Will Thanos Become A Hero In 'Avengers 4'?

Like Thanos says, it isn't easy bringing balance to the universe. The villain made his goal quite clear in Avengers: Infinity War from the moment he showed up. The Mad Titan wanted to use the Infinity Gauntlet to bring about change, and change he does bring about before the movie ends. However, fans are starting to wonder if the change wrought will keep Thanos appeased or end up turning him into a hero by the time Avengers 4 comes around.

Warning: major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War beyond this point. If you want to remain unspoiled, you may want to stop reading now.

To make it clear, Thanos is no hero, and he has never been. The latest Avengers film sees him murder scores of people, and that is way before he has a completed Infinity Gauntlet in hand. He goes around the universe killing indiscriminately in the name of justice, and he weighs his own plans for so-called salvation above the lives of billions. Even when he isn't slaughtering masses, Thanos took pride in torturing Nebula when she was a child, and Gamora was unwillingly turned into an assassin on his orders.

So, no — Thanos is not a hero, and he won't become one anytime soon. That, however, doesn't mean the Ma Titan will not align himself with the Avengers one day.

If you know a thing about the comics, then you already know Thanos does work with the Avengers during his Infinity Gauntlet shtick. In the comics, the Mad Titan does snap the universe in half, but he fails to keep the stones to himself. After fighting a horde a cosmic powers and all of Earth's heroes, Thanos leave his body unattended by going on an astral walk, and it is then Nebula steals the Infinity Gauntlet away. He is nearly killed by the space pirate but is saved at the last moment by Adam Warlock and Doctor Strange.

The surprising encounter sees Warlock read Thanos' soul, and the hero tells the Mad Titan they both know he always felt unworthy to wield the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos admits that is the truth and chooses to help Warlock oppose Nebula with Doctor Strange and the Silver Surfer. And, once the Infinity Gauntlet is taken from Nebula, Thanos chooses to retire and tells Warlock he plans to seek penance for his megalomaniac past by living a peaceful life.

Of course, the MCU will have trouble pulling out this turnaround the same way the comics did so. For one, a lot of important characters who were part of Thanos' switch are not part of the MCU, but that doesn't mean Avengers 4 cannot give the indisputable baddie a chance to right his massive wrongs. If the death of Gamora begins weighs to heavily on his mind or Thanos loses control of the gauntlet to someone who is even more corrupt, then he may be persuaded to team up with the Avengers — but that doesn't make him a hero.

No, the egotist lost the right to consider himself a hero a long, long, long time ago.

Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel opens on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

Do you think Avengers 4 may force Thanos to work alongside the Avengers at some point? Did you get emotional watching Avengers: Infinity War? Sound off in comments below!