Marvel To Dive Deeper Into Thanos’ Backstory With Gamora

We know that Thanos and Gamora have a long and complicated history, but Marvel is going to explore that even more and reveal how it came to be in Thanos #1.

The new series is being written by Tini Howard (Marvel Knights 20th) and drawn by Ariel Olivetti (Death of the Inhumans) and will head back to the beginning of their relationship as father and daughter.

“One of my favorite things about working with an existing character is confronting them, in the narrative, with the things we think about them when we’re reading their stories,” Howard told Marvel.com. “And Thanos is not okay. It’s not really a secret to him, Thanos is brilliant — he knows he’s crazy. But he’s an insane person who is in charge of stuff, and that’s pretty scary. But if everyone’s too scared to ask him about it and he’s not going to admit it himself… what kind of person would get him to confront his own madness?”

There’s one moment that truly explains why Thanos looked at Gamora differently from the other thousands of children he has met along the way in his quest to bring balance to the universe, and fans will finally see that here.

“That’s where Gamora comes in. I’m a sucker for a smart girl and the big angry guy who becomes her father figure,” Howard said. “When I put some thought into what Thanos and Gamora’s early relationship would have been like in an interpersonal sense, not the thousand-yard-overview we get in the old books, I go back to ‘True Grit.’ Or I think of team-ups like Sandor Clegane and Arya Stark from ‘Game of Thrones,’ you know? These classic duos where nothing threatens the big bad guy — except for a kid. And it’s not because kids are cute and vulnerable, it’s because they’re honest. And they don’t have a full understanding of the world around them yet, so they’re somewhat unaware of nuance and danger. And Gamora’s even more dangerous than a regular child — because Thanos has taken everything from her. She’s got nothing to lose. And they share a moment in the first issue that I won’t spoil here — that answers the question: why her? Why Gamora?”

You can check out the cover to Thanos #1, drawn by Jeff Dekal, below.

As for Olivetti, Howard couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with him.

“You know, just the other day I saw some more of Ariel’s pages and was so floored I had to stop what I was doing and send him a personal thank you,” Howard said. “Ariel’s great to work with. I’m very familiar with his work, so writing with him in mind feels less like typing words and more like composing a symphony. I can sigh out loud while I’m working, just thinking of the way he’s going to render these pages. Ariel and I are on this incredibly dynamic wavelength right now where we’re both having a blast with the book, and it feels great. The only thing better than getting to work with an artist you love is knowing that they’re enjoying it!”

Thanos #1 hits comic stores in April.