Thanos Return Rumors Hint The MCU Could Finally Unleash His Greatest Comic Showdown

Thanos might not be done snapping around the MCU. A new rumor says Josh Brolin is suiting up again for Avengers: Secret Wars, and if that pans out, it could set up a very specific, very gnarly showdown fans of the 2015 Secret Wars comic will recognize.

The rumor and the source

'Josh Brolin is set to reprise Thanos in Avengers: Secret Wars.'

- Scooper Daniel Richtman, via ComicBookMovie

File this under credible-but-still-a-rumor. If it happens, Secret Wars would be the final film in Marvel's Multiverse Saga and Brolin's sixth go-round with the character. It would also reunite him with Joe and Anthony Russo and Robert Downey Jr. if that lineup holds.

Where this fits in Brolin's Thanos timeline

• The Avengers (2012): Mid-credits stinger for Thanos, but that was Damion Poitier in the makeup, not Brolin.
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): Brolin's first real turn as Thanos, brief but memorable.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): Another cameo, gauntlet tease and all.
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018): Full-on lead villain.
• Avengers: Endgame (2019): Two versions of Thanos show up, and both die.
• What If... ? (Disney+): Brolin voiced alternate Thanos variants.

The Doom of it all

Here is where it gets spicy. Downey is back in the MCU as Doctor Doom, positioned as the main antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. It has not been clarified whether his Doom is a Tony Stark variant or a separate take. Either way, the intent sounds familiar: like the original plan for Jonathan Majors' Kang, Downey's Doom is aiming to conquer the multiverse.

If Richtman's Thanos rumor is legit, Doom and Thanos are bound to collide. And yes, I am absolutely expecting Doom to erase whatever Thanos variant shows up, the way Tony snapped away the alternate-timeline Thanos in Endgame. Different face under the mask, same energy.

The comic book precedent (and why fans are buzzing)

In Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars, Victor von Doom steals the Beyonders' power, assembles a patchwork reality called Battleworld from the shredded remnants of the multiverse, and rules it as God Emperor Doom. Thanos mounts an insurrection and confronts Doom. Doom's response: tear out Thanos's skeleton on the spot. Brutal, efficient, unforgettable.

Will the movie go that graphic? Probably not. But the bones of that moment (sorry) are tailor-made for this era of the MCU.

Which Thanos would we get?

This is the Multiverse Saga, so if Thanos appears, expect a variant from another reality, not a resurrection of the Endgame versions. Also, temper expectations on screen time. Marvel is clearly building Doom as the centerpiece, and Doom is not a team-up guy. Thanos would covet power; Doom does not share. My money says Brolin's return is impactful but short-lived.

Dates to circle

We will know how this shakes out when Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on December 17, 2027. Before that, Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18. If the rumor mill is right, Doom makes his entrance there, and the table is set for whatever Thanos-sized surprise Secret Wars has waiting.