Since the end of The Avengers in 2012, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building towards a grand confrontation between the Avengers and Thanos. As the Mad Titan searches for the mysterious Infinity Stones, his path has crossed with numerous Marvel heroes and he is tired of waiting for other people to retrieve the last stones for him. It's time for him to make his mark on the Marvel Universe, but that doesn't mean Thanos will be doing all the damage alone.

Thanos may be powerful, but the Black Order, his team of loyal followers, is more terrifying and dangerous than their boss. While there are usually only five members at a time, the Black Order has been full of some of the Marvel Universe's deadliest cosmic menaces. Thanos is definitely in charge of the group, but not even the boss does all the work. Whenever the Mad Titan has a particularly dangerous or secretive mission, he sends one of his loyal followers because he knows they are willing to put their lives on the line to help their ruler to achieve his goals. Come check these 15 reasons The Black Order are more dangerous than Thanos before they debut in Infinity War!

15 PROXIMA MIDNIGHT BEATS DOWN THOR

Proxima Midnight and Black Swan aren't even the two strongest members of the Black Order, but they were still enough to take down the God of Thunder. Truthfully, Odinson didn't have Mjolnir at the time because he was technically unworthy, but he's still a capable fighter who most foes will not be able to take down. The story sees both the Black Order and Thor are on the hunt for another hammer, and everyone from Beta Rey Bill to the Collector is pulled into the madness.

During the "Secret Wars" storyline, the Black Order, known as The Cabal at the time due to Namor's involvement, took on numerous Thors. Similar to the Green Lantern Corps, numerous versions of Thor defended Battleworld for Doom and anytime they sensed a disturbance in the world they were sent to investigate and take care of any problems.

14 ATTACK ON WAKANDA

There's a reason Black Panther was the last movie before Infinity War comes out in April: Wakanda is one of the most important places in the Marvel Universe. Not only is King T'Challa about to open up Wakanda to the outside world in the cinematic universe, but the country may hold one of the Infinity Gems. During Infinity, Namor informs the Black Order out of spite that the Soul Gem was in Wakanda and Thanos turns his full forces on the country.

The picture above is actually from Black Dwarf''s failed invasion that saw Black Panther, Shuri and the Dora Milaje turn back the attackers, but that doesn't mean they were able to keep their home safe forever. Since the Infinity War trailer shows a unified team defending their country, it's likely Wakanda will once again play a key location in the Earth's defense against the Black Order.

13 EBONY MAW MANIPULATES DR. STRANGE

Instead of having traditional physical powers like flight or super strength, Ebony Maw has a more subtle ability. Blessed with an incredibly persuasive tongue, Maw can persuade anyone to follow his orders just by speaking to them. Not only did he force Doctor Strange to summon the villainous old one known as Shuma-Gorath, but he was able to use him as a mole to spy on the actions of the Illuminati as they prepared for the universe destroying Incursions.

Since Doctor Strange revealed the Eye of Agamotto is actually an Infinity Stone, it's pretty obvious that the Sorcerer Supreme will be a target in Infinity War. Expect Maw to sink his manipulative teeth into Cumberbatch and play him against the rest of Marvel's finest heroes.

12 FORCED TRIBUTES

Thanos is more than just a menacing villain, he's a raging egomaniac who wants to take over the universe and reshape it in his image with the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. As the Black Order travels the cosmos looking for planets to add to Thanos' ever-growing empire, they force each new conquered species to offer some form of tribute to Thanos.

The Mad Titan doesn't want just anyone as tribute though, the Black Order specifically targets individuals who are between 16 and 22 years old. People like Gamora and Nebula were past tributes who grew up to resent their adopted father. It's the Inhumans unwillingness to offer Corvus Glaive a tribute in Infinity that resulted in Atillan and the rest of the Inhuman empire on the Moon from being destroyed.

11 OUTRIDER ARMY

As if the Black Order isn't vicious enough, every member leads a slim outrider army that does their bidding. The Outriders serve as both scouts and soldiers as the Black Order determines which planets are good targets to add to Thanos' empire.

Each Outrider can fly, turn invisible, read people's minds and turn intangible, making even just one of them a big threat for The Avengers. Creatures with a similar appearance can be seen in the Infinity War trailer, but it's unclear what their abilities in the film will be. According to Corvus Glaive, each Outrider is genetically engineered to be a devoted killing machine for the Black Order. The only thing that drives them is success, and nothing will stop them from completing their mission.

10 EASILY BEAT THE X-MEN

Professor Xavier may not have been around at the time, but the X-Men are still a strong team without him. With Wolverine at the head of the Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning, the X-Men defended their home from the villainous Black Order.

Instead of sending the entire team to take down the X-Men, it's only Corvus Glaive and Supergiant who attack the mutants. Despite the X-Men's strength, Supergiant says she considers only Iceman, who is a newly minted Omega level mutant, to be a threat and focuses on taking him down first. Even though Wolverine claims to be the best at what he does, Glaive had no problem impaling Logan to the ground with his giant blade. The only reason the X-Men aren't completely destroyed is because Thanos calls his lackeys away to attack another place instead of letting them stick around.

9 CORVUS GLAIVE'S IMMORTAL BLADE

The blade mentioned in the last entry to pin down Wolverine isn't a regular sword. In fact, Corvus Glaive's immortality is linked to his powerful, cosmic blade. The first member of Thanos' Black Order, Glaive has enhanced speed and strength and is an incredibly dangerous foe on the battlefield.

Additionally, he is immortal as long as his trusty blade remains in one piece. The blade is incredibly sharp and has been used against some of Marvel's finest superheroes. While it may be safer for him to keep the long sword hidden somewhere, he keeps the weapon with him at all times because he is overwhelmingly confident in his own abilities to take down anyone trying to challenge him. Only when the sword is broken, is Glaive finally vulnerable to be killed and taken off the field.

8 MAW TURNED THANE AGAINST THANOS

Ebony Maw's manipulative powers don't only work on Earth's finest heroes, they also work on cosmic juggernauts. After discovering Thane, Thanos' son, Maw slowly corrupts the young individual and teaches him how to harness his new-found abilities. Not only does this keep him on Thane's good side, it makes him appear like a friendly person who is there to help Thane succeed in the long-run.

Ultimately, Thane becomes more powerful than his father and the Black Order. Near the end of Infinity, Thane betrays his father's wishes and traps the Mad Titan and Proxima Midnight in an amber construct. If Thanos and his son ruled together, nothing could have stopped them from tearing through the galaxy without anything being able to stop their destructive path.

7 TAKING DOWN HULK

The Hulk is one of the few Marvel characters who Thanos himself fears fighting, but that doesn't mean the Jade Giant is completely invulnerable in a fight. In Infinity #6, as the Black Order continued their attack on Earth, the Hulk is the Avengers first line of defense.

After receiving a crushing blow from Thanos himself, the Hulk is forced to face a tag-team fight from Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, a married couple, and he is nearly killed. If Glaive wasn't such a cocky, taunting individual, he would have even succeded at slicing the Hulk's throat, but Captain America was able to interfere in time and save his fellow Avenger. Similarly, Midnight, who can generate the mass of a star, pins Hulk down and makes him useless on the battlefield until she is incapacitated.

6 EARTH DESTROYERS

After Namor feels betrayed by the Illuminati, he decides to turn to Thanos and the Black Order for help. The team is put to work destroying multiple versions of Earth in order to make an incursion less likely in the core Marvel Universe. While the work eventually drains Namor, he realizes that his new allies relish in the possibility to commit mass murder on such a scale.

In Avengers World #21, The Cabal even finds a planet where Namor tries to circumvent their brutal actions. Instead of allowing this action to slide, Thanos and the Black Order beat Namor for taking away an opportunity for them to shed some blood. Even outside of The Cabal, each member of the Black Order has savaged multiple planets around the Marvel Universe in the name of their ruler Thanos.

5 TOOK OUT SHURI

After Thanos and his Black Order destroyed and took over Wakanda during Infinity, the two Black Panthers, T'Challa and his sister Shuri secretly returned home in the hopes to reclaim it for their people. The two end up in a trap face-to-face with Maximus the Mad and Proxima Midnight. To provide her brother enough cover to flee, Shuri stays behind and ultimately sacrifices herself fighting Midnight to ensure T'Challa could escape.

Letitia Wright's version of the character may differ from her comic counter-part, namely that she's not a Black Panther yet, but she is still set to appear in Infinity War. While it's unlikely the new fan-favorite character will meet her end in the cinematic universe, she will probably play a key role in defending Wakanda from the Black Order.

4 GLAIVE TAKES THE THRONE

When Thanos steps away, that doesn't mean the rest of the Black Order are content to seize their murderous activities. Corvus Glaive has no problem stepping up to fill the hole Thanos left in the Universe, and he plots to build a new empire. With his own Black Order, Glaive seats himself on Thanos' throne and rules as a new immortal dictator.

It's only when Thanos returns to reclaim his throne does the Mad Titan make his dominance over Glaive clear. Thanos breaks Glaive's blade, effectively cancelling Glaive's immortal abilities, making it a much easier battle for Thanos to return to his spot at the top of the Universe. While Thanos may have been able to take Glaive down, it's clear that he can't really control the Black Order and can only depend on them when their goals align.

3 PROXIMA MAKES NAMOR KNEEL

Before Namor joined forces with the Black Order and travelled the muti-verse looking for Earths to destroy, he was still a prideful King trying to do what is best for his people. After the Wakandan forces smashed Atlantis, Namor was at a low-point and searching for a way to strike back at King T'Challa.

After Proxima Midnight arrives in Atlantis, she has no problem making the prideful King get on his knees. Instead of settling his own problems himself, he quickly and happily informs Midnight that Wakanda is the location of the final Infinity Gem, ensuring that Thanos and his forces would attack the African nation. While it may seem like Namor is gaining the upper hand over his rival, he is actually attaching himself to a much darker force than he ever imagined and he eventually regrets his decision.

2 GLAIVE ORDERS GUARDS TO OFF THEMSELVES

Just because the Black Order arrives on a planet that doesn't mean the inhabitants will peacefully turn themselves over. While the different members of the villainous group are all powerful enough to fight numerous heroes at once, sometimes they prefer to toy with their prey instead of directly and immediately attack them.

After Thanos turned his eye on the Inhumans, Corvus Glaive took off to try and take over Attilan without bringing in the Mad Titan. Calling himself one of the five, a reference to his place within the Black Order, he insists that he and his followers do not fear the potential death that comes with attacking the Inhumans home. In an attempt to intimidate Black Bold and Medusa, Corvus has his guards kill themselves in the throne room.

1 POWER HUNGRY

The Black Order may serve Thanos, but that doesn't mean every member isn't there mostly to suit their own personal interests. As individuals, the members of the Black Order can't stand up to Thanos, but as a group they are a powerful group composed of individuals who all have similar goals of control. To serve alongside someone happily destroying the universe means accepting the fact that their own family or people they care about will likely perish, and yet every member of the Black Order continually fights without objection.

Additionally, the alien menaces in this villainous group have a blood-lust that knows no bounds. Not only do they help Thanos search for new planets to take over, but they traveled the multiverse to destroy other Earths for fun before Incursions wiped them out.