5 Marvel Superheroes Who Have Defeated Thanos

Thanos is one of the biggest villains in Marvel Comics. The genocidal Mad Titan’s already impressive popularity skyrocketed even further thanks to his role as the main villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. Since the character’s introduction, Thanos has been among the most brutal and powerful villains in the cosmos. Driven by his love for the personification of Death, Thanos won’t rest until he kills everything in existence. However, despite his incredible power, Thanos has repeatedly found his plans for universal genocide thwarted. Thanos may be a terrifying villain, but he often is no match for Marvel’s greatest heroes.

Thanos may believe that his triumph is inevitable, but many heroes have managed to humble the Mad Titan. Usually, only the strongest of heroes have a chance of stopping Thanos. These superheroes have saved the universe from Thanos’s mad obsession with death.

5) Thor

Thor Vol. 2 #25 involves two of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful villains, Thanos and Mangog, joining forces to obtain the Designate. The Mad Titan believed that this soothsayer would grant him the power to control death itself. While Thor and his allies fought against them with all their hearts, they proved to be no match for this deadly duo. When it seemed Thor was at death’s door, hope arrived in the form of a dwarf who gifted the God of Thunder several enchanted Asgardian weapons: The Gauntlet of Tomorrows, Shield of Life, and the Belt of Power. These mystical relics not only healed Thor but also drastically increased his strength. With this immense power-up, the enraged God of Thunder mercilessly and repeatedly hammered the Mad Titan into the ground until the villain was a crumpled mess. Although later comics would retcon this Thanos to being only a clone, it was originally intended by the authors to be the real Mad Titan, making it a legitimate victory.

4) Deadpool

Out of the countless people who loathe Deadpool, Thanos is definitely at the top of the list. Despite the literal trillions of bodies that Thanos has left in his wake to impress Lady Death, she instead fancies the Merc with a Mouth. The Mad Titan even cursed Deadpool with eternal life to ensure that he couldn’t be with Lady Death. Of course, that doesn’t stop the villain from trying to crush the anti-hero in the appropriately titled Deadpool vs. Thanos miniseries. When Lady Death goes missing, Thanos and Deadpool initially and begrudgingly team up to find her. This team-up culminates in Thanos trying to kill Eternity to destroy the universe. Normally, Deadpool’s no match for a Titan as mighty as Thanos. However, Deadpool’s attempts to save Eternity made him worthy of the omnipotent Uni-Power, which transformed him into Captain Universe. Taking on the name Pool Captain, Deadpool used his newfound infinite cosmic power to defeat Thanos. Deadpool secured his victory by convincing Lady Death that destroying the universe was wrong.

3) Drax the Destroyer

Trillions of people have lost loved ones because of Thanos’ cruelty, and few have a more famous and consuming vendetta against him than Drax the Destroyer. When Thanos murdered his family, the human Arthur Douglas was reborn as the fearsome warrior Drax, who now lives for one purpose: revenge. Drax finally gets his vengeance when Thanos least expects it. In Annihilation #4, Thanos teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to oppose Annihilus and his unstoppable Annihilation Wave, who have imprisoned Galactus. The heroes agreed that Thanos was their only hope of freeing Galactus, who could turn the tide of the conflict. Just when the plan was set, Drax shocked everyone by violently ripping out the Mad Titan’s heart with his bare hand. Fortunately, the Guardians still managed to save Galactus with the help of Silver Surfer. As for Thanos, he was soon restored to life, but, naturally, he was pretty annoyed at Drax for his sneak attack.

2) Captain Marvel

Thanos has battled many heroes over the years, but his original rival was the first Captain Marvel, the Kree superhero Mar-Vell. Before Marv-Vell’s untimely death, the all-powerful and ancient entity Eon gave him the role of Protector of the Universe solely to defend the cosmos from Thanos’ cruelty. Mar-Vell proved a worthy candidate for the role in Captain Marvel Vol.1 #33, when Thanos obtained the infinite reality-warping power of the Cosmic Cube. By absorbing the Cube’s power, Thanos effortlessly defeated the Avengers and exterminated all life on Earth. Even against such a powerful foe, Mar-Vell fought on near equal footing with Thanos thanks to his cosmic Nega Bands. Mar-Vell eventually won by destroying the Cosmic Cube, rendering Thanos powerless and restoring Earth to how it once was. This defeat was an even bigger strike to Thanos’s insatiable ego because it’s what caused Lady Death to lose interest in the Mad Titan.

1) Adam Warlock

Arguably the biggest divergence from the comics in the MCU’s Infinity War and Endgame films was not including Adam Warlock, who originally was responsible for giving Thanos two of his most notable defeats. Adam was created as the perfect being and infused with the Soul Stone, which naturally made him a target for Thanos’ crusade to create the Infinity Gauntlet. In Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, the Mad Titan successfully managed to obtain the Soul Stone with Adam trapped inside. Before Thanos could use the Soul Stone’s power to destroy the sun, Spider-Man and the Thing freed Adam from his imprisonment. Adam then turned Thanos into solid granite, killing him. Adam’s second victory came at the conclusion of the iconic Infinity Gauntlet Saga. When Nebula stole the Gauntlet and threatened to destroy the universe, Thanos, Adam, and several other heroes tried to stop her. As everyone fights over the Gauntlet, Adam ultimately emerges as the omnipotent weapon’s new wielder, robbing Thanos of his prize. Thanos may yearn for the stones, but he never could contend with Adam’s connection to the Soul Stone.

5 Marvel Superheroes Who Have Defeated the Hulk