'Avengers' Villain Thanos Dusts 'The Simpsons'

D'oh! It's not a good time to be a resident of Springfield, especially if you're a member of the Simpson family. To open up tonight's new episode "The Girl on the Bus," a quick clip of Marvel Cinematic Universe villain Thanos dusting the family was tagged to the beginning of the episode.

After assembling five of the six stones, Thanos uses Maggie's pacifier to complete the Infinity Gauntlet, which in turn is then used to dust away four of the fives Simpsons. Both Homer and Marge are dusted away in addition to the two oldest kids, Lisa and Bart.

Once the rest of her family is dusted away, Maggie crawls up onto the couch and plops a squat right next to the Mad Titan.

It's certainly not the first time the longest-running sitcom in America has used Marvel characters in the show, but it could be one of the most understood pop culture references connecting The Simpsons with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Simpsons is currently airing its record-breaking 30th season on Fox and the show is fully expected to be renewed once the current season wraps up.

Though he's appeared in MCU cameos prior, Avengers: Infinity War was, by and large, a movie featuring Thanos, and the character is expected to have an even bigger role in April's Avengers: Endgame. According to Joe and Anthony Russo — the director's behind Infinity War and Endgame — Thanos will be a different character now that he's completed his goal.

"These are characters and a story moving forward where Infinity War happened," Anthony Russo said. "The entire universe experienced the same fate, and has been brought together by this experience."

"He's succeeded in the thing he has set out to do," Joe Russo said of Thanos' current state in the MCU. "He's done. He did it. He's retired."

What'd you think to the unexpected MCU/Simpsons crossover? Let us know your thoughts on the surprised in the comments below!

Avengers: Infinity War is now streaming on Netflix, in addition to being available for purchase digitally and on home media. Marvel Studios has three movies on their release schedule this year, including Captain Marvel on March 8th, Avengers: Endgame on April 26th, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th.