WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato's Infinity Wars Prime #1, on sale now.


While many Marvel readers are likely still reeling from that major, surprise death in Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato's Infinity Wars Prime #1, Thanos’ death is just one of the surprises contained in the issue. Thanos has been a mainstay of Marvel’s cosmic events since his introduction in 1973, and, as such, he has cut a wide, bloody swath through much the universe. Few cultures in Marvel Comics can say they have remained free of the Mad Titan’s influence, and the villain’s legacy will live on -- perhaps literally.

With the death of Thanos being such a major, pivotal moment in the issue, it’s easy to forget about Loki’s latest quest, which could very well change everything we know about Marvel Comics. In Infinity Wars Prime #1, Loki plots a course to the God Quarry, a crackling nexus guarded by the Coven, a trio of elder witches who feed on the souls of death gods. His mission is simple enough: He feels like someone is playing a grand, cosmic trick on him and he wants to find out what’s going on.

He really doesn’t know what he’s in for, though, because there’s a very good chance he will somehow play a part in a wholly different story -- releasing Marvel Comics’ next big bads. That new adversary may very well be a totally transformed Thane, the son of the Mad Titan.

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The crux of this theory is dependent on the destination. Dedicated Thanos readers will no doubt recall the God Quarry and the terrors that reside within. First introduced in Jeff Lemire and Mike Deodato's Thanos #8, the God Quarry is where deities go to die. The nexus at the edge of the universe played an important role in the series’ first arc, in which a ragtag group of adventurers plot to do the impossible -- kill Thanos.

Their story began when Thane was rendered powerless by the Coven and imprisoned by Corvus Glaive. At the behest of Death herself, Thane begins to amass a team to help him gather intel, with the end goal being the assassination of the recently returned Thanos. He recruits Nebula, Tryco Slatterus and Starfox to his side, but it turns out Thane’s plan was a ruse, a double-cross that gets him in the same room as the Phoenix Force. Thane fuses with the celestial entity and immediately goes about tearing the universe apart, but not before he rips away Thanos’ godly powers.

Thanos is left to wander Titan, his own homeworld he helped destroy, powerless and dying. Eventually, Nebula, Tryco Slatterus and Starfox deliver an ultimatum. He can come with them and help put down Thane, or he can stay on Titan and finally die. Thanos being Thanos, he chooses the former. But Thanos isn’t much of a threat without all the powers he has amassed over the years, so he forms a plan. In order to combat Thane, he needs to head to the God Quarry and get his powers back.

From there, things don’t go well for anyone except Thanos. The Mad Titan submits to the God Quarry’s trial, a test to determine if one really knows themselves. Those who pass the trial attain godhood and all the powers afforded by the God Quarry. Those who fail are forever encased in stone, forced to live in something between a pocket dimension and a living hell, depending on the person who has submitted to the trial. Thanos passes the test, becomes a god and defeats Thane. The Mad Titan’s last move is particularly cruel, though. Just has he’s about to leave, he drops Thane into the God Quarry, condemning his own son to the nexus’ grasp.

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That’s where Thane has remained since we last saw him in 2017. Thanos reasoned that he passed the God Quarry’s trial because he knows exactly who he is, warts and all. He posits that Thane will have a much harder time of things because he has never truly known who he is. For as cruel as the Mad Titan might be, he’s right. Thane was first introduced in New Avengers Vol. 3 #10 during the Infinity arc that saw Thanos’ Black Order descend on Earth in search of the conqueror’s offspring. Thane was whisked away by Ebony Maw just before the fight ended. In Thanos, Thane is once again being influenced by Ebony Maw before Death takes the wheel. Infinity Wars Prime has the potential to change all of that.

The biggest hint that this will be the case comes in the form of Loki perusing Flowa’s library, when he finds a book with the pages torn out. One of the remaining pages reveals the trickster god’s own face. Succumbing to his own self-adoration, the trickster gods spirals into curiosity. He questions Flowa about the original content of the text, but, having never read it, she knows little. “This was a tale about familial strife and a war of worlds,” Flowa says. It looks like Loki interprets that description as a reference to him and his often-tense relationship with the Asgardian gods, but it’s equally possible that Flowa’s words refer to another family -- Thane and Thanos.

It’s unclear exactly what role Thane might play in the coming Infinity War, but it’s almost certain the son of Thanos will factor into any trip to the God Quarry. If Thane is somehow able to wrench himself free of the quarry, then he would have all the power of the gods at his disposal. This could go a long way towards setting him up as the next big adversary in the Marvel Universe, and there would be no Thanos to stand in his way this time. In all fairness to Thane, though, it’s worth pointing out that his return might be a benevolent one. After all, he was a healer working with a secret Inhuman tribe before Thanos came calling. He might return to his roots if he emerges anew.

It all depends on what kind of reality the God Quarry has been inflicting on Thane for the past year and how might have warped -- or healed -- his mind. Our money is on warped, though.