Avengers: Infinity War - Thanos Was Permanently Damaged By The Snap
Shame.
It goes without saying that the cost of the finale of Avengers: Infinity War was huge. In fact, the writers actually planned the victims of that stunning sequence for maximum impact. They chose Bucky to go first mess with Captain America most. They chose Black Panther so that Okoye would see her one role in life (to protect her king) failing in front of her. They chose Groot to see Rocket's pained reaction (and the other Guardians to alienate him, presumably). They chose Spider-Man to break Tony Stark's heart... It was all strategically targeted pain and boy did it work.
But looking past the heroic victims of the snap, there was another cost that was slightly more subtle. The cost to Thanos himself. That might not matter to Infinity War fans since he definitely deserves some instant karma for what he did, but it's important.
The director and writers' commentary for Infinity War - which was just released as part of the digital release - includes a line by Joe Russo about the immediate aftermath of the snap, adding to the known information that the Gauntlet was wrecked by it:
"See there, with his Gauntlet and the arm, the power that it takes to use all six Stones is significant, and clearly damaged the Gauntlet and damaged Thanos permanently."
The damage to Thanos is the new information, and it's an interesting revelation, since it could set up the fact that Thanos is now considerably weaker than he was at the outset of the movie. In his first scene, he's able to defeat Hulk in close combat - which the writers also commented was done WITHOUT Infinity Stone assistance - so it's important to note that he's not necessarily going to be capable of that in the sequel now that he's been damaged.
It isn't just a means to show the strength of the Stones, it's designed so we notice that Thanos has been weakened. It's a slither of hope in an otherwise incredibly bleak ending.