WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "The Phantom and the Sorceress," the eighth episode of DuckTales third season, which aired Sept. 21 on Disney XD
The modern DuckTales reboot has made a habit of modernizing and fleshing out many minor characters from across the Disney Animated Canon, but the newest reinvention actually takes a classic villain and makes them surprisingly similar to a villain from another Disney property -- DuckTales incarnation of Phantom Blot is surprisingly similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Thanos.
Phantom Blot is one the oldest Disney antagonists, first appearing in the Mickey Mouse comic series all the way back in 1939. Originally introduced as an eccentric but dangerous criminal, the Phantom Blot has gone through multiple incarnations and reinventions over the years. The character even appeared in the original DuckTales series, trying to steal a number of planes from an aircraft carrier that Donald Duck is stationed at. However, the character is completely reinvented in the new DuckTales and even given a somewhat sympathetic backstory.
The Phantom Blot is now a survivor of dark magic from the past. Sometime long ago, Magica De Spell controlled a small village. Eventually growing tired of the town, she turned on the villagers and destroyed it in a fit of magical rage. However, one of the few survivors was the man who would go on to become the Phantom Blot. He vowed to end magic once and for all, and swore revenge against De Spell. Initially, De Spell was unimpressed -- more than a few had tried to bring down the witch over the years, and all had failed.
Even though she seemed to put down the Phantom Blot, he kept returning, each time bringing new weapons to combat her powers. He specifically chose weapons that could drain magical energy, giving him a chance to break Magica once and for all. During their last battle, Magica barely escaped with her magic (and life). Now an agent of F.O.W.L., Phantom Blot hunts Magica's amulet, one of the few things seemingly binding Lena to the corporeal world.
All of this makes Phantom Blot surprisingly similar to Thanos, specifically the MCU incarnation. A formerly one-note villain is reinvented as a more empathetic character for the modern era, giving the character a more morally understandable mission. From his perspective, Phantom Blot is trying to destroy a completely evil force and remove it from the world -- even if that means killing innocents, like Lena. This is similar to how Thanos was given a goal audiences could empathize with -- trying to help clear the universe and remove resource scarcity across the galaxy. Each of these characters uses a special gauntlet for his mission, one capable of granting the owner immense power. While in the MCU Thanos claimed the Infinity Gauntlet, the DuckTales version is a magic-draining invention made by the Phantom Blot.
There's even a sequence very similar to a famous moment from Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos tries to use the Gauntlet, but the heroes can barely keep him from activating it. This includes them all dogpiling the villain and trying to strip the gauntlet from him. The heroes even use magical chains to constrain the villain in both -- Lena creating actual chains in DuckTales, while Doctor Strange crafted mystical crimson bands to hold Thanos down. In both mediums, one of the heroes becomes too emotional and distracted attacking the villain, allowing them to escape. In the MCU, it was Star-Lord who lost control of himself, while in DuckTales it's a furious Webby that attacks Phantom Blot instead of stripping the gauntlet off him.
These tweaks in the long-time villain' character gives him an interesting connection to the greater DuckTales universe. Although his gauntlet is ultimately destroyed before he can wipe out Lena and Magica, Phantom Blot escapes, likely to return to F.O.W.L. and plan his next move.