Avengers: Secret Wars Theory Claims Josh Brolin's Thanos Might Return In A Big Way (But I Don't Buy It)

We’re still over a year away from Avengers: Doomsday, but we’re likely only a few months away from production getting underway on the follow-up film, Avengers: Secret Wars. Considering we don’t really know what to expect from Doomsday, what’s going to happen in Secret Wars is even more of a mystery, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of rumors of who or what we might see. There's also a theory in particular grabbed my attention, as it suggests Thanos could return.

Could Thanos Return In Avengers: Secret Wars?

This theory, from Comicbook.com, suggests that we might see Thanos return in Secret Wars. Specifically, we might see a multiverse version of the character, King Thanos, who comes from a universe where he was successful in using the Infinity Stones and defeating the Avengers, and has become the ruler of the universe.

Josh Brolin was recently asked about potentially returning as Thanos, and he gave a fairly vague answer. Though he did state that he would be more than willing to return, and even teased that such conversations may have already happened.

It’s an interesting idea, and considering that every indication is that both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars and going to cram as many characters as possible into the movies, it’s certainly not the craziest idea in the world. There’s also some precedent for why introducing King Thanos in the MCU might make some sense, but it’s actually the reason I’m not sure I buy this particular idea.

King Thanos Will Appear At Disneyland

We already know that King Thanos is a character that we will get to see not too long from now, but he won’t be in a movie. Instead, he’ll be found at Disneyland Resort. The currently under-construction attraction Avengers Infinity Defense will have a multiverse storyline of its own and see various Marvel heroes from different universes battle against the victorious variant of Thanos.

What’s more, while Avengers Infinity Defense has no official opening date yet, a 2027 opening seems likely, which would see the ride open the same year Secret Wars hits theaters. It seems that some feel that this connection is a reason that King Thanos might also appear in Secret Wars, and I understand why some would feel that way, but I don’t buy it.

At this point, we fully expect that Doctor Doom will be the big bad of Avengers: Secret Wars, and bringing back Thanos feels like it has the strong potential to either undermine Doom, if King Thanos is treated as a monster threat, or undermine King Thanos, if he’s treated as a lesser problem than Doom.

It won’t shock me if we get a brief look at King Thanos in Secret Wars, or at the very least a reference to the fact that the character exists somewhere out in the multiverse. It wouldn’t be the first time a Disney Parks attraction was referenced in a movie. However, making the character a significant part of Secret Wars seems counterproductive.