Avengers: Endgame - Every Death Ranked Ranked Worst To Best

2. 2019 Thanos

The other Thanos turns up midway through the film when it turns out that the two Nebulas are linked via their networks (very, very handy that), but the original is involved right from the start when the Avengers discover that he's retired in The Garden and gives away his position by destroying the Stones to save himself from the temptation of using them again.

It's an immediate gut punch that changes everything for the Avengers and brings about the 'five years later' time jump because Thor's trauma at his past "failure" (in his own words) to stop the Decimation from happening manifests in murderous vengeance.

Rather than keeping Thanos alive to interrogate him and perhaps discover a means to undo the destruction of the Stones, Thor gets one of the best lines in the film ("I was aiming for the head") after separating the Mad Titan and his big purple head. It's a pretty grim moment and Thanos seems not particularly bothered by it, but it definitely ranks right up there for impact.