Thanos Confirms The One Hero Who Actually Killed Him First

Warning! Spoilers for Silver Surfer: Rebirth #2 by Marvel Comics below

Killing Thanos is no easy task, so the Mad Titan remembers the first hero who killed him in startling fashion: Adam Warlock. In Silver Surfer: Rebirth #2 by Marvel Comics, Thanos reveals to the Silver Surfer that he doesn’t trust Adam Warlock, even if he respects him as he hasn’t forgotten how Warlock was responsible for his first death by turning him into granite.

Thanos is one of the toughest villains to kill in the pages of Marvel Comics, as the Titan-born cosmic juggernaut has overwhelmed his opponents on numerous occasions. However, a few heroes have killed the Mad Titan. Drax the Destroyer impaled him by reaching his hand through his chest. Gamora chopped off his head when she was moonlighting as Requiem. And perhaps most gruesomely, Doctor Doom ripped his spine from his body during Marvel’s Secret Wars. Like most heroes and villains in comics, Thanos hasn’t stayed dead. But, he doesn’t forget those who killed him – especially when Adam Warlock handed him his first true death.

In Silver Surfer: Rebirth #2 by Ron Marz, Ron Lim, Don Ho, Israel Silva, and VC’s Joe Sabino, Thanos seeks out the Silver Surfer, as the Reality Stone has been taken from him and is being used by an unknown force. After a confrontation, Thanos takes Surfer to his farm. He reveals Silver Surfer is one of the few people he trusts, as the burden he carries from working alongside Galactus makes him a reliable ally. However, Silver Surfer questions why he doesn’t trust Adam Warlock, the man who entrusted him with the Reality Stone, and Thanos tells him it’s because he handed him his first death.

In Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 by Jim Starlin, Jon Rubinstein, Petra Goldberg, and Annette Kawecki, Thanos captured Earth’s Mightiest Heroes before Spider-Man freed them, and they attacked the Mad Titan. Warlock’s soul is released from the Soul Stone, and he turns Thanos into stone. While the comic was published more than 40 years ago, Thanos hasn’t forgotten the defeat at the hands of Adam Warlock.

The comic proves Thanos is one to hold grudges. While he respects Warlock, he can’t trust him after he was turned to granite during his first death. Even with reality at stake as someone (or something) is shaping the universe to their pleasure with the Reality Stone, Thanos would rather turn to the Silver Surfer instead of Warlock. The issue shows Thanos isn’t one to forgive and forget. Silver Surfer: Rebirth #2 by Marvel Comics is in stores now.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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