The Legacy of Thanos 2 2

[World Devourer]

As Avengers Endgame is almost upon us, I decided to re-read the classic issues from the 1970s featuring Thanos. What was striking in hindsight was just how significant the character became in a relatively short amount of time, and the subsequent impact on the Marvel Universe.

There are the Starlin issues

*  Iron Man #55

*   Captain Marvel #25 - 33

then

*  Marvel Feature #12, Daredevil #107 and Avengers #12 in which Thanos is frequently mentioned (appearing in the last)

Starlin again:

*  Warlock #9 - 11  with a titular character who was completely unaware of Thanos' villainy;

*  Avengers Annual #7 / Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2

then

*  Captain Marvel #57: a story most people are unaware of. Per Mar-vell's comments to guest star Thor, it is only one week AFTER the events of MTIO Annual #2. The story is heavily referenced, with Thor helping Mar-Vell deal with the consequences of the battle (specifically Mar-Vell's inability to contain the excessive solar radiation he has absorbed due to Thanos' tampering with the Sun).

*  Captain Marvel #58, in which Drax discovers Sanctuary II and finds Thanos' now stone body. Drax then finds Mar-Vell on Earth, and blames him for depriving him of purpose. In a nice continuity touch Mar-Vell mentions Warlock and attempts to explain he was responsible for killing Thanos.

*  Captain Marvel #59 - 62 features the war against Thanos' master computer Isaac on Titan. Thanos is consistently mentioned and has evidently planned for a possible defeat.

Sadly, despite rallying in the late 50's, Captain Marvel was subsequently cancelled. The story, however, continued:

*  Marvel Spotlight #1-3,  with Isaac defeated, and Thanos' legacy finally thwarted.

A few years later Captain Marvel died of the cancer he contracted after a battle with Nitro in Captain Marvel #34. This was depicted in the graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel, in which Mar-Vell acknowledges Thanos had been his greatest foe. Thanos greets Mar-Vell in the afterlife and brings him to peace.

So from 1973 - 1982, Thanos was far and away the most dangerous but also most compelling villain in the Marvel Universe. Doom, the Red Skull, Magneto, Annihilus, Ultron, Kang, Immortus, Maximus, Loki, Pluto, Mephisto etc were as nothing next to him.

The Mad Titan didn't boast, posture or toy:  he ACTED in a cold, methodical fashion that provided the reader with a real sense of suspense and dread, as here was a villain who could conceivably win.

And we have Jim Starlin to thank. Amen.

Enjoy Avengers Endgame.

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2019 by World Devourer

[seanfingh]

You can't forget the solo story in Logan's Run 6.  Thanos is one evil dude . . .

Edited April 13, 2019 by seanfingh
Hit 7 instead of 6 . . .

[Ken Aldred]

Also Spidey Super Stories 39.

A Thanos mega-key issue.

[WhatMeWorry]

[shadroch]

You are forgetting, or ignoring, that most of the later stories were printed in second tier books and widely ignored. Those stories in Captain Marvel 56 and up were not well received and Thanos was only appearing in minor stories. While much more powerful than Dr Doom,  Mandarin and others, his cosmicness kept him from regularly appearing in the regular Marvel universe. Some would argue the readers were tired of Thanos and the space storylines. Unless interest has suddenly developed,  everything  after his first death has languished in filler boxes ever since. 

I hope the movie works. It's length worries me.

[World Devourer]

3 hours ago, shadroch said:

You are forgetting, or ignoring, that most of the later stories were printed in second tier books and widely ignored. Those stories in Captain Marvel 56 and up were not well received and Thanos was only appearing in minor stories. While much more powerful than Dr Doom,  Mandarin and others, his cosmicness kept him from regularly appearing in the regular Marvel universe. Some would argue the readers were tired of Thanos and the space storylines. Unless interest has suddenly developed,  everything  after his first death has languished in filler boxes ever since. 

I hope the movie works. It's length worries me.

I didn't forget (or ignore) the fact that Captain Marvel was cancelled.It was in point of fact the quality of the stories that came AFTER Starlin's run that did the damage. The letter pages in the last few issues praise the new direction, but sadly it came too late.

I'm also fairly certain "cosmicness" isn"t a word, but I doubt this factor affected readership. Cosmic characters such as Galactus and the Silver Surfer have  also proven to be popular.

Starlin had a clearly defined arc for the character, and these events resonated through the Marvel Universe for years to come.

I think you are also overlooking the fact that the character was successfully resurrected in Silver Surfer #34, and has enjoyed even greater popularity. I don't believe many characters can claim this.

Also, why would the length of the film worry you? A:IW was 149 minutes and highly enjoyable.

[World Devourer]

On 4/14/2019 at 5:29 AM, Ken Aldred said:

Also Spidey Super Stories 39.

A Thanos mega-key issue.

Heh. Thanos in his helicopter. I deliberately didn't worry about this one.

That said, the tiny figure of Death on the building top in the deep background was clever...