Where to Buy Clint Barton’s ‘Thanos Was Right’ Mug

The “Thanos Was Right” mug used by Clint Barton in Hawkeye is out there for viewers to purchase. The phrase has been making frequent appearances in the show since episode 1 when Clint visited the bathroom during a performance of Rogers: The Musical and saw “Thanos Was Right” scribbled on a urinal. Since then, the show has made more subtle references to those three words, most recently seen on a purple mug Barton drinks from in episode 4.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been exploring the societal aftermath of Avengers: Endgame throughout Phase 4. That concept was essentially the crux of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, whose main villains, the Flag Smashers, preferred life during The Blip when half the population disappeared as a result of Thanos’ fateful snap. When Thanos was defeated and those who disappeared came back, many Blip survivors found themselves displaced as governments seemingly favored returnees. Hence, the sentiment “Thanos Was Right” remains prevalent among some members of the MCU’s modern-day society, though Barton himself would disagree after losing his own family during The Blip and sacrificing his best friend to save those who disappeared.

Nonetheless, Barton’s feelings about the message haven’t stopped him from using a mug with pro-Thanos messaging, nor has it stopped independent sellers from turning the item into custom merchandise that viewers of the show can buy. As reported by Men’s Health, “Thanos Was Right” mugs have appeared on Etsy. They’re also available via other retailers like TeePublic and Redbubble. None of the items are officially licensed by Marvel or Disney, but one created by Etsy shop UponaDreamImages bears an almost identical resemblance to the mug used by Barton, down to the light purple hue and sans serif font announcing the controversial, albeit fictional, phrase.

It was only a matter of time before the “Thanos Was Right” mug popped up online, and it appears viewers have beat Disney to it. Granted, Disney and Marvel likely avoided putting out their own version of the mug as it may or may not be taken as a spoiler. The companies also likely wanted to gauge interest in Hawkeye before dropping too much merchandise. It’s worth remembering it took Disney and Lucasfilm quite a while to put out Grogu merchandise from The Mandalorian, even with his massive popularity.

That said, Barton’s mug doesn’t exactly have the selling power of an adorable alien baby, so Disney’s probably not planning on putting an entire marketing effort behind “Thanos Was Right.” Independent sellers shouldn’t have to worry about copyright issues either, as Disney rarely comes after those who simply want to make custom, character-inspired goods they can’t find in stores. At the end of the day, it’s essentially free advertising for an already billion-dollar franchise.

The mug’s message itself speaks volumes about the complexity of the MCU. Thanos isn’t just the bad guy the Avengers defeated. It’s more complicated than that. Marvel’s willingness to delve into the politics following the Infinity Saga is solid storytelling, so it’s no surprise that viewers are eating, or in this case, drinking, it up.

Source: Men’s Health, UponaDreamImages/Etsy