Ever since Avengers: Infinity War made history on April 27th, there’s been no shortage of reactions and curious theories popping up online. But few have stopped to ask the question: why did Thanos wait so long before taking the Infinity Stones for himself?
The overriding consensus appears to be that Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan remained in the shadows until such time as the universe’s most powerful beings – namely Odin, Ego, Hela and the Ancient One – kicked the bucket, as the subsequent power vacuum would allow him to rule over the cosmos unchallenged. That’s a little too convenient, though, isn’t it?
Remember, prior to Infinity War, Thanos had been searching for the Infinity Stones for centuries – if not millennia – and the latest theory proposed by ScreenCrush attempts to explain why the MCU’s greatest villain bided his time before launching a full-blown sweep of the cosmos. Spoilers: it has something to do with Loki.
Essentially, this theory supposes that Thanos used Loki as a pawn in an attempt to broker some form of truce with Asgard, as Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief was able to overthrow his father Odin and claim the throne shortly after The Dark World. And, frankly, the Mad Titan didn’t want to make an enemy out of Odin, so he would rather watch on from the sidelines as his pawn did his work for him.
The same logic can be applied to the Mind Stone, too, given Thanos left it in the scepter so that Loki may conquer Earth – or at the very least, try. Failing that, leaving an Infinity Stone on Earth doubles as a long-form strategy, as there’s a very good chance its unbridled power will eventually bring a civilization to its knees, and one need only look to Age of Ultron for evidence of that.
The Collector was also a pretty instrumental figure in Thanos’ master plan, as it was he who acquired the Reality Stone, all the while bringing the Guardians of the Galaxy into close contact with the Power Stone.
All in all, it seems Marvel’s Mad Titan was wary of upsetting the balance too much, and much preferred to collect the Stones indirectly so that he didn’t attract too much attention from the likes of Odin, Ego and the Xandar fleet. He prefers to operate in the shadows, it seems, deftly pulling the strings as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fend off all kinds of low-level baddies.
And by the time Avengers: Infinity War reached its end, Thanos had won. That plan he’d spent so long deliberating worked like a charm. But it isn’t over yet: Avengers 4 is still on the horizon, and it seems our heroes have a secret WMD of their own in Captain Marvel.