In Defense Of Thanos: Why Fans Are Rooting For The Mad Titan

Countless comparisons have been made between Thanos and the worst dictators of the real world. Even the label of “dictator” may be a bridge too far when it comes to Thanos, though, and such comparisons appear to be way off base.

According to Redditor /u/cranky-alpha, Thanos just doesn’t possess the same selfish motivations as the dictators of the world:

Thanos, unlike the other villains of [the] MCU and real world, never wished to rule the universe... Moreover... Thanos left it all to chance, [slaying] rich and poor... children and adults alike. A completely just and random system.

As Thanos himself says, his plan is to eliminate half of all life in the universe and then “watch the sun rise on a grateful universe.” And that’s exactly what he does - retiring to a quiet, rural life instead of ascending to some galactic throne.

Actions speak louder than words, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to Thanos. Despite being one of the most powerful beings in existence - especially once he starts collecting Infinity Stones - the Mad Titan seems to go out of his way to avoid ending lives unless he absolutely has to. 

Sure, he fells Heimdall and Loki when they threaten his plans, and Gamora and the Vision as part of his quest for the Stones. Redditor /u/Jicompho notes, however, that after arriving in Wakanda, Thanos carefully abstains from wiping out the Avengers, even though he could:

Thanos seems to not like [taking lives] without a reason, and no one he fought threatened him enough to give him a reason. Given his twisted sense of fairness and balance, he likely wanted as many of them alive as possible when he got all the stones. That way their fate could be decided in an unbiased way.

Thanos's belief in his methods is genuine, and there isn’t a hint of doubt in his dialogue or actions. He truly believes what he is doing will benefit the universe as a whole, and he isn’t shy about putting a positive spin on the horror of his actions.

Redditor /u/AuntHottie highlights the interaction between Tony Stark and Thanos after the Mad Titan appears to have seriously harmed the founding Avenger. They note that Thanos’s dialogue is both incredibly honest and a palpable reflection of his conviction in the mercy of his mission:

The best part for me though is when he tells [Tony Stark] “half of humanity will still be alive.” The way he says it was absolutely in the tone of, “Hey, look on the bright side.” He was legitimately trying to make Tony feel better, trying to make him understand that what he’s doing isn’t wrong. He’s giving him hope that some of his loved ones will survive.

One of the most mysterious conversations in the series occurs between Thanos and Tony Stark, in which Thanos professes to know of Stark and his time as Iron Man. As Thanos tells Stark, “You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.”

Speculation about what he means by that line has been intense. On the surface, it may just be a reference to Thanos’s “knowledge” that his mission is the only way to save the universe, which is why “the hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

Redditor /u/theHerbieZ has a more direct take on the quote:

The Infinity Stone in Loki's staff showed Tony a vision of the future. I believe that same Infinity Stone is what gave Thanos his vision... They are both driven by knowledge of a future they were shown... Thanos knew when someone else has been driven by that Stone.

Either way, Thanos is motivated by his belief that he’s doing what he must - even if he really doesn’t want to.

Those who don’t agree with Thanos’s destructive methods can still find a reason to relate to the Mad Titan in his surprising humanity, which comes to the forefront in his interactions with Gamora, his adopted daughter. While Gamora consistently doubts Thanos’s love for her, he proves it in the ultimate way - by sacrificing her to retrieve the Soul Stone. If he didn’t really love her, it stands to reason the sacrifice wouldn’t have worked, so his feelings must be genuine.

Redditor /u/J-ToThe-R-O-C speculates about why Thanos was such a loving father:

I feel like the reason he truly loved Gamora more than his other children was because to him, she made the decision to go with him instead of [perishing] of her own free will. She never once fought him. In his twisted mind, he took that as her loving him for who he was, despite witnessing the monster he'd become.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with supervillains whose ideals are informed by past trauma, including Thanos the Mad Titan. He notes that "I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless.”

The destruction of his home, Titan, leads to trauma that makes his mission understandable and relatable. Redditor /u/GullibleMonkey explains:

Thanos was so traumatized with what happened to his home planet Titan that he convinced himself that there was no other way but to [slay] half the universe... My guess is either they drilled the planet to the bone Krypton-style, or they tried harvesting asteroids and one of them crashed on Titan. This is why Thanos doesn't want to create more resources. He saw his people trying to do just that, and it failed.