The “Thanus Theory” originated as a joke explaining Ant-Man’s absence from Avengers: Infinity War. The theory proposes that Ant-Man wasn’t included because he would have ended the battle during the first encounter, after shrinking down, crawling up Thanos’ butt and expanding to full size. Some have joked that this method is how Ant-Man will save the day in Avengers: Endgame. However, Thanos actor Josh Brolin knows just how to deal with that strategy.
Brolin posted a short video to his Instagram page, where he comically responds to the popular theory by sitting on the toilet and grunting. “The tension around what 'Endgame' is going to bring. I can feel it, as you can see. Can you?” he says on the post, which uses the hashtag #thanosmarketingpush, #flushantman, and #50percenthernia.
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These kind of tongue-in-cheek posts aren't unusual for the actor. Brolin has long been playful with the community in supporting the Avengers fandom. In 2018, when the subreddit r/ThanosDidNothingWrong announced it would be banning half of their users in celebration of Thanos’ accomplishments, Brolin joined in on the fun, posting a short video of him snapping to commemorate the event.
The theory would eventually be proposed to Ant-Man himself when Paul Rudd was asked about using this method for defeating Thanos during press for Ant-Man and the Wasp. "I don't know," Rudd said at the time. "I almost think it's a question for Thanos because if there's one thing we learned from Infinity War, it's that Thanos can take a lot of punishment."
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Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 26.