Thanos’ Biggest Avengers Advantage Was Actually His Endgame Weakness

Thanos had a big advantage over the Avengers since the formation of the team, but that was eventually used against the Mad Titan in Avengers: Endgame.

Thanos had been teased since The Avengers (2012), but what audiences and the villain thought was the Mad Titan’s big advantage over the heroes turned out to be a huge weakness in Avengers: Endgame. While the beginning of the 2012 team-up movie teased that Loki was not working alone, it was only during The Avengers’ post-credits scene that it was revealed that it was Thanos who had supplied Loki with the Chitauri army. More than just a sequel hook, The Avengers’ post-credits scene teased that one of Marvel’s most powerful villains would have a big part in the future of the MCU, and that Thanos knew exactly what was going on with Earth’s new mightiest heroes.

While the Avengers’ original Infinity War Thanos storyline itself never made it to the MCU, The Avengers’ post-credits scene alluded to the Mad Titan’s original purpose by having him acknowledge that the Avengers did not fear death. Thanos’ first appearance in the MCU does not reveal much of what his plans were, which makes sense considering that Marvel Studios was far from having the entire Infinity Saga mapped out. In fact, Avengers: Age of Ultron’s Thanos post-credit scene also did not have too much connection to what the story of Avengers: Infinity War would be, except that it revealed that Thanos was still keeping an eye on the Avengers from Earth.

Three of MCU’s Infinity Stones were located on Earth after The Avengers – Time, Space, and Mind. Both The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron make clear that Thanos knew what he would eventually have to face on Earth to get those stones, which would naturally give the villain a big advantage over the heroes as none of the Avengers knew for sure who was behind Loki’s attack on New York. However, Avengers: Endgame flipped that advantage by having 2014 Thanos facing the 2023 roster of the Avengers. That version of Thanos, who time travels to the future, only knew about the Avengers up until the events of Age of Ultron, whereas the Avengers in Endgame were a much bigger and more powerful team.

How Endgame Flipped Thanos’ Avengers Advantage

2014 Thanos could not have known about Doctor Strange, who played a huge part in Endgame. He also did not know of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme working alongside the Avengers, which became common with Doctor Strange and Wong after 2016. Black Panther and the entire Wakanda army were also unknown to 2014 Thanos, not to mention other heroes like Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and Wasp. Even some Avengers Thanos knew from 2012 to 2014 were now much more powerful than they were during that time, with Thor and Scarlet Witch being great examples. Thanos believed that traveling to the future and engaging with the Avengers in a surprise attack would give him the upper hand, but it was the Mad Titan who was eventually surprised by what he was facing.

Thanos and his sword were still a formidable opponent for Earth’s heroes, but the battle was much more balanced than if the villain had faced the 2014 Avengers. The split Avengers never stood a chance against Infinity Stones-powered Thanos in Infinity War, but in Endgame, things were much more even. 2014 Thanos had privileged information, but that became outdated the moment he traveled to the future in Avengers: Endgame.