Thanos = This Generation's Darth Vader

[Zarex]

That's not the point. The point is that the Thanos fought by the Avengers in Endgame wasn't the Thanos that Infinity War made us care about... he was the dude in a floating chair from GotG.

Imagine how lame it would've been if Darth Vader had been killed at the beginning of Return of the Jedi and replaced by a pre-Star Wars version of himself. That's what Marvel did with Thanos.

Well, yeah, but the Steve Rogers from 2023 was clearly a different fellow than the super earnest guy he fought in 2012. People, as well as giant purply space gods, change.

2014 Thanos was a brutal, bloodthirsty monster. He became a (somewhat) sympathetic character after sacrificing his daughter and removing his armor.

Thanos was kind (kinda) to Tony when readying the hammer - "I hope they remember you" . He was sympathetic to Wanda and not at all cruel to Vision. He was simply doing what had to be done. And while he could have wiped out everyone on Titan and in Wakanda with a thought, he kept the bloodshed to a minimum. And in 2019 Thanos had no fight left.

If you were expecting Infinity Gauntlet wielding, post sacrifice Thanos to visit beautiful upstate NY in Endgame you were kidding yourself.

Also, nobody was clamoring for the redeemed dad who betrayed the Emperor to save his son when DV appeared in Rogue One.

 

[Abudefduf]

And in 2019 Thanos had no fight left.

It is highly unlikely that Thanos wouldn't have tried to prevent the Avengers from undoing the Snap if he hadn't been killed.

But he did get killed, so he had to be replaced by Minor Character Thanos from the first Guardians. A bold move, but one that may have hurt his chances to become "this generation's Darth Vader".

 

[daddydivine]

Thanos is definitely the most qoutable villian I can remember. Literally every line he speaks can be used as some form of pop culture reference. The true test will be in the coming years.

"I hope they remember you."

 

[Yellow Cyclone]

Thanos is 100% this generation's vader, and it's not even close

The crossover appeal, all the lines, dialogue, memes, 50% concept, it's had tremendous staying power, before endgame even came out

I don't understand why anybody would think otherwise, there hasn't been a villain like this in a big blockbuster in a long time. One could argue ledger's joker, but that is just one take and we've already had a new joker and yet another one in the works as well.

 

[DarkKnight88]

The crossover appeal, all the lines, dialogue, memes, 50% concept, it's had tremendous staying power, before endgame even came out

One year isn’t “staying power”. Give it at least a decade.

And just like Joker, Thanos will get rebooted eventually too.

 

[TraditionalHero]

But he wasn't. He wasn't the Thanos who turned half the universe into dust. He wasn't the Thanos who threw his daughter off a cliff. He wasn't the Thanos who killed Loki, Heimdall and the Asgardians in front of Thor. He wasn't the Thanos who cruelly resurrected Vision only to kill him off again.

Endgame Thanos was the dude seen sitting on a floating chair in the first GotG.

It was the same Thanos. He hadn't committed those acts yet, but he was still going to.

Thanos in EG is even more crazed and has an even crazier end goal. Thanos in IW wanted to achieve his life's work and randomly rid the universe of half it's life. Thanos in EG is still that same person, only now he knows his plan is futile and won't work out the way he expects it to.

Thanos in IW was almost indifferent to his enemies. He didn't seem to hold a grudge against the Avengers, they were just pesky obstacles in his way. In EG it's personal. Not only does he want to take his plan even further and destroy the entire universe, he wants to hurt and kill the Avengers.

 

[Bayne]

One year isn’t “staying power”. Give it at least a decade.

And just like Joker, Thanos will get rebooted eventually too.

So will Darth Vader. Being rebooted eventually is meaningless. We still talk about Nicholson's Joker, despite Ledger's success and Leto's Joker didn't even make a blip on the radar compared to Ledger's. Phoenix's joker looks unlikely to unseat him either.

 

[DarkKnight88]

So will Darth Vader. Being rebooted eventually is meaningless. We still talk about Nicholson's Joker, despite Ledger's success and Leto's Joker didn't even make a blip on the radar compared to Ledger's. Phoenix's joker looks unlikely to unseat him either.

I agree it’s meaningless which is why I brought it up.

But to be fair, in 40 years, Darth Vader has not been rebooted. Just more backstory.

 

[Bayne]

I agree it’s meaningless which is why I brought it up.

But to be fair, in 40 years, Darth Vader has not been rebooted. Just more backstory.

Lucas never wanted to reboot his own work. But he's out of the picture now (and quite recently so). Disney chose the nostalgia angle for their opening salvo, but eventually, there will be a rebooted Star Wars with a rebooted Vader.

 

[Batmannerism]

I don't think Thanos will ever have the iconic status that Vader has - sure he's big now, but if he's still well known in 40 years I'll be impressed.

If anyone is this generation's Vader it's Voldemort ( and I don't like Harry Potter) for sheer menace and depth of villainy ( 8 films and a book series).

Having said all that Thanos is still a great villain and Endgame Thanos takes it to a new level - he was less brutal in IW, although throwing a moon at Tony was the height of badassery. In EG he's just so nasty but also convincingly deadly - it impressed me more than the moon throwing.

 

[Yellow Cyclone]

One year isn’t “staying power”. Give it at least a decade.

And just like Joker, Thanos will get rebooted eventually too.

0 chance thanos gets rebooted under feige, and 0 chance in the next 15-25 years
there are many joker stories

but there is THE thanos story and they told it

 

[The Endless]

Yea I dont think Thanos gets rebooted in my life time.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Of course it will.

 

[Iceman]

I don't think Thanos will ever have the iconic status that Vader has - sure he's big now, but if he's still well known in 40 years I'll be impressed.

If anyone is this generation's Vader it's Voldemort ( and I don't like Harry Potter) for sheer menace and depth of villainy ( 8 films and a book series).

Having said all that Thanos is still a great villain and Endgame Thanos takes it to a new level - he was less brutal in IW, although throwing a moon at Tony was the height of badassery. In EG he's just so nasty but also convincingly deadly - it impressed me more than the moon throwing.

I really don’t think it can be Voldemort unless everyone has been keeping quiet on him in all the debates I’ve read on and participated on in the subject. Maybe it’s like the films where people aren’t allowed to say his name?

 

[Batmannerism]

I really don’t think it can be Voldemort unless everyone has been keeping quiet on him in all the debates I’ve read on and participated on in the subject. Maybe it’s like the films where people aren’t allowed to say his name?

That if itself is pretty badass - that you can't even say his name for fear he'll come crawling out of it and kill you. Even his minions are ****ing terrified of him.

Voldemort is the one villain who stands out ( in the last 20 years) he's not only pretty scary but also exceptionally evil ( willing to murder and torture children) and he seems unbeatable for most of the Harry Potter series.

I don't like Harry Potter, but Voldemort cannot be underestimated as a villain IMO.

 

[metaphysician]

Eh, Voldemort is one of those villains whose reputation only holds up as long as you give not a single moment's thought to the story whatsoever. Then you realize that he established his fearsome reign by the brilliance of. . . street gang drive by shooting tactics. He's evil, sure, but his effectiveness largely derives from his world being rather spectacularly incompetent all around ( and kind of morally terrible in its own right, which really dilutes the evilness too ).

 

[DACrowe]

I think Thanos has earned his spot in cinema history. They stuck the landing and he'll be fondly recalled as a memorable comic book movie villain.

I still don't think he'll go down with great ones like either Nicholson or Ledger's Jokers, much less Darth Vader. I see him more on the tier of "memorable superhero movie villains" like Bane and Magneto that most folks remember but only fanboys quote and talk about a lot as the years go on. But I guess we will see how time treats him.

 

[DACrowe]

Yea I dont think Thanos gets rebooted in my life time.

Many said the same thing about The Joker.

 

[I Am The Knight]

I think Thanos has earned his spot in cinema history. They stuck the landing and he'll be fondly recalled as a memorable comic book movie villain.

I still don't think he'll go down with great ones like either Nicholson or Ledger's Jokers, much less Darth Vader. I see him more on the tier of "memorable superhero movie villains" like Bane and Magneto that most folks remember but only fanboys quote and talk about a lot as the years go on. But I guess we will see how time treats him.

Nah, I think Thanos will be remembered by the GA. He is too big. Bane and Magneto were never this big.

 

[Infinity9999x]

I think Thanos has earned his spot in cinema history. They stuck the landing and he'll be fondly recalled as a memorable comic book movie villain.

I still don't think he'll go down with great ones like either Nicholson or Ledger's Jokers, much less Darth Vader. I see him more on the tier of "memorable superhero movie villains" like Bane and Magneto that most folks remember but only fanboys quote and talk about a lot as the years go on. But I guess we will see how time treats him.

He's definitely going to have a bigger pop culture footprint than Bane or Magneto. The films featuring him are some of the top grossing of all time. Honestly, he's most likely easily going to be remembered better than Nicholson's Joker.

Don't get me wrong, I love Jack, but when I was in high school during BB and TDK coming out, most of my classmates didn't even remember B89. And that's only going to continue. And Ledger's brilliance as Joker has further pushed Jack's to the back of the conversation.

 

[The Endless]

I think Thanos has earned his spot in cinema history. They stuck the landing and he'll be fondly recalled as a memorable comic book movie villain.

I still don't think he'll go down with great ones like either Nicholson or Ledger's Jokers, much less Darth Vader. I see him more on the tier of "memorable superhero movie villains" like Bane and Magneto that most folks remember but only fanboys quote and talk about a lot as the years go on. But I guess we will see how time treats him.

Yea but I'm 87 years old.

 

[metaphysician]

I wouldn't actually count out Magneto long term. Sure, his movies haven't necessarily been as good, but he's been in a *lot* of them.

 

[TraditionalHero]

He's definitely going to have a bigger pop culture footprint than Bane or Magneto. The films featuring him are some of the top grossing of all time. Honestly, he's most likely easily going to be remembered better than Nicholson's Joker.

Don't get me wrong, I love Jack, but when I was in high school during BB and TDK coming out, most of my classmates didn't even remember B89. And that's only going to continue. And Ledger's brilliance as Joker has further pushed Jack's to the back of the conversation.

I suppose it's possible just by virtue of him being present in so many popular movies, but imo Bane is still a more memorable character. Thanos isn't really all that much of a distinct villain. Brolin really brings him to life and makes him cool but he's still quite generic in the big scheme of things.

Bane was just a way more menacing presence imo and had superior, legendary dialogue.

 

[KBX]

10 to 15 years from now those kids will be grown up and a new topic will be made on the superherohype forums...

Is Darkseid, this generations Thanos?!

 

[Infinity9999x]

I suppose it's possible just by virtue of him being present in so many popular movies, but imo Bane is still a more memorable character. Thanos isn't really all that much of a distinct villain. Brolin really brings him to life and makes him cool but he's still quite generic in the big scheme of things.

Bane was just a way more menacing presence imo and had superior, legendary dialogue.

I actually really enjoyed Hardy’s Bane, but Bane in pop culture has a tiny footprint next to Thanos. And he’s unfortunately and unfairly only brought up nowadays to make fun of the voice.

But the biggest difference is that Bane has one film 7 years ago, one that will always be overshadowed by its predecessor. Thanos however was built up for 7 years, and really delivered.

I like Bane, but he’s not even close to one of the Batman villains that will have the biggest footprint, let alone all film villains.