and poverty by taking her from her home planet , a satellite he then stripped of its universe to make a " paradise " from .

Where she look a vibrant existence full of happy inhabitants , he picture a major planet in denial of the socioeconomic and political problems that get about its inevitable ruination through scarcity of imagination . By removing a chunk of the population , Thanos state there was enough food to go around and get at to resource previously fought over , encouraging him to amp up to worse atrocities later down the line .

18"Everything.”

The storyline between Thanos and Gamora is one of the most interesting and excited throughout the intact MCU . InAvengers : Infinity War , that moment come to a boiling point when he sacrifices her for find the someone stone . He then sees a baby version of his girl , and she asks him what it cost him to get what he wanted . Thanos gives a unproblematic , one - Holy Writ answer : " Everything . " It might not be a long billet or a thought - agitating citation , but that one discussion shows the vulnerable side to him and just how much he truly did wish for Gamora .

The MCU ’s Phase 7 can fix many of Marvel Studios ' Multiverse Saga mistakes and amend on the strong points establish by Phases 4 and 5 .

It ties into his other quote about knowledge being a burden , as well . Though audiences ( and the Avengers ) see the monolithic flaw in Thanos ' plan , he does n’t and is fully dedicated to his estimation of the greater goodness . Moreover , the tantrum is more impress knowing thatThanos ca n’t be lie , or he would n’t have acquire the stone . He truly did love Gamora despite the tragical origin of their relationship .

Multiverse Saga Characters Thor, Kang, Captain Marvel, and Ikaris In Phases 4 and 5

17"The Hardest Choices Require The Strongest Wills.”

Thanos never came across as a wholly impulsive being . Every decision he made was cautiously thought out , its backlash mensurate , and its result weighed . He know for every action , there was a consequence , and on cosmic scale that the Avengers and people of Earth at this degree in the MCU timeline seemingly did n’t even jazz about . Therefore , when he gear up out to put down planets , he knew he would demand the resolve to do it , or the guilt that come in with sympathize with their populations could be too much to conduct .

Thanos had strong willpower , but the Avengers ’ declaration was stronger . Though he destroyed the Infinity Stones , they pool their resource and number up with a way to get them back . At every bout , their firmness of purpose was equal to his , which he at last respected .

16"I Thought That By Eliminating Half Of Life, The Other Half Would Thrive. But You Have Shown Me… That’s Impossible.”

Avengers: Endgame

After Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to snatch his fingers and erase one-half of the Earth ’s population , he fled to a paradise he had created for himself to exist in peace treaty . His peace did n’t last long , and the Avengers tracked him to the refuge with Nebula ’s avail . He full poetical about what he ’d done and why what had work on other major planet failed to work on Earth .

Where he had destroy entire worlds before and rebuilt them as what he perceived to be thriving civilization , eliminate one-half of Earth did n’t bring because the remaining half was so devastated with grief and red . This encapsulates not only why Thanos ' plan was doomed to get with , but also why he ’s ultimately defeated- because he underestimated how knock-down the attachment between those misplace and those who survived would continue to be ,

Split image of Thanos from the MCU

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