Following Thanos' snap (otherwise known as the Decimation) at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, a great case could be made for why he's the greatest villain in cinematic history. He defeated anyone who stood in his way, including the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and succeeded in extinguishing half of all life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thus, he achieved his dream of balancing the cosmos, leaving everyone heartbroken over the wave of death he caused.
While we're speculating about which heroes will undo what he did in Avengers: Endgame, and exactly how they'll go about this, we need to stop and consider the Mad Titan's actions. Only then can we see that, as much as we hate his genocide, it could lead to him ending up as the true hero of the sequel.
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THE MAD TITAN'S EPIPHANY
Thanos sought "perfect balance" in Infinity War, but not out of some selfish desire -- heck, he doesn't even want to rule the galaxy. He saw how populations that grow exponentially devour resources and leave societies like his home back on Titan on the brink of destruction. Thanos did what he did for the betterment of existence, halving it to save its very fabric.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain," is the famous Harvey Dent quote from The Dark Knight, which applies here. That's something Thanos could recognize in Endgame. He might not be the hero of his own story, as first thought, but rather the villain -- as he did kill his adopted daughter Gamora to achieve his idea of peace. He's already conversed with her in the Soul World, telling her it cost him "everything." So, once he has had time to reflect in his fields with his scarecrow, he may come to his senses.
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Thanos changed the course of reality, and he might realize it was never his destiny to do this. He could even see the error of his actions by understanding the universe is like a hydra -- wherever he thinks he stopped greed and hate from sprouting, there'll always be someone rising up to take its place. And so, Thanos might understand his snap was indeed futile, and he should let the galaxy's evolution take its natural path as intended.
The Mad Titan was initially set to narrate Infinity War, which means he does have a sympathetic antihero arc to him, and this could come full circle with his redemption. These films are a Thanos two-parter, and ultimately they can culminate in the behemoth finally accepting he was never meant to be a force of nature or to play god.
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NEBULA'S REVENGE
In the Infinity Gauntlet comic, Nebula was trapped as a burn victim in a painful state and left on the verge of death -- a scene the sadistic Thanos believed to be a beautiful piece of art. When Marvel's heroes formed a cosmic coalition against him, Nebula stole the gauntlet, healed herself and became a ruler who was just as bad, if not worse than the Mad Titan. Eventually, Thanos helped the alliance take her down, with Adam Warlock retrieving the gauntlet and resetting the universe.
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Given that Thanos tortured Nebula in Infinity War and sees her as inferior to Gamora (as she's still alive), there's a chance Nebula could still get her hands on the gauntlet and reshape reality to her will. She's an orphan who's known pain and suffering her entire life as one of the Children of Thanos, so to prevent this she might even become a sympathetic villain, trying to right the wrongs of the galaxy.
Either way, this could turn her into an agent of her own destruction and officially make Thanos the ultimate savior of the universe by having him try to stop her devastation. Her revenge might help him see the error of his own ways, pushing him to ally temporarily with the same heroes he fought against. Seeing as he already ended up a simple farmer on a distant planet, the Mad Titan may even sacrifice himself to save Nebula from becoming that which she hates the most, fixing his snap in the process and offering a second chance to those he killed.
A BIGGER THREAT ARRIVES
There are few villains we'd consider greater than Thanos, but long-running speculation has led to theories that the Celestials will be coming to the MCU soon, possibly to fix it. In Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is confronted by some of the most powerful cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe, and even takes on Eternity to show his godlike powers.
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Thus, it wouldn't be too outlandish to picture Thanos' actions awakening a horde of Celestials, wherever they're lurking. We already saw Eson the Searcher wielding the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy, so they may be coming back to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs. If they think these stones were abused by lesser beings, the Celestials might even use them and go one step further than Thanos, viewing this reality as an experiment that needs to be written off totally, as Ego thought in Guardians 2.
To spare everyone, Thanos might reconsider what he did and undo his actions to turn back this threat. After all, his snap will be responsible for dooming the entire MCU, so as someone who believes in the preservation and sanctity of life, he'll know the Celestials are not merciful and forgiving, as he is. What makes this intriguing is that this also creates a dark, looming presence for Phase Four, with everyone knowing that apocalyptic villains are waiting in the wings in case they mess the universe up again. Thanos won't just be taking one for the team, he'll be taking one for reality.