Thanos is perhaps the greatest villain in all the Marvel universe. His sheer power matched with his incredible intellect have made him a force to be reckoned with. It often takes large teams of superheroes to take him on, if not all the greatest heroes in the Marvel universe.
On some occasions, however, Thanos proves that he has a little good in him. From time to time Thanos gives up his evil ways and chooses to use his power to do something truly noble. Here are ten of the most heroic things Thanos has ever done.
10 Retired
Following the famous Infinity Gauntlet story, Thanos had a lot of time to think about his failures. After much contemplation, he decided to retire from his life of domination and started his own farm. Thought to be dead by the rest of the universe, Thanos seemed to enjoy this quiet, peaceful life.
Eventually, Thanos was convinced to come back, this time just as thirsty for power as he had been before. Nevertheless, this little glimpse into his psyche showed readers that maybe, deep down, Thanos yearns for a more simple life.
9 Betrayed Annihilus
During Annihilation, the genocidal, other-dimensional being known as Annihilus was hoping to steal the Power Cosmic and take over the universe. Annihilus asked Thanos to join him on this quest. The Mad Titan gladly accepted the offer and was a key to much of Annihilus' success.
Upon learning that Annihilus actually wanted to destroy the universe, Thanos made the decision to betray his new partner. Through an elaborate plan involving the Silver Surfer, Thanos was able to resurrect the recently killed Galactus, who then went on to stop Annihilus.
8 Calmed A Rampaging Thor
Driven mad with an insatiable bloodlust, Thor once sought to destroy the very home he had always protected, Asgard. Knowing Thor wasn't in his right mind and needed to be stopped, Silver Surfer intervened. The mad god proved too much for him, leaving Silver Surfer to look for other, less favorable, options.
This led Silver Surfer to Thanos. Convincing the Mad Titan to agree to help, Thanos gladly accepted the opportunity to fight Thor one on one. Thanos then did so, defeating Thor and snapping the thunder god out of his mad rage.
7 Saved Marlo Jones
The wife of longtime Hulk sidekick Rick Jones, Marlo Jones has often found herself tangled up in the many adventures her husband is so used to. On one of these occasions, Marlo was possessed by the physical embodiment of Death.
Thanos agreed to help get Death to leave Marlo's body. Thanos may have done this more because he's actually in love with Death rather than to help someone in need. Nevertheless, it was a heroic act.
6 Cured the Cancerverse
On one of the Guardians of the Galaxy's adventures, the superhuman team came across an alternate universe called the Cancerverse. The Cancerverse was a mirror reality of the mainstream Marvel universe. The only difference was, in the Cancerverse, death does not exist.
This may sound like it's nice, but it has led the Cancerverse into becoming a truly horrific universe. In hopes of saving the universe and pleasing Death, Thanos aided the Guardians in curing the Cancerverse by bringing Death there.
5 Saved Gamora
Gamora is quite famous for being the daughter of Thanos. In the comics, Gamora's planet was getting genocided by an alien race known as the Badoon. When Thanos found her, he decided to save Gamora's life and take her under his wing.
Thanos slowly molded Gamora into becoming one of the universe's greatest assassins. He genetically enhanced and trained her into becoming a master of killing. Although Gamora hated her "father" for what he made her into, there's no denying his actions came from a place of love, as twisted as that sounds.
4 Saved Death
Thanos isn't the only Marvel character to fall in love with Death. Deadpool has also had on and off flings with the cosmic entity. Although neither character has gotten to truly be with Death, it's safe to say they are stuck in a bit of a love triangle.
In the Deadpool Vs. Thanos story, these feelings came to a head. The two lovers of Death ended up battling each other to win her over. Towards the end of the story, the creature known as Eternity captures Death and the two are forced to work together to get her back. Thanos helping save Death actually helped save the universe.
3 Defeats Magus
The Mad Titan Thanos isn't the only person to seek control of the Infinity Gems. Magus, and the evil counterpart of the hero Adam Warlock, also sought out control of the Gems. While Thanos merely wanted to please Death by killing half the universe, Magus actually wanted to destroy all of reality itself
Not wanting reality to suffer total destruction, Thanos aided the many heroes who set out to stop Magus. They all succeeded, with Thanos playing a key role in defeating the maniacal Magus.
2 Stopped Nebula
While Thanos had control of the Infinity Gauntlet, he was quite cruel. This is especially true when it came to his treatment of his daughter Nebula. Turning Nebula into a suffering zombie-like creature on the brink of death, he forced his daughter into planning revenge.
When Thanos was distracted, Nebula used the opportunity to take the Gauntlet for herself. The Avengers soon realized she wasn't much better than her father and decided Nebula needed to be stopped as well. Thanos decided to help Earth's heroes and actually played a key role in taking the Infinity Gauntlet away from Nebula.
1 Led the Avengers
In Thanos' titular mini-series, the Mad Titan got a look into an alternate universe where he was actually a hero. Not only was Thanos a virtuous hero, he even led the Avengers. This comic even shows Thanos uttering the iconic phrase, "Avengers assemble!"
While it's expected that Thanos would be disgusted by this alternate universe, Thanos was actually jealous. He found himself desiring the respect and admiration that comes with being a hero.