Thane, The Son of Thanos, Can’t Fill His Father’s Shoes

One would expect the son of Thanos to be a major threat to the Marvel Universe. After all, Thanos is extremely long-lived and his adoptive progeny include Nebula and Gamora. Thane, Thanos’ biological son, is even half-Inhuman, adding to the intrigue surrounding the character. But despite no lack of effort on his part, Thane just doesn’t live up to his father’s wicked potential.

Thane first appeared in New Avengers #10 in 2013. The son of an unknown Inhuman woman, Thane was quickly caught in a conflict between the Inhuman king Black Bolt and Thanos’ encroaching forces. With his powers awakened, Thane actually defeated Thanos and Proxima Midnight, with Ebony Maw taking his side at his mentor. Despite this impressive debut, it was only a short-lived moment of pride before a long line of disappointments.

Found by J’Son, Star-Lord’s father, Thane was easily manipulated into helping the former Spartax Emperor, who thrust him into conflict with the X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy. After that encounter left him blasted into space, Thane vowed to conquer the universe, which almost immediately ended with Thane powerless and imprisoned following a battle with Corvus Glave and a coven of witches. However, Thane was freed by Death herself, who enlisted him in a plot to killer her father. That didn’t go well, and though he was killed by Nebula, Thane was ultimately empowered with the Phoenix Force, which he used to battle his father across the cosmos, destroying several planets in the process. Unfortunately, Thane’s efforts proved to be in vain, as he was sucked into a black hole and de-powered by the coven of witches a second time – before being trapped for presumably eternity within the God Quarry.

Despite a healthy dose of ambition and an early show of potential, Thane really wasn’t a match for either Thanos or even his frequent enemies, the heroes of Earth. The addition of the Phoenix Force was barely an advantage, and only served to put Thane on the same level as his father. It didn’t help that Thane’s powers were, by nature, extremely unstable, requiring Thane to wear a containment suit at all times. This doomed Thane to often essentially become the puppet of others, including Ebony Maw, J’Son, and, ultimately, Death herself. It’s fitting that Thane, unable to contain the powers within him, was so easily re-directed and manipulated by those around him. Thane’s rudderless nature is ultimately his downfall, but it’s also his defining characteristic. While his father usually had grandiose agendas, Thane has none, save those set by others, so it’s fitting he should be taken off the board like a chess-piece.

Still, Thane has yet to appear in the MCU, and the producers are doubtlessly looking to fill the shoes left behind by the Titan’s menace for the next phase. Thane could certainly benefit from the MCU treatment as numerous villains have, including Loki, Killmonger and Thanos himself. This might be the one way Thane could actually become the chip off the old block he’s always aspired to be.

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