Marvel In Panic Mode As Josh Brolin Teases Thanos Return

In the live-action arena, Marvel has killed off Thanos three times – twice in Avengers: Endgame and once in an alternate reality in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. And then there is the studio’s animated Disney+ series, What If…? where he’s received the sharp edge of the sword (so to speak) many times. If we’ve learned anything from the superhero universe, it’s that not everything that dies stays dead, with Brolin thinking the same could easily be said for his character.

Revealing that he’s heard whispers “through the grapevine,” Brolin says that there’s a possibility that Marvel is “gonna bring [Thanos] back.” The actor also referenced What If…? in his moment of speculation, saying that he knew the villain had returned a handful of times in the animated project, so why would his return to the live-action MCU be any different? He also noted that he recently learned that Thanos “was the most killed-off Marvel villain,” adding, “You learn something new every day.” Same, Josh Brolin. Same.

So, what are the chances that Marvel isn’t quite finished with Thanos yet? Beyond the alleged whispers that Josh Brolin has heard, no other folks involved with the MCU have stepped forward to say they’re considering giving the character more screen time. But, as the studio is now in an all-hands-on-deck situation with its wheels spinning following the assault charge against Jonathan Majors, anything is possible.

Just like Marvel built Thanos up during movies and TV shows, the same can be said for Jonathan Majors’s Kang the Conqueror. While he was fully introduced during the first season of Loki, the character made smaller waves throughout other productions, including Moon Knight teasing one of his many variants. Marvel went all in with the character, so when Majors was tried and found guilty of domestic assault charges, the studio parted ways with the actor and went back to the drawing board.

The next movie in the Avengers series was set to be titled Avengers: Kang Dynasty, but now the studio is starting from scratch as it tries to sort out the future of the MCU. With other projects coming up, including Fantastic Four and Captain America: Brave New World, on the way, Marvel will likely need to pivot at least bits and pieces of the plot to fit their brave new world better without majors. But even this doesn’t necessarily mean Thanos will find his way back into the cinematic universe, as there’s a chance that Marvel won’t let the villain die without a fight.

In what was sure to be sad news for Josh Brolin and all of the other Thanos stans, insider sources recently revealed that Marvel was eyeing John David Washington to step into the role of Kang – something that absolutely no one asked for. Like the rumors surrounding Thanos, this is all still up in the air, but they seem to be holding on to the idea of Kang as their villain. When it comes down to it, while we’d love to see Brolin’s gargantuan muscled baddie come back to the fold, it seems that Marvel has other plans for its future.

Source: ComicBook.com