The Dark Evolution Of The MCU's Thanos
5. The Problem With Writing Thanos
At this stage, Thanos was played by Damion Poitier under heavy make-up. The broad plan was to use him as an Avengers villain - in the third film - and when he was introduced, that plan would have included Joss Whedon writing and directing the Thanos-focused Avengers film.
But Whedon had a problem. He didn't know how to write Thanos or what to do with him. When he talks about writing Ultron and the personal experience he had on that film, it's in stark contrast to how he talked about Thanos.
“Ultron’s pain is very, very real to me. He can’t control the way his pain makes him behave. And I can relate to that.”
In contrast, he called Thanos "really difficult to write for," which goes some way to explaining why he turned down the chance to make Infinity War. He told Marvel he was "tapped out" after the difficulties and compromises he was forced to accept making Ultron but there's no doubt his later comments to IGN reflect how difficult he thought Thanos was as a character:
“Honestly, I kind of hung [Thanos] out to dry. I love Thanos. I love his apocalyptic vision, his love affair with death. I love his power. But, I don’t really understand it. He’s had a lot of power, and he was cool in the comics. And I’m like, Thanos is the ultimate Marvel villain! And then I was like, I don’t actually know what I would do with Thanos. So, I liked what [the Russo brothers] did so much, and I thought Josh Brolin killed it. And they did an amazing job of keeping that performance on-screen. But it wasn’t like I was like, here’s a set of directions. I was like, I’m gonna get through Ultron, nap for four years, and then I’ll come to the premiere. Which I did! It was like, this is so cool!”
Also, it pays to mention that Thanos perhaps wasn't JUST interested in taking over the universe as a means for power. In the revelatory post-credits scene, there's a line that seems to fit with what Whedon told IGN about his appreciation of Thanos' "love affair" with Death. When The Other relates Loki's failure to Thanos, he says:
"Humans. They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled. To challenge them is to court... Death."
At that point, famously, Thanos turns to camera and smiles, almost cheekily. He is not a conqueror deterred by resistance, he's just been told something that turns him on. He sees in humanity's defiance an opportunity to court Death. This was what Thanos' real first plan was: he wanted to seduce Death.
So what happened when we met him properly in Guardians Of The Galaxy?
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