TheEternals will be having their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in their very own titular film coming this year after thousands of years living a lowkey life on Earth but somehow, Marvel has already introduced an Eternal in the MCU unbeknown to fans and viewers, and he had been there for years already. Surprise, surprise, Thanos is an Eternal.
How is Thanos an Eternal?
A quick recap of Thanos, the villain we all hated through the Infinity Saga, we first see him in the mid-credits scene of The Avengers (2012) where he said he's going to do it himself, referring to the collection of the stones. We know that it was Thanos who gave Loki the scepter housing the Mind Stone resulting to the Battle of New York with the Chitauri army attacking Earth.
We then see him again in his pursuit of the stones come Infinity War where he took the stones one by one starting with the Power Stone in Xandar from the Nova Corps. He wrecked the ship of the Asgardians to take the Tesseract housing the Space Stone, turned Knowhere upside down to get the Aether, or the Reality Stone, and sacrificed Gamora on Vormir for the Soul Stone.
On Titan, he battled with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy for the Time Stone inside the Eye of Agamotto in Strange's neck. When he completed all five, he went to Earth and took the Mind Stone from the forehead of Vision. He succeeded with blipping half of the universe only to be defeated by the Avengers in Endgame.
As we have seen in teasers of the Eternals, they look very much like humans as if they won the human genetic lottery with their appearance, their shape, and cosmic powers flowing through their veins. But why is Thanos referred to as the Mad Titan and how in the universe did he become an Eternal looking all tall and purple?
The first hint lies in the origins of the Eternals whose first city is Titanos, or Titan for short. Thanos is called the Mad Titan because he hails from that planet. The second clue is that when Thanos arrived in Vormir for the Soul Stone, he was called by Red Skull as the "Son of A'lars" and that in itself proves that Thanos is a child of an Eternal making him one as well. His mother is an Eternal Also, Sui-San.
Thanos is actually a third-generation Eternal. Being the son of A'lars makes Thanos the cousin of Thena, daughter of Zuras.
But why the face, Thanos? Well, there is a so-called Deviant Syndrome where those Eternals from Titan were affected by it making them like Deviants, explaining why he acts like that as well. It has been confirmed that he possesses the syndrome giving him heightened abilities and some difference in the physical form from other Eternals.
The Eternals will be having their MCU debut on November 5, 2021.
Related: Eternals' Angelina Jolie Reveals She Already Saw the Full Trailer, Praises Chloe Zhao
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