Avengers: Infinity War was one of the biggest films that was shown at D23 Expo this past weekend – and it’s expected to be one of the biggest films at San Diego Comic-Con 2017 this week.

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Naturally, Marvel fans everywhere are excited and hyped for what new things we may learn about Infinity War; though we’ve already learned some juicy new tidbits in the last few days.

One of the biggest and best new pieces of knowledge we gained about Infinity War‘s characters and story was the first reveal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of The Black Order, the group of warriors formed out of the “children” of Thanos The Mad Titan (Josh Brolin) to battle the heroes of the MCU.

However, there was a notable absence from the MCU version of The Black Order or any other promotional materials for Infinity War that were revealed at D23: Thane, Son of Thanos from Marvel Comic Books. So, will we see Thane Son of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War? Let’s discuss.

Who Is Thane?

Josh Brolin unveils Avengers: Infinity War’s Black Order and Infinity Gauntlet! https://t.co/K5E5oZ4j8A pic.twitter.com/mQ8EVJ5Mmu
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The confirmed lineup of The Black Order in the MCU consists of the following:

Ebony Maw
Corvus Glaive
Proxima Midnight
Black Dwarf

You can learn more about them by clicking the link below, but it’s clear that Thane is not included amongst their ranks. However, given his Marvel Comics origin, he could still play a big role in the Infinity War saga.

More: Who Are The Memebers of The Black Order?

For those unfamiliar with Marvel Comics lore: Thane, Son of Thanos, was a secret Inhuman son of Thanos, conceived when a descendant tribe of The Inhumans ran into Thanos – leaving one of their group pregnant with the Mad Titan’s child. When Thanos learned he had a son who was half Inhuman, he sent The Black Order to terrorize the universe, collecting heads of young men who might be the illegitimate son Thanos was looking for.

That search led to Earth, where Inhuman king Black Bolt discovered that Thane existed. Doctor Strange discovered Thane’s location, but since Strange was under the influence of The Black Order’s Ebony Maw, that revelation led to Thanos also learning where Thane was – and coming after him with a vengeance.

In the fight against Thanos, Black Bolt set off a Terrigen Bomb, coating earth in cloud of Terrigenesis, and creating a new slew of Inhumans all across the planet. The event also released Thane’s Inhuman powers, turning him into an all-powerful figure who was able to defeat Thanos and The Black Order (with the exception of Ebony Maw).

In the end, Maw sought to train Thane into becoming a “better” man than his father. Thane attempt to become a conqueror like the universe had never seen, eventually dying and being resurrected as the new host of the Phoenix Force.

How Thane Could Fit Into Infinity War

Thane Son Thanos Avengers Infinity War 1 and 2

We know that Avengers: Infinity War will have two parts to its story. The first part seems fairly obvious in terms of storyline, drawing from classic “Infinity” storylines from Marvel Comics, like “Infinity Gauntlet” or the comic book “Infinity War” stories. However, the material that Avengers: Inifnity War II will draw on is still unknown, and that is where Thane could fit in.

Right now, all of necessary pieces for Thane’s introduction into the MCU are being set in place: The Black Order, Thanos, The Inhuman Royal family – all of these Marvel characters are being introduced to the MCU in the next year (or further introduced, in Thanos’ case), so it’s certainly conceivable that they could culminate in Thane’s existence on Earth being revealed, some time before Infinity War II is slated to the theaters in 2019.

More importantly: After Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe concludes with the Infinity War sequel, Marvel Studios will need both a new overarching “big bad” threat to propel things forward, as well as a suitable way to use The Inhumans presence on Earth to solve the lingering problem of X-Men and mutants not being part of the MCU. The introduction of Thane, and loose adaptation of his storyline, would solve both of these issues.

It would also explain why Thanos could be a double threat for the MCU heroes to battle, as Thane’s existence would put a target on the Earth, specifically, which Thanos and The Black Order could not ignore.

So will it happen that way? There’s absolutely no indication yet that Thane is ever going to be part of the MCU – but as stated, the dominoes are certainly being lined up to fall that way.

More on Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War currently has a 4.35 out of 5 ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating, making it the most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com readers.

Let us know how much you’re looking forward to Avengers: Infinity War by giving it your own ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below!

Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and brings the Guardians of the Galaxy together with the Avengers to face off against Thanos and his Children, the Black Order.

Avengers: Infinity War is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio del Toro, Tom Holland, and Anthony Mackie.

Avengers: Infinity War opens May 4, 2018.

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