He’s handled Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (twice) and summoned Ultron onto the big screen, but when it came to Thanos, writer-director Joss Whedon was at a loss in regards to how to incorporate the Mad Titan into the fabric of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It goes some way to explaining why Thanos was limited to post-credit appearances throughout The Avengers and Age of Ultron, before ultimately taking center stage in time for Infinity War.
And while Marvel Studios initially hinted at an overly faithful rendition of Thanos – presumably with Hela adopting a similar role to Death from the comics – those of you who’ve seen Avengers: Infinity War with your own two eyes will know that Joe and Anthony Russo delivered their own twist for what’s undoubtedly the MCU’s greatest villain. And it’s just as well, too, as Joss Whedon conceded to IGN that he “kind of hung Thanos out to dry.”
Honestly, I kind of hung [Thanos] out to dry. I love Thanos. I love his apocalyptic vision, his love affair with Death. I love his power. But, I don’t really understand it. He’s had a lot of power, and he was cool in the comics. And I’m like, Thanos is the ultimate Marvel villain! And then I was like, I don’t actually know what I would do with Thanos.
Not that Whedon is complaining. With hindsight, the two-time Avengers director revealed that he’s overly happy with the path Marvel Studios decided to take, and that Infinity War (and Josh Brolin’s performance) deserves every ounce of praise that’s been sent its way.
So, I liked what [the Russo brothers] did so much, and I thought Josh Brolin killed it. And they did an amazing job of keeping that performance on-screen. But it wasn’t like I was like, ‘Here’s a set of directions’. I was like, ‘I’m gonna get through Ultron, nap for four years, and then I’ll come to the premiere’. Which I did! It was like, ‘This is so cool!’
And it won’t be much longer before we can take Avengers: Infinity War home, as Marvel has scheduled its star-studded epic for a digital release on July 31st, followed by a Blu-ray debut on August 14th.
