Marvel’s New Release Is a Sad Reminder of How Much the MCU Underpowered Thanos

Thanos is, up to this point, the most powerful villain in the MCU, which is why it’s so shocking to learn that the Mad Titan was actually underpowered in the movie series. Unlike many other villains who appeared and died in the course of one MCU movie, Thanos was built up over a decade, setting the stakes for how dangerous he would be when he finally took center stage in Avengers: Infinity War. It took the entire Avengers team plus some time travel to finally defeat Thanos, and even then, the MCU’s superheroes were taking on a weaker version of the villain.

Thanos is most remembered for his ability to wield the Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all living things in the universe. Even without the Infinity Stones, however, Thanos was still incredibly powerful. He beat Hulk in a one-on-one fistfight and used his army to decimate the Nova Corps home planet. His superior strength and combat skills would make him a challenge for any hero to defeat, regardless of the Infinity Stones, but Thanos really should have had more powers at his disposal.

Why Thanos Doesn’t Look Like The Rest Of The Eternals, Explained

Before we get into the powers and abilities of Thanos, we must first break down his relationship to the Eternals. In the MCU, Eternals explains that its collection of god-like superheroes was the product of experiments done on early humans by the Celestials. These experiments produced the artificial lifeform of the Eternals, who can be replaced by the Celestials whenever one dies. At the end of Eternals, a new Eternal named Eros shows up. He explains that he can help the remaining Eternals locate their missing friends, but he also mentions that he is the brother of Thanos.

This is confusing for a few reasons. Firstly, since the Eternals were created by the Celestials, they shouldn’t be able to have brothers, as they weren’t really born. Secondly, if Thanos is an Eternal, it is weird that he looks so different. If Eros’ MCU origin is similar to his story in the comics, he is the product of two runaway Eternals who start a new society on Titan. Eros is the younger brother of Thanos, and while this explains their familial relationship, Thanos’ experience is only explained by something known as Deviant Syndrome.

2022’s Marvel Anatomy: A Scientific Study of the Superhuman is a book framed as if it is written by T’Challa and Shuri in the midst of a Skrull invasion. The duo goes to the Wakandan archives and pulls files on many of Marvel’s superheroes and villains, with the book being how Wakanda prepares for the Skrull war. In the book, the Thanos file explains that Thanos inherited a gene that triggered a multitude of physical changes in him. The Deviant gene gave Thanos his purple skin, super strength, large build, and iconic chin, forcing him to look wildly different from the other Eternals.

Thanos Eternals Physiology Should Give Him More Powers In The MCU

While Thanos’ appearance is his most notable transformation due to his Deviant Syndrome, it shouldn’t have been the only symptom present in the MCU. Marvel Anatomy explains some more ways in which Thanos is different in the comics, with the Marvel Comics counterpart of the Mad Titan being more powerful than the MCU’s.

According to the book, Thanos is capable of rapid healing, explaining why he is always able to come back after he dies. The MCU never states that Thanos has a healing factor, and while he is killed and then returns, this is the product of time travel rather than his superhuman abilities.

On top of that, Thanos’ Deviant Syndrome allows him to have an interesting relationship with cosmic energy. In the comics, Thanos is able to absorb cosmic energy and then expel it in the form of blasts from his hands and eyes. This would make him a much more harrowing foe to fight, giving him combat abilities beyond his increased strength.

The book also explains that the cosmic energy can allow Thanos to breathe without oxygen, meaning that he can survive in space. T’Challa also hypothesizes that Thanos has an entirely separate nervous system designed to harness and channel cosmic energy, another element that isn’t present in the MCU. These powers would have taken a while for the MCU to explain, as the Eternals hadn’t been introduced at the time of Infinity War and Endgame. However, it is a shame that the MCU stripped Thanos of some of his coolest powers.

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