Thanos’ plans in Avengers: Infinity War isn’t really about saving the universe. Marvel Studios made sure the wait for Thanos was worth it as he arrived without wasting any time in Infinity War. He easily made his way through any opponent that came his way, allowing him to march triumphantly towards his ultimate goal, to bring balance to the universe. His plan was easy to understand at first: wiping out half of the universe’s population in order to allow life to thrive.

As the film has continued to be viewed and picked apart, Thanos’ plan can start to make less sense as Marvel explains it. He’s now said to also have wiped out animals, plants, and all forms of life with his snap. His true goal isn’t rebalancing the universe, but rather proving his methods were right.

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Related: Why Thanos’ Master Plan Won’t Work

Avengers: Infinity War is now available to buy digitally and with the release comes the audio commentary by director Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. When it came time to discuss the method to Thanos’ madness, Joe Russo explained why Thanos decided to wipe out life instead of doubling resources: to prove he was right.

“People have asked us why Thanos didn’t just use the Stones to double the resources in the universe, since clearly, he has not. … Well, he was told no to an idea that he had that he felt was the only solution. And then was proved right to himself when that solution was not acted upon. So, his Messianic complex – he is now committed to following through on the idea that he had many, many years ago.”

The instance Joe is referring to is how Thanos saw Titan’s self-destruction coming and warned them of their future. He proposed to kill half of the population then, but his method was not viewed as the correct course of action. Titan did fall years later, leaving Thanos to believe that he could’ve prevented the downfall of his home world. So, when he sees the entire universe heading in the same destructive direction, he takes matters into his own hands to show that he knows the solution – just as he did many years before.

Thanos was ultimately successful in rebalancing the universe in his eyes, but we don’t know if this method will actually save the universe or not. There’s been several theories that Avengers 4 will feature a time jump of some sort, and if that is the case, we could actually get to see if the universe is thriving with less people. It would certainly be fascinating to see the Avengers struggle with the reality that billions of casualties led to a prosperous universe. Although they all lost someone close to them, bringing everyone back to life may not justify restoring the hardships of overpopulation.

That said, Thanos’s attempt to prove his brilliance may not have worked as he hoped and the universe is in even worse shape than it was before. Thanos could then potentially have to make the decision to help the heroes in some way. At the end of the day, this latest comment by Joe Russo just adds more to the discussions going on about Thanos and his plan, and we’ll find out next year with Avengers 4 whether or not he was right.

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More: Infinity War Snap Permanently Damaged Thanos & Infinity Gauntlet

Avengers: Infinity War is available now on Digital HD, and will release on Blu-ray and DVD on August 14.

Key Release Dates
  • Captain Marvel (2019)Release date: Mar 08, 2019
  • The Avengers 4 / Avengers: Endgame (2019)Release date: Apr 26, 2019
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)Release date: Jul 02, 2019
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About The Author


Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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