Thanos: Master Planner or Tuna Sandwich?

[Typo Lad]

Please pardon the Tuna Sandwich comment, it's from Justice League Taskforce.

Anyway, I was thinking about something.

Events in A:SS give us the impression that Thanos has a plan.

Now, Thanos's plans are doozies, that's for sure.

Except, and I forget which Infinity mini covered this, Thanos always leaves an opening in his plans that is to his enemies advantage.

Is this still true, and if so, do you think Anny has the brains to take advantage of it?

[Lightbend]

I think it was Infinity War. It's not a conscious opening he has, though.

Well, to put it this way: Thanos knows, deep down, he's not worthy of absolute power. He always, subconsciously, sets up a way for him to lose it, be it leaving the Cosmic Cube out in the open or letting Nebula grab the IG. This isn't as much shoddy planning as it is a deep-seeded self-hatred, which, considering his origins, isn't that surprising.

[isaac a person]

It's the tuna sandwich that will lead to Thanos's defeat! :D

[Jmacq1]

Except Thanos isn't the one grabbing absolute power this time. It's Annihilus. I'm not sure if Thanos' subconscious self-defeating principle applies when he's just trying to stop other people. It certainly hasn't hindered him much in battles against other villains in the past, that I've seen.

So in other words, Thanos might end up being the "hero" of Annihilation. Of all the people in the prologue, he's probably the one best suited to countering/defeating Annihilus' plan.

[Lightbend]

Except, the previews state that Thanos does seize control of the Annihilation Wave at some point. How he does this is unknown, but you are right about the possibility of him being the hero-this is Keith Giffen's baby, and remember that he was the one who had Thanos realize the best way of serving death was preserving life.

After all, without life there is no Death.

Then again, she said nothing of enslaving all life to his whim.

[Nonentity]

Typo - You may be thinking of the scene in Infinity Gauntlet where Adam Warlock tears a strip out of Thanos by revealing the ugly truth that the Titan really doesn't want absolute power because he doesn't truly believe he deserves it.

Since , as mentioned above, this psychological defect does not apply to fighting insane super-villains, I see no reason why Thanos won't end up whipping Annihilus six ways from Sunday.

Of course, maybe Giffen just wants me to think that......

[Zombienorthstar]

It's the tuna sandwich that will lead to Thanos's defeat! :D

The chicken of the sea strikes again.

[Sean Walsh]

It's the tuna sandwich that will lead to Thanos's defeat! :D

Tuna sandwich + Squirrel Girl = RIP Thanos. :p

[Cthulhudrew]

Also, during Infinity War, Thanos confronted his doppelganger (that was in service to the Magus), and finally came to terms with this side of himself, and seemingly took care of it (in a symbolic act whereby he devoured his doppelganger's soul).

This is evidenced by his performance in The End, in which he finally achieved ultimate power, and could not be taken down at all by anyone, even Adam Warlock (his nemesis/confidante). Formerly, he would have provided- at least subconsciously- the means to his own defeat.

Fortunately, Thanos has become much wiser and less narrowly focused on his former nihilistic beliefs at the same time. Which doesn't mean that he's not dangerous to be around. I'd say he's just much more Machiavellian than strictly Nihilistic nowadays. He'd still kill off a third of the universe's population if he believed there were a greater good to be found behind it.

[toneloak]

Thanos ultimate goal seem to be, to become a god, much like death, and he wants to find the peace and power that Death has.