New Thanos Novel Tells the Mad Titan's Origin

The origin of Marvel's Mad Titan will be told in a new novel by Barry Lyga.

Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos—Titan Consumed will offer an origin story for Thanos inspired by the character's depiction in Avengers: Infinity War, though the publisher has clarified that the book is not officially canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here's the synopsis for Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos—Titan Consumed (via io9):

"Space. Reality. Mind. Power. Time. Soul.

Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots…

Infinity Stones.

Only beings of immense power can hope to wield these stones, but for those who are worthy, the powers of a god await.

Thanos is one such being. But he wasn't always.

Born on a doomed world and cast out by his people for his genius, physical deviancy, and pragmatic but monstrous ideas, Thanos is determined to save the galaxy from the same fate as his homeworld… no matter how many billions have to die.

Learn the origins of the most formidable foe the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther have ever faced—a foe whom even a group of remarkable people, pulled together to fight the battles nobody else could, will fail to stop….

Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives.

Thanos is here."

While Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos—Titan Consumed is not officially Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, it was written with input from Marvel Studios, has Lyga explains.

"My editor and I had a lengthy conference call with the folks at Marvel Studios," Lyga says. "They started off with a sort of outline of who Thanos is and what he means to the movies, and then I got to ask my questions, some of which were worthwhile, some of which were impertinent, some of which were just designed to see if I could trip them up and get Tom Hiddleston's phone number. They were a discreet and disciplined bunch—I couldn't get anything un-Thanos-related out of them, drat the luck!

"As the book started to take shape, we would check in occasionally to ask questions that cropped up," he continues. "I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, so I'll just say that in some areas I was given great latitude and a free hand, while in others I had to tip-toe very carefully through the MCU. It's just the nature of the beast."

Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos—Titan Consumed releases November 20th.