Thanos is easily the most important villain within the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. There have been a few that could stand next to him, but for the most part many of the MCU villains have been easily thrown away if needed. Whereas with Thanos, it was clear that he needed to be on an entirely separate level. Combined with his emotional back story with his two daughters Gamora and Nebula, the MCU has cemented him as one of the most understandable antagonists that the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy have faced off against.
But he wasn’t on his own in his quest to find all of the Infinity Stones, he was backed up by his own group of fighters, the Black Order. And although the Black Order (or the Children of Thanos as they're called in the film) are a relatively recent addition to the Marvel Universe, coming to life in 2013, they still managed to be a set of worthy opponents for the Avengers. Some things the Russo Brothers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely got completely correct, whilst other elements of these characters didn’t make the cut. Here’s eight things they got right about Thanos and the Black Order, as well as seven they got wrong.
WARNING: Spoilers for Infinity War ahead!
15 WRONG: BLACK DWARF’S SPEECH
Or rather, the lack of any speech from the hulking member of the Black Order. When he’s first introduced onboard the Sanctuary II he’s just an imposing figure. But once he travels to Earth with Ebony Maw, it’s very clear that he’s all muscle and no brain. Ebony Maw orders him around like the hired help rather than as a team mate. He’s simply ordered around by the others and barely speaks. He might grumble the occasional word but he doesn’t speak in full sentences apart from roaring.
It’s a shame since in the comics he’s depicted as a genuinely intelligent tactician.
And in the comics when he assaults Wakanda, there is a moment where it looks like he might actually succeed by himself. Unfortunately for Black Dwarf, the Wakandans fought a fierce fight and he was pushed back, and since failure isn’t something Thanos takes lightly, he was expelled from the Black Order. Whereas during Infinity War, he’s simply a large villain that destroys a lot, which is disappointing given that the potential for his character was definitely there. It would’ve been a nice twist on the usual stereotype if the big hulking monster was the incredibly intelligent member of the team.
14 RIGHT: THANOS’ ARMOR
Before his major role during Avengers: Infinity War, we’ve seen Thanos on a couple of occasions wearing the typical armor that’s pulled straight from the comics. But we’ve never been given it in such glorious fashion like when it’s shown off during the beginning of the film on Sanctuary II and in the flashback to Gamora’s homeworld. Largely, the armor as it’s seen in Guardians of the Galaxy and the Age of Ultron post-credits is relatively similar to the comics, whereas the Infinity War armor takes some liberties but it enhances Thanos’ visual image as a war lord.
The helmet features a similar design, but the cheek/jaw guard is a lot more prominent -- this is Thanos completely ready to do battle if he needs to. But it’s the shoulder plate that really makes him look intimidating. And although his previous outfit did have large shoulder armor, this current war lord look truly cements him as a vicious despot. And although he does take the bulk of it off for his spiritual journey through collecting the Stones, that first time he appears in all the gold/purple splendor is definitely impressive and intimidating. We’re beginning to sound like Ebony Maw, aren’t we?
13 WRONG: MISSING IN ACTION
Fans of the Black Order will realize that there is a core member of the team missing from Avengers: Infinity War, and spoiler alert: she never makes an appearance whatsoever. Supergiant, ironically, is not a giant. She’s a parasitic telepath with a mental instability which makes her a wildcard on the team. Her telepathic powers mean she can control people’s minds how she sees fit, but she also craves to feed off people’s intellect. Her parasitic nature means she lives off devouring or stealing minds.
Whilst the rest of the group might be intimidating, being killed by Supergiant is actually terrifying.
And although the team shown during Infinity War were a fully functioning assault force, having a parasitic member fighting the Avengers could have been even more deadly. That way, it would’ve allowed the Russo Brothers to kill off some of the team away from the iconic ‘Snap’ moment. Especially since the resurrected psionic version of Supergiant is able to phase through things similar to the Vision -- a fight between the two of them would be fascinating to watch. But unfortunately, she was benched. Maybe during Avengers 4 Thanos assembles a second version of the Black Order with Supergiant involved? Who knows.
12 RIGHT: EBONY MAW AND DOCTOR STRANGE
During the 2013 “Infinity” crossover event, Thanos scoured the galaxy looking for his son, Thane, under the guise of a cleansing. He forced every planet to sacrifice the heads of their younglings as a tribute to him. However, he was unsuccessful in finding Thane until he visited Earth. Ebony Maw took control of Doctor Strange and turned him into a double agent simply by whispering in his ear. The Sorcerer Supreme found Thane in Greenland, and was even convinced to release a demon, Shuma Gorath.
The scene in which Maw takes control of Stephen Strange in New Avengers #9 is translated terrifyingly onto the screen in which Ebony Maw tortures Doctor Strange with a number of mentally-controlled shards in order for him to release his hold of the Time Stone. And although it’s not exactly comic-accurate, it pulled the dynamic between the two on-screen perfectly. And although Ebony Maw was shot into space, the Time Stone might mean he could return in future films. In which case, we wouldn’t be surprised if he meddled with Doctor Strange’s mind without him knowing about it. Could the Sorcerer Supreme wind up being a double agent for Thanos and the Black Order if the Time Stone is used to go back to the past?
11 WRONG: CORVUS GLAIVE’S DEATH
Towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s clear that Corvus Glaive and Vision are each other’s primary antagonists, with Corvus attempting to wrench the Mind Stone out of Vision’s forehead on occasion. But ultimately, after a brief tumble out of Shuri’s lab in Wakanda, Vision and Steve Rogers manage to overpower Corvus with Vision stabbing the villain with his own blade. There’s a poetic sense of irony there, being murdered by weapon he used to murder others. But his major death in the comics is very different, with a lot more weight to it.
After the end of "Secret Wars" everyone is returned to their rightful place, but Thanos is missing.
So to fill the void, Corvus forms his own version of the Black Order and begins assaulting a number of worlds. But when Thanos returns, he’s filled with rage at the thought of someone filling his place in the universe, and the two begin a vicious fight to the death. And after Thanos shatters Corvus’ weapon, the now defeated villain realizes that Thanos will kill him in any number of cruel ways. He takes the broken pieces of the blade and kills himself to avoid a painful demise.
10 RIGHT: THREADED AND CUBED
Right before Gamora is taken by Thanos after he tricks her into thinking she’s actually stopped him, he quickly dispatches Drax and Mantis before either of them can become a threat to him. Thanos transforms Mantis into a string of ribbons, and Drax’s body falls to the floor, splitting into cubes as he hits the floor. The Mad Titan is able to do so because he has the Reality Stone, aka the Aether. This was given to the Collector at the end of Thor: The Dark World by Volstagg and Sif. This scene where he stops Mantis and Drax is pulled straight from the comics.
When Thanos begins to ‘improvise’ with his newfound powers, he stops Nebula and Starfox in their tracks by completely transforming them. Nebula is unraveled into a heap of ribbons, as Mantis then does during Infinity War. Whereas Starfox is the one separated into a heap of cubes. Luckily, Drax and Mantis were able to put themselves back together, but it still managed to explain to the audience just how powerful Thanos was even before he had all of the Stones. It’s a shame he doesn’t make more use of it later down the line during his fights.
9 WRONG: EBONY MAW
One of the most interesting characters within Infinity War was easily Ebony Maw. Right from the beginning of the film he taunts the soon-to-be victims of Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones that it’s an honor to be murdered by him. He even claims that it’s glorious, as if there’s some kind of religious aspect to this quest that Thanos is on, when really it’s just genocide. Maw’s role during Infinity War is a step away from his scheming nature within the comics. Here, he’s depicted as Thanos’ announcer, his emissary and his hype man.
And although it was intimidating and it worked within the MCU, it felt like a disservice to Ebony Maw.
In the comics, he’s much more terrifying and intimidating largely because his allegiances shift internally once he realizes he can better from a situation away from the team. Take how he decided to put more effort into Thane (Thanos’ son) because he could be a better weapon than Thanos could ever be. Whereas the MCU version is so devoted to the Mad Titan he’d never be able to betray his lord and master. And although it’s good to have some variation so that fans don’t always know what to expect, there was never a moment where we thought that Ebony Maw could be his own agent of chaos, his life revolves around Thanos.
8 RIGHT: WAKANDA
So when Black Dwarf and the rest of the Black Order make their attempt at taking Wakanda and killing the Vision to get the Mind Stone, they didn’t count on the Wakandan forces being as powerful as they were. Plus, the Avengers were on hand to fight off the Outriders as the animalistic army also caused a huge distraction whilst Corvus went for the Vision’s Mind Stone. But ultimately, the Black Order and the Outriders failed in capturing Wakanda for Thanos. Funnily enough, this mirrored similar events during the 2013 “Infinity” storyline.
Black Dwarf was dispatched to Wakanda so that Thanos and the rest of the Black Order could use the city state as a staging ground for the attack on Earth whilst secretly looking for Thanos’ son Thane. But when he reached the city and attacked Black Panther, he was surprised to find that they were more than well equipped to fight the hulking alien off. He retreated back to Thanos, and was kicked out of the Black Order for disappointing the Mad Titan. Eventually, Thanos brought him back onto the team, but Infinity War does mirror this. The Black Order fail in capturing Wakanda, and Black Dwarf is killed in the fight.
7 WRONG: CORVUS GLAIVE’S BLADE
One of the most underrated but brutal moments during Infinity War was seeing Corvus Glaive murder several Asgardians at the beginning of the film onboard the Asgardian ship. He just stabs the survivors to finish them off. He can be spotted in the background of the Gamora flashback doing exactly the same after the ‘cleansing’, but his blade is a lot more important in the comics, since it means he can never actually die. It’s never once discussed or even vaguely referenced in the film, but Corvus Glaive is immortal thanks to his own weapon.
As long as the blade remains unbroken, Corvus can be revived from even the worst states of death.
He was once completely vaporized by Hyperion and he still managed to be resurrected thanks to the blade. Although at one time his remains were encased in an amber construct, and he was only able to regenerate once Maximus the Mad drilled into it and let air flow into the amber. He was very quickly able to make a comeback once that happened. But where was that explanation during Infinity War? He could still be resurrected since Vision didn’t destroy his blade. If they bring him back in a future film, it might look like an after-thought.
6 RIGHT: THANOS AND NEBULA
Nebula has one of the most interesting character arcs alongside Thanos during the 1992 event “The Infinity Gauntlet” by Jim Starlin. Thanos places her in a permanent state of living death to torture her. He does this because he was disgusted that she held any sort of public perception of being related to him. He forcefully takes his ship from her, and transforms her into a zombie, unable to live but unable to die either. Instead she’s stuck in a horrific form of limbo as Thanos boasts that she’s his greatest creation. But once Thanos left his body alone as he became one with the Universe, she took the Gauntlet from him and saved herself.
Whilst Avengers: Infinity War doesn’t see Nebula wielding the Gauntlet, it does see a form of her ‘living death’. When Gamora is onboard Thanos’ ship, Thanos shows her what he’s done to Nebula. At first it looks like she’s just suspended mid-air. Unfortunately, her body has been separated piece by piece, still connected but she’s not quite alive or dead. That is until Thanos pulls all of her cybernetic parts and stretches them, torturing her. It’s an incredibly intense scene that no doubt put audiences on the edge of their seats. To say this is a Disney film, it’s a very bold move to include a version of ‘living death’ into it.
5 WRONG: PROXIMA MIDNIGHT
Whilst Carrie Coon brought Proxima Midnight to life, she doesn’t look exactly how she does when she debuted back in 2013. To start with, she’s missing the blue skin. And although the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Proxima does have some blue war paint on her face, it’s very much a minor detail rather than her natural skin tone. Maybe the Russo Brothers didn’t want audiences to confuse her with the Kree that have previously appeared on multiple occasions throughout the cosmic side of the MCU.
But this wasn’t the only detail missing from one of the key members of the Black Order.
She was also missing her iconic helmet. It has an open mouth piece alongside a strange halo design with two large wing tips. The comics version almost looks like a chunky version of Hela’s headdress. It has a near ceremonial vibe to it, as if she’s part of a religion. But the MCU simply gives her two horns rather than the full helmet and this also shows off her slicked back blue hair. Maybe Carrie Coon wasn’t happy with wearing a full helmet, maybe it was the MCU attempting to be more practical. She still looked intimidating, but it was a shame we didn’t get to see her full helmet.
4 RIGHT: FARMER THANOS
During “The Infinity Gauntlet”, Thanos actually succeeds in his plans of wiping out half the life in the universe to please Mistress Death, but ends up being disrupted by Nebula once she’s taken the Gauntlet for herself. And once the entire universe has been re-made, destroyed and saved again by Nebula, Thanos and Adam Warlock, Warlock is the only one left with the Gauntlet. But Warlock decides to visit Thanos 60 days into the future to see if the absence of power has corrupted him or if he’s living a peaceful life. Surprisingly, he’s living a calm life on a simple planet -- farming the land. Farmer Thanos. Wow.
Well, Avengers: Infinity War actually adopts part of this ending into the finale of the film. After the dramatic moment that affects the entire universe, Thanos disappears and awakens in a hut on a planet that seems incredibly peaceful. And although he might be weary from battle and the Gauntlet is eviscerated, Thanos seems content with his actions and succeeding in his plan to assemble the Infinity Stones. But this makes his iconic moment even more dramatic knowing that he’s actually happy afterwards. It’s certainly one way of getting the audience to really hate the villain going forward in the MCU.
3 WRONG: THANOS’ MOTIVATIONS
Before anybody gets angry, we’re not critiquing Thanos’ story arc throughout Infinity War, because that was nothing short of impressive. The Russo Brothers, Christopher Markus Stephen McFeely managed to make his motivations somewhat understandable. And they’re completely different from the comics, but this is actually for the best. Because whilst Avengers: Infinity War crafted Thanos into a villain with motivations that made sense, his comics counterpart was only interested in one thing, wooing the living entity of Death. And no, that’s not a joke.
During “The Infinity Gauntlet” Thanos has ambitions to show his true affections for Mistress Death by offering her a monumental sacrifice.
And he decides that killing half the life in the universe would really show her what she means to him. Surely some flowers or blasting a boombox outside her window could’ve done the same thing, Thanos? Whereas during Infinity War, he’s doing so because he truly feels that the universe is overpopulated and that everyone consumes too much, decimating many planets over the course of decades. Overpopulation will always be a topic of conversation in the real world, and that’s how the MCU made Thanos a little more understandable. Adding Mistress Death into the mix would’ve been wild, although they could’ve had him fall in love with Hela, the Goddess of Death…
2 RIGHT: THE SNAP
Obviously, we have to talk about the film’s iconic moment. If you’ve made it this far into the list without seeing Avengers: Infinity War, you’ve had plenty spoilt for you already, so no complaints. Once Thanos assembles most of the Infinity Gauntlet, he heads to Earth, kills Vision again to steal the Mind Stone and finishes his collection. Thor manages to hurl his Stormbreaker axe into Thanos’ chest, but this isn’t the killing stroke. Thanos snaps his fingers and with that, half the life in the universe is snuffed out, and many of the heroes disintegrate into ashes. It’s a heartbreaking moment.
But the ‘Snap’ moment is straight from “The Infinity Gauntlet”, and although the circumstances are different, there’s still a huge focus on Thanos being able to kill trillions of beings within a single instant. In the comics, Thanos raises his hand and builds suspense before doing so. Whereas in the film there is a definite sense of urgency so that Thor doesn’t wind up killing him before he can achieve his goal. It’s incredible that Marvel actually went ahead with the plot point, even though some of the heroes will obviously return. How long is that Avengers 4 wait again?
1 WRONG: PROXIMA MIDNIGHT’S SPEAR
Proxima Midnight is definitely a worthy opponent for the Avengers across the course of Infinity War, but her spear is an extremely powerful weapon crafted by Thanos himself, and none of it made it into the film. Thanos used a star that was stuck inside of a quantum singularity to forge Proxima Midnight’s weapon. And because of this, it had a number of unique properties that made it incredibly deadly for those it was used against. Using the Star it was made from, it could achieve infinite mass. This means if the spear finds its target, they’ll be stuck underneath its weight.
It also carried with it a poisonous form of energy that is deadly for anyone hit by it, which in itself is pretty intimidating.
But the final fact should shock every one. The spear itself was once able to turn the Hulk back into Bruce Banner after he was hit by it once. Just let that sink in for a moment: it’s powerful enough to force the Hulk to revert back into puny Banner. But did any of that translate into Infinity War? Not really. Sure, there was the cool moment where Steve caught the spear, but that was the only moment it carried any weight.