Thanos’ Marvel Comics story got a rewrite in the MCU, and the changes have just become so much more disappointing. Thanos cemented his spot as an iconic Marvel villain via The Infinity Gauntlet comic story in 1991, which saw him use the Gauntlet to wipe out half of all life - something the MCU adapted in 2018 as the Snap. However, his motives for doing so in the comics were changed to fit the overarching MCU storyline, alongside a series of other altered details.
Thanos’ time in the MCU wrapped up with the end of the Infinity Saga, but his impact can still be felt throughout Marvel’s current projects without him being physically present. Most recently, a new character was introduced in Agatha All Along who has direct ties to Thanos in the comics. Though it is an exciting development and potentially gives the villain an excuse to return in upcoming MCU releases, it does feel disappointing that the character wasn’t actually a part of Thanos’ main story.
The MCU Completely Changed Thanos' Motivation
Comic Thanos Was In Love With Lady Death
Thanos had a plan to eliminate half of the universe in both Marvel comics and the MCU. The results ended up the same, but he had completely different motives for doing so in each situation. In the comics, Thanos wanted to kill so that he could win over Lady Death. The Mad Titan loved the cosmic entity, but his feelings weren’t reciprocated. He wanted to impress her so badly that he thought killing half of the universe was the answer. However, for the personification of death, Thanos’ actions weren’t impressive, as he simply sped up the inevitable.
On the other hand, Thanos’ MCU iteration had a more concrete reasoning behind his actions that didn’t just stem from his own desires. He wanted to eliminate half of the universe as a way of solving the overpopulation problem. Having seen his home planet of Titan fall due to a lack of resources, he wanted to make sure that it’d never happen again. The MCU’s Thanos believed that his plan was for the betterment of the universe and that they should be thankful for him, while his comic book counterpart executed his plan as a grand gesture instead.
Why The MCU Changed Thanos So Much
The MCU’s Thanos Feels More Complex
The main reason why the MCU changed Thanos’ backstory was likely because they needed him to fit into the greater storyline. Having him kill half of the universe because he wanted to impress Lady Death would’ve been a very isolated plot that took the focus more away from other MCU characters. It would’ve also involved the introduction of Lady Death very early on in the MCU. Even if Marvel hadn’t already had the specific plan to introduce her in Agatha All Along, the Infinity Saga just didn’t feel like the right time for her.
Whatever motive Thanos had for wanting to kill half of the universe could’ve involved him trying to gather the Infinity Stones all the same, but it felt much more complex with his MCU motive. While Thanos is evil no matter what for the killing he has done, there was a lot more room for fans to understand him as a character with his self-proclaimed noble cause. It would’ve been easy to dismiss him as just another flashy supervillain with his comic backstory, though it truly is a shame that it meant Death was withheld from the MCU for so long.
Death Is Now Officially A Character Thanks To Agatha All Along
Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal Was Confirmed As Death
Agatha All Along introduced Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal, who was revealed in later episodes to be Lady Death. The cosmic entity had been briefly hinted at in the MCU before, but this was the first time that fans got to see her physical form on screen. Death and Agatha were lovers for centuries in the MCU, meaning romance still is part of her backstory, but she found it in Agatha rather than Thanos. It’s unclear whether Death and Thanos knew each other in the MCU, but their storyline certainly doesn't seem to have happened.
It’s nice to finally have Death as an official character in the MCU, but her Agatha All Along introduction largely changes her backstory just as much as Thanos’. With Thanos long gone and her love for Agatha being a defining point, it's a disappointment that fans won't see the character as she was originally created. That said, there is still so much potential for Death in the future of the MCU, and the Multiverse Saga means that even a reunion with Thanos could somehow be possible.
