We've heard a lot of talk from folks like Kevin Feige and James Gunn about why Josh Brolin is the perfect choice to bring Thanos to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And now, we're hearing even more from the actor himself.

Brolin opened up about playing the Mad Titan in a lengthy interview with IGN Movies, discussing what drew him to the role, and his fascination with Thanos' relationship with Death, the embodiment of death in the Marvel Universe.

"His relationship with Death, who is actually the woman, I love that," Brolin told IGN. "You can take Sin City [in which Brolin plays a man obsessed with a dark-hearted woman] and pump it full of steroids, and then you have Thanos. I like that he's motivated by that -- not just motivated by destruction or death or this or that. He's motivated by a very identifiable, human trait."

Brolin said he was drawn to Thanos through his friendship with Marvel Studios Co-President Louis D'Esposito, who then introduced him to Kevin Feige.

"But there's something about them that's so insular and so geeky and so real. I loved it -- because I've turned down a lot of those types of movies. Not Marvel, but I've turned down a lot of those types of movies," he said. "I love it, because those guys are absolutely saturated with that world, and they love story."

The actor looked back on appearing at Comic-Con International in front of a crowd of thousands, saying the moment he stepped on stage was when he felt most connected to Thanos.

"Once I got on stage, it sort of became its own improv," he said. "I knew at that point, because I saw the rivalry between Robert [Downey Jr.] and I, and I thought, 'I get this. I suddenly really get it.' So I feel like I'm more inside it than I was. It was more a display to me before that. It was more cosmetic. Now I think I'm starting to get who the guy is a little bit."

As for when we can expect to see Thanos next, Brolin was tight-lipped, though it's clear he knows where the character is headed.

"I know what one appearance is going to be for sure," he teased. "There's one or two that I don't know."

Until then, you can see Brolin as Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy, in theaters now.