Thanos has been a pivotal figure in the Marvel Universe for years. During his tenure, he's occupied many roles. He has been a tyrant, an advocate, a cosmic god, a father and even a helicopter pilot. His tenacity and ability to evolve, refine and execute his schemes have positioned him as one of the most feared villains of all time. The Mad Titan's razed worlds and even universes, believing that he always knows best. So, why isn't Thanos always on top? It's hard to carry out so many machinations without encountering some obstacles and even the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. But Thanos is no mouse, nor is he a simple man, he is the Mad Titan. Though he's tasted some crushing defeats, he is never down for long, speaking to his unparalleled stubbornness.
Though stopped on many occasions by heroes or other beings who oppose his agendas, Thanos gets results. The reason he is such a credible threat to the cosmos is because he is ruthless and efficient. Bending entire worlds to his whim, challenging the laws governing reality itself and snuffing out planets throughout the multiverse, Thanos does not play around. Motivated by his unrelenting need to impress Mistress Death, Thanos plies his trade in fatality. We're going to look into his most crushing defeats, the obstacles on his road to infamy. We're also going to look at Thanos' greatest triumphs, moments that cemented him as the maven of mayhem we know him to be. Unfortunately, we won't be covering him getting his helicopter pilot's license but well done regardless, Thanos!
20 DEFEAT: DRAX
It stands to reason that a being created specifically to defeat Thanos would eventually be successful. In fact, there have been several instances where Drax has bested the Mad Titan However, Drax's win/loss record against Thanos is not as good as you'd think.
Though Thanos has managed to fend off Drax and even defeat his foe in kind, he can't hold him off forever. On one occasion, Drax succeeded in his ultimate goal, stopping Thanos by removing his heart from his body. The only issue with that is the fact that Thanos was about to free Galactus in order to stop Annihilus. This spoke to the utter contempt Drax has for Thanos, putting defeat of his nemesis above the safety of the entire universe.
19 TRIUMPH: COMPLETING THE INFINITY GAUNTLET
Thanos has acquired a number of powerful artifacts from all corners of the Marvel Universe; perhaps the most famous being the Infinity Gauntlet, and the Infinity Stones that occupy it. Thanos has successfully amassed the stones in several universes, even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Snuffing out entire worlds, deceiving others and even sacrificing those closest to him, Thanos has done all he can to complete the gauntlet. We saw in Infinity War that the acquisition of the stones had him pay a price that weighed heavily upon him. Regardless, he completed what he set out to do, as Thanos commonly does.
18 DEFEAT: GAMORA
Gamora is the deadliest women in the universe. The reason she is so formidable in combat is that Thanos has trained her to be just that. So, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that she could defeat Thanos. In fact, she's successfully accomplished the insane feat within the pages of 2018's Infinity Wars.
Due to the forced rivalry with her sister Nebula and the trial by fire that was her upbringing, Gamora holds a deep resentment for her adopted father. Using the Power Stone, Gamora has a sword forged that she could use to go on a crusade for the Infinity Stones. One of the first things she did with the sword was end her father's life by removing his head.
17 TRIUMPH: CONQUERING THE CHITAURI
Thanos is a scary adversary on his own, being extremely powerful at his base form. Without any additional cosmic items of power, however, he cannot be everywhere at once. He's had various lackeys and been party to several powerful organizations. Be it The Cabal, The Black Order or even the Infinity Watch, Thanos can play nice with others when it suits his agenda.
These temporary friends are able to act on his behalf; dividing and conquering is the usual plan for Thanos and his allies. In order to give himself more manpower, Thanos conquered the Chitauri. Having an entire alien race at his beck and call adds yet another dangerous layer to the Mad Titan's power.
16 DEFEAT: NOVA, STAR-LORD & THE REVENGERS
There was a time when Thanos aligned with all of the heroes of the cosmos to try and mend a tear in space itself. This tear led to an alternate dimension known as the Cancerverse. In the Cancerverse, death itself has perished. In its place, a parasitic eldritch horror ensures that life goes on forever. To seal the tear, Nova, Star-Lord and Thanos had to cross over to this universe with the Cosmic Cube.
Trapped there, the two heroes turned on Thanos, knowing they could not let him obtain the cube. To top it all off, a horrific reflection of the Avengers, known as the Revengers, arrived to try and acquire the cube also. All parties were defeated over and over again, cursed to return each time until Nova merged with the cube to free his friend Star-Lord from this fate.
15 TRIUMPH: THANOS WINS
In the far future of the universe, Thanos has achieved a lot. He's defeated some of the most powerful adversaries the cosmos has to offer. He has also managed to imprison the Hulk and use him as his personal guard dog. He even lives long enough to see Frank Castle become Cosmic Ghost Rider.
The problem with this is that life is now incredibly boring for the self-proclaimed King Thanos. What more is there to do when you've toppled the likes of Galactus and a newly "worthy" Silver Surfer (carrying Mjolnir) leading an Annihilation Wave? It was a triumph to be sure, but a bittersweet existence thereafter.
14 DEFEAT: DR. DOOM
If there is one person who can match Thanos in both ambition and size of ego, it's Dr. Doom. Both of these individuals have a knack for building grand designs and seeing them through. Thanos takes the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, Doom steals the power of the Beyonders -- they walk similar paths.
In the instance where Doom took the power of the Beyonders, he ascended to unparalleled cosmic godhood. When Thanos appeared on Battleworld to challenge him, it did not go well for the Mad Titan. Though he showed his token bravado and showed no fear in the face of God-Doom, he was defeated easily. Doom turned him to dust, leaving nothing but a skull attached to a spine.
13 TRIUMPH: REMOVING HIS HEIRS
In recent events, during Infinity Wars, the heir to Thanos' legacy is shaping up to be his adopted daughter Gamora. However, though he doesn't often disclose his personal dealings, Thanos gets around quite a bit. This was shown when he set out on the grand task of removing all of his biological heirs from the known universe. With the help of his Black Order, Thanos sought to remove all genetic traces of his line.
He even used the events of Infinity, while the Avengers were off-world, to try and end his son Thane. Thane was hiding in an Inhuman colony, unaware of his bloodline. He was able to escape when Thanos was betrayed by Ebony Maw. Later, Thanos would catch up with his wayward son, sealing his fate by burying him at the bottom of the God Quarry, even though his progeny was imbued with the power of the Phoenix force!
12 DEFEAT: ADAM WARLOCK
Thanos and Adam Warlock are two sides of the same coin. One is an advocate of chaos while the other is an advocate of order; one is life, the other death. Though Adam's intentions are good, his way of total order is still harmful to the galaxy. This is why he gave up his own claim to the Infinity Gauntlet. Knowing the dangers of Thanos, Adam was instrumental in his defeat in the original Infinity Gauntlet.
It would seem that the allies of Adam suffered defeat at the hands of Thanos, this was not the case. Adam orchestrated each of the steps, down to the exact moment Silver Surfer would intervene and play his part. Even when the gauntlet was stolen by Nebula, he manipulated the artifact from inside the Soul Stone, allowing him to confiscate it.
11 TRIUMPH: WIELDING THE HEART OF THE UNIVERSE
Thanos' possession of immense power is nothing new, but the Infinity Gauntlet was not his peak. He got his taste of real ultimate power when he found himself in possession of the Heart of the Universe. In Marvel: The End, its previous owner was corrupted by the power and wiped out a large portion of Earth's heroes.
In a rare display of heroics, Thanos assembled the last of the heroes and led them in a battle against the threat. Destroying the machinery used to siphon the heart's powers, Thanos was able to absorb it himself. Instead of simply having the power to manipulate the universe, he became one with the universe.
10 DEFEAT: HIMSELF
During the events of "Thanos Wins" we are presented with an almost entirely victorious King Thanos. His conquests and battles across the universe have left him the most powerful figure in the galaxy. His final hurdles in his grand scheme to impress Mistress Death include Silver Surfer and himself. That's right, himself!
He manipulates time to bring present day Thanos to the far future to seemingly help him stop the Surfer. Once they dispatch the Silver Surfer, King Thanos reveals that there is only one more person to end to please Death. The two versions of Thanos duel, but in the end, present Thanos is disgusted by King Thanos' willingness to give up life for his love. He defeats him, but refuses to end his life.
9 TRIUMPH: DEFEATING GALACTUS
Most beings in the galaxy fear the coming of Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds is often heralded by his cosmic assistants and most take that as a sign of the end before the genuine article himself appears. Thanos has no such fear, having bested Galactus on more than one occasion.
During Infinity War, Galactus fell to the Mad Titan alongside several powerful beings. Most recently we saw a future version of Thanos easily defeat Galactus by blasting his head off. He had arrived heralded by Frank Castle, the Cosmic Ghost Rider. Frank didn't quite get the vengeance on Thanos he was looking for and actually ended up befriending Thanos.
8 DEFEAT: THE AVENGERS
Naturally, being an enemy of the Avengers means that Thanos and Earth's Mightiest Heroes have locked horns a lot. Whenever Thanos threatens the galaxy, the Avengers are often the first to answer the call. Unfortunately for the heroes, stopping a threat of Thanos' magnitude often comes with a price. We saw the Avengers pay the price most recently in the MCU's Infinity War.
During Civil War II, Carol Danvers was able to use the precognitive powers of the Inhuman Ulysses to predict a plot by Thanos unfolding on the moon. The Avengers were able to intervene in time, defeating Thanos, but it would cost the life of War Machine.
7 TRIUMPH: THE SNAP
The snap has enjoyed a universal infamy since being enacted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though Thanos is often a nuisance to just about all life in the galaxy, he is committed to balance across it. His methodology is extremely haphazard as his idea of balance is very wrong.
His ultimate goal throughout his stint within the MCU -- all of the Mad Titan's planning, scheming and sacrifice -- led up to the snap. With one click of his fingers, 50 percent of life in the galaxy was wiped out, achieving Thanos' misguided sense of balance. The triumph may be temporary, however, as the remaining Avengers will not let the snap go unanswered.
6 DEFEAT: THE ULTIMATES
The Ultimates are quite accomplished and very powerful. The team, comprised of Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Blue Marvel, America Chavez and Spectrum, are dedicated to fixing problems inside and sometimes outside of the universe.
They even set about a chain of events that evolved Galactus into his next/original form as a creator of worlds rather than a devourer. With Thanos being a big problem for the universe, The Ultimates came into conflict with him several times. One time in Ultimates #11, the team found a way to shut down Thanos' brain (masterminded by T'Challa) to cut a confrontation with him short.
5 TRIUMPH: THE COSMIC PANTHEON
While in the possession of the completed Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos defeated many enemies. When he had finished dealing with the mortal heroes of the universe, he set his sights on the cosmos itself, and the living avatars thereof! Not only did Thanos plan to defeat them, he took steps to supplant them by bending time and space to his will.
Thanos traded blows with the entire cosmic pantheon with his oppressive power. He struck down the likes of Eternity, Master Order and Lord Chaos as he ran roughshod through the very concepts governing reality. Eventually he surrendered his physical form to replace them, completing their utter defeat.
4 DEFEAT: SQUIRREL GIRL
Thanos' defeat at the hands of Squirrel Girl is famously one of the low points in Thanos' illustrious career. The herculean feat of besting Thanos contributes to the moniker "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl" that Doreen Green currently enjoys. Her ability to coordinate squirrels doesn't seem like it would be too powerful, but never judge a book by its cover!
The famous defeat happened in a story entitled "Days of X-Mas Past" and shows a victorious Squirrel Girl over a slumped Thanos. The Watcher, observing the bout, confirms that it is indeed the real Thanos who has been taken out by Doreen. The Watcher looks just as shocked as anyone, too.
3 TRIUMPH: RESTORING THE UNIVERSE
Though you can usually find Thanos trying to bring the universe under his heel or manipulating its denizens, Thanos is sometimes an unlikely savior. Across several books including The Thanos Imperative and Annihilation, Thanos has tried to be a hero. Obviously, there are usually aspects of his own motives buried in his intentions, but it's the thought that counts.
When Thanos gained the Heart of the Universe, the events leading up to its acquisition did irreparable damage to reality. Thanos saw this damage with the omniscience he had gained and saw no way back. He subsequently sacrificed himself to restore the universe.
2 DEFEAT: THANE
Once upon a time, Thane was happily hidden among an Inhuman colony unaware of his legacy. It wasn't until he was shown his full potential by Ebony Maw that he began his descent. He would eventually take after his father in his lust for powerful artifacts and power sources. As such, Thane has used both the Celestial's Black Vortex and the Phoenix Force.
Before any of this, however, Thane defeated his father with a simple wave of his hand. One of Thane's powers is to crystallize others in an amber substance. Ebony Maw noted this was a fitting fate for Thanos, trapped in a state close to death but not quite there. Maw dubbed it a state of "undeath."
1 TRIUMPH: RAISING GAMORA
It has been a long time since Thanos took Gamora and raised her as his own. He raised her, honing her skills in combat so that she would one day be known as the deadliest woman in the galaxy. Though their strained relationship and Thanos' brutal methods drove a wedge between them, he had an undeniable hand in her development.
While Gamora has done everything in her power to separate herself from Thanos, fate often brings them back together. Though she ended Thanos recently in Infinity Wars, she's trending further to the alignment of her adopted father. She even used the Infinity Stones to fold the universe in half, a warped version of his finger snap that removed 50 percent of all life.