Moviegoers were thrown for a loop in the closing credits of Marvel’s The Avengers when a strange alien witih piercing blue eyes flashed a wry grin upon being told to attack earth and humans was to court death. Who was this guy? More importantly, will he be seen again?
Comic fans and those who keep track of movie development on the web instantly recognized him as Thanos, a big league bad dude making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. The assumption upon his appearance was that Marvel was setting up Phase Two with Thanos as the main villain. Yet Marvel refused to directly address Thanos other than confirm who the character was. Until now.
In speaking with MTV, Marvel chief Kevin Feige opened up about Thanos and confirmed that the studio has big plans for him in their future films.”Clearly, there’s a purpose to us putting him in the end of that movie,” he said. “We do have plans for him.”
Feige went on to compare Phase One to Phase Two in terms of each individual film setting up a greater goal down the road. “I wouldn’t say we ever feel the need to rush anything one way or the other,” continued Feige. “We succeeded in Phase One because we stuck to our guns and stuck to the plan. That plan took place over many, many years and it ultimately paid off. I see Phase Two unfolding in the same way of us taking our time, us doing what’s right for each individual movie, while folding in elements that will not only build up to the culmination of Phase Two, but even Phase Three.”
It’s strange to think about Phase Three since the first film in Phase Two, Iron Man 3, doesn’t hit theaters for another 8 months. Yet Kevin bringing it up means Marvel probably has a basic idea of where their post-The Avengers 2 narrative will lead.
For now the focus is on Phase 2 and how/when Thanos will make his next appearance. The assumption is that Thanos will set his sights on the Infinity Gauntlet, a powerful weapon of death first seen in Odin’s Treasure Vault in Thor. At the time it was considered an easter egg for comic book aficionados to pick out. With Thanos in the fold, we may be seeing a lot more of the Gauntlet much to the dismay of earth and The Avengers. We could see Thanos in Thor: The Dark World in fall 2013, or maybe he will return in Guardians of the Galaxy the following year.
“Suddenly, you have a million people who had never heard of an Infinity Gauntlet or a Mad Titan learning those terms,” added Feige. “I love that. I love when the experience goes beyond the movie theater and encourages people to look deeper into our universe.” If any of these terms are new to you then please get busy on Wikipedia.
Source: MTV
