THANE

Real Name: Thane

Identity/Class: Sub-species of humanity (Inhuman/Titan Eternals hybrid) mutate

Occupation: Criminal;
    former cult leader, healer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Avengers (Captain America/Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, Hyperion/Marc Milton of Earth-13034, Thor/Thor Odinson), Champion (Tryco Slatterus), Death, Jourr, Nebula, Phoenix Force

Enemies: Black Order (Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, Supergiant), Brood, the Coven, Gara, Guardians of the Galaxy (Kitty Pryde, Star-Lord/Peter Quill), Nova (Sam Alexander), Slaughter Squad (Bligh, Blood Brother, Czar-Doon, Delphinia, Father Diablo, Misa the Hunter, Mr. Knife/J'Son), S.W.O.R.D., Terrax the Tamer (Tyros), Trynka

Known Relatives: Thanos (father), A'Lars (Mentor, grandfather), Sui-San (grandmother), Eros (Starfox, uncle), unidentified mother, many unidentified half-brothers and half-sisters, unidentified members of the House of Lor (ancestors)

Aliases: King Thane, Phoenix

Base of Operations: The God Quarry;
    formerly Orrolan

First Appearance: (Unidentified) New Avengers III#10 (November, 2013);
    (identified) Infinity I#4 (December, 2013)

Powers/Abilities: Thane spent years training as a healer among the people of Orrolan. Half-Inhuman and half-Titan Eternal, Thane mutated after undergoing Terrigenesis, taking on a purple hue and a wrinkled chin like his father. Thane developed the ability to kill by drawing life force into himself; after he was given a golden armor to contain his powers, he could only kill with a touch from his left hand. Thane also had the ability to encase anything or anyone in amber with a touch from his right hand. After passing through the Black Vortex, Thane’s powers expanded to cosmic levels, allowing him to trap the entire planet of Spartax in amber.

Thane briefly possessed the Phoenix Force, giving him the abilities to travel through space at cosmic speed, to read minds and manipulate matter, to set things on fire and to resurrect himself. Thane was mentally under the influence of Ebony Maw for quite some time and it is unknown what the long-term impacts of that are.

Height: 6'4" (by approximation)
Weight: 220 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Purple; formerly blue
Hair: Bald; formerly brown

History: (Infinity I#4 (fb) – BTS/New Avengers III#10 (fb) – BTS) – Thane was conceived when his Inhuman mother had a tryst with Thanos, the mad Titan, during a time when her group of Inhumans were in conflict with the madman. She returned to Earth pregnant.

(Infinity I#4 (fb) – BTS) – Thane grew up in the Inhuman city of Orollan on Earth, aware of his father's heritage, so Thane chose to become a healer, tending to his people. (Infinity I#4) – Thane attended to Jourr, a young boy who'd broken his arm. When the Terrigen Bomb went off, Thane entered a cocoon and when he emerged, he found himself transformed into his true form, one resembling his father, and he discovered the city of Orollan had been destroyed, all killed as his powers activated.

(Infinity I#5) – Ebony Maw showed up in Orollan, where Thane was surrounded by skeletons, and the villain commented that Thane was like his father, born in death. Wanting to help Thane discover his potential, Ebony Maw instructed Thane to put on a golden armor he'd prepared, telling Thane it would help him from killing others and that his powers were now only usable through direct touch. Maw then trapped Thane in stasis, ready to present to Thanos. Thanos soon arrived and Thane, unable to move, asked his father why he wanted to kill him. Thanos answered, simply because Thane existed. Corvus Glaive then delivered a message to Thanos about the status of the war they were waging.

(Infinity I#6) – Flanked by members of the Black Order, Corvus Glaive, Supergiant and Ebony Maw, Thanos ordered Thane released so he could kill him but then the Hulk attacked Orrolan, followed by Thor (Odinson), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Earth-13034's Hyperion and Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) of the Avengers. Ebony Maw whispered in Thane's ear as the Black Order was defeated. As Thanos fought Thor to a standstill, Ebony Maw released Thane then convinced him to trap his father in amber, where he would live and be sentient without being able to move, a fate worse than death. Thane departed with the Maw.

(Inhumanity I#1 - BTS) - The Inhuman Karnak saw a vision of threats to come in the future, and Thane was among them.

(Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#1) – Thane walked through the ruins of Orrolan, throwing a rock wall against the Ebony Maw in his anger. Maw convinced Thane to depart with him into space so that he could learn about his father. After they evaded S.W.O.R.D. ships, Thane donned a black cloak and landed on the planet Malady, where Maw showed him the club Sclerosis Syd's. Maw got them passed the guards by mentioning Thanos' name. Inside, they found the alien Trynka, who Maw had commissioned to record the story of Thanos within his DNA.

(Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#2) – Thane saw Thanos in the memories of Trynka then he asked the alien to show him more. When Trynka refused, Maw convinced Thane to demand to be shown and Trynka agreed. Thane saw memories of Thanos and Proxima Midnight leading their fleets in a battle against Ego the Living Planet and Thane realized Thanos was insane as he saw his father thinking he was talking to Death.

(Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#3) – Thane was overwhelmed with the telepathic vision of Thanos' battle with Ego and he demanded to be let free, screaming out loud into the bar that the was the son of Thanos.

(Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#4) – As Thane came out of his vision, Trynka tried helping him realize that he would have to learn suffering if he was going to be the son of Thanos but Thane said he was his own man. After finding all those within the bar dead, Thane realized Maw was behind it. Realizing he had more to learn, Thane demanded Trynka show him more of the battle with Ego.


(Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#5) – On Malady, the authorities closed in, looking for the one who had killed those in the bar, and Thane fled with Trynka, grabbing the alien by the throat when Thane felt insulted. Lost in the memories of Thanos and the Black Order's battle on Ego, Thane imagined he was talking to his father, who wondered aloud if Thane might be insane since Maw had influenced Thane into seeing Trynka die on Ego.

(Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#6) – As the security forces closed in, Thane realized that Ebony Maw had been in his mind and manipulated his perceptions and powers, causing him to kill those in the bar. In the memories of Trynka, Thane realized the legacy of Thanos as a mass murderer who had built an amazing army. After bidding farewell to Trynka, Thane accepted his destiny as Thanos' son and encased his armor in gold.

(Legendary Star-Lord I#7 (fb) – BTS) – After his time on Malady, Thane began behaving erratically, calling others to follow him as he trapped threats in amber. The Slaughter Squad tracked him to the planet Brennan-7.


(Legendary Star-Lord I#7) – Mr. Knife (J'Son) and the Slaughter Squad (Czar-Doon, Misa, Bligh, others) watched Thane call out to a crowd to follow him and he encased a savage alien in amber.

(Legendary Star-Lord I#8) – Thane was surrounded by many aliens (including Shi'ar, Kree, Skrull, Centaurii and Kymellian) who called him their savior. When Mr. Knife invited Thane to join his Slaughter Squad, Thane refused as he froze a giant monster that attacked in amber. Mr. Knife helped tend to one of the wounded refugees then he informed Thane that Thanos was alive and active again. Mr. Knife promised Thane great power, enough to protect his flock from Thanos, if he would do a job for him and Thane, still being influenced by Ebony Maw, agreed.

(Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex Alpha#1) – Thane initially disregarded the Black Vortex until he saw Mr. Knife subject Blood Brother to it, turning the alien into a super-strong powerhouse. Blood Brother joined Czar Doon, Misa the Hunter, Delphinia and Father Diablo in the Slaughter Squad then Thane nearly submitted to the mirror himself but Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde stole it.


(Guardians of the Galaxy III#24) – As Thane watched Mr. Knife meet with a Brood emissary, Ebony Maw tried influencing Thane to kill Knife. Thane refused and ordered the Maw to leave him alone.


(Legendary Star-Lord I#9) – Thane demanded that Mr. Knife give him the Black Vortex and Mr. Knife sent the Slaughter Squad after the heroes. (All-New X-Men I#39) – Thane continued demanding to know the location of the Black Vortex but Mr. Knife just asked for trust. Refusing Ebony Maw's temptations to kill Maw, Thane chose to return to Brennan-7 and his flock.

(Guardians Team-Up I#3) – Thane found his flock slaughtered on Brennan-7. Ebony Maw helped influence Thane's desire for revenge on Mr. Knife.


(Nova V#28 (fb) – BTS) – Thane found Mr. Knife, who convinced him that the Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men were behind the slaughter of his people.


(Nova V#28) – Thane and Mr. Knife found Nova (Sam Alexander) with the Black Vortex on Spartax and Thane attacked, seizing the Black Vortex and submitting to it. He emerged transformed, his powers expanded to god-like levels.

(Legendary Star-Lord I#10) – Enticed by Mr. Knife to use his new powers, Thane unleashed a wave of amber to encase the entire planet of Spartax, freezing every civilian in place. Mr. Knife made a deal with the Brood, promising them the planet of Spartax in exchange for being allowed to rule one out of every ten planets they conquered in the future. Ebony Maw continued to influence Thane.

(Captain Marvel VIII#14) – When Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) stole the Black Vortex, Thane gave pursuit, soon cornering Captain Marvel with Mr. Knife. Influenced by Ebony Maw, Thane tried amberizing both his foes but the blast bounced off the Black Vortex. Gara then arrived, another alien transformed by the Black Vortex, and Gara propelled Thane into space.

(Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex Omega#1 (fb) – BTS) – Thane found Mr. Knife and encased him in amber.


(Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex Omega#1) – Thane, still influenced by Ebony Maw, saw himself as the ruler of the universe and he was determined to go after the Black Vortex.


(Thanos II#4 (fb)) – Thane remained in the influence of both the Black Vortex and the Ebony Maw. Thane staged an attack on the Black Quadrant, now ruled by Corvus Glaive, but three black witches in the Coven appeared before Thane, draining him and leaving him defeated.


(Thanos II#4 (fb) – BTS) – Thane was placed in a cell by Glaive and left there for weeks. He was fed slop twice per day for months.

(Thanos II#4 (fb)) – 7 months ago, Thane received a new cell mate, Tryco Slatterus, the Champion of the Universe. Thane was initially resistant to the Champion but he warmed to him when Tryco shared chocolate with him.
A month later, Tryco and Thane played games to pass the time until Corvus Glaive and the guards caught them. Glaive had Thane, who was now back in his costume and seemingly no longer in possession of the Black Vortex powers, placed in "the Hole" for solitary confinement. Thane remained there for months, catching creatures to consume and slowly going mad. Soon, Death began appearing to him in the form of a scantily clad woman with black hair. Thane confessed that he wanted nothing more than to kill his father and Death promised to give him power and help him escape if he gave himself over to her completely. Thane agreed but first he freed Tryco, taking the Champion with him.

(Thanos II#1 (fb) – BTS) – Death warned Thane that Thanos was returning. With Death whispering in his ear, Thane put together a plot to take down his father. After recruiting the Champion of the Universe, Thane sent the Champion to summon Starfox to a meeting.


(Thanos II#5 (fb) – BTS) – Death told Thane that Terrax had the Phoenix Force trapped in an egg and they made plans to free it.

(Thanos II#1) – Death, seeking to earn Thane's trust, whispered in his ear that Thanos was dying.


(Thanos II#2) – On Titan, Thane met with Starfox, Nebula and the Champion, and he announced his plans to kill Thanos with them in a small surgical strike.


(Thanos II#4) – Thane instructed Champion, Starfox and Nebula to liberate a prisoner from Terrax the Tamer. Thane tried to assert himself as the leader but the others balked. Death encouraged Thane to stay silent on the matter.


(Thanos II#5) – While Starfox held off Terrax, Thane, Champion and Nebula fought guards and broke into a private chamber on Terrax's ship. There, Thane admitted he'd lied to the others as they found the Phoenix Egg.

(Thanos II#6) – Thane apologized to the others, particularly Tryco, for lying but Nebula shot him and he fell on the Egg. As Terrax and Starfox rushed in, Thane seemingly died on the Egg and it resurrected him, granting Thane the powers of the Phoenix Force. With Death at his side, Thane traveled across the universe and directly attacked Thanos, ignoring his father's warnings that Death was only using him. Thane stripped Thanos of his godhood and sent him to a remote planet. Then calling himself King Thane, he prepared to have others come after him due to his new power.


(Thanos II#8) – Thane entered the Black Quadrant and decimated the population of Flivok-6. Death continued manipulating Thane, who killed many in her name as he wondered what he was doing and if he had made Thanos pay enough.
(Thanos II#9) – Thane went to Titan and was furious to find Thanos missing. After seeing locals with Thanos' helmet, Thane learned that Starfox, Nebula and Tryco had rescued Thanos. Refusing Death's orders to go and attack Earth, Thane put on his father's helmet and went after him. Soon, Thane closed in on Nebula and Tryco's ship.


(Thanos II#10) – As Tryco and Nebula tried to escape, Thane knocked their ship out of light speed and to a nearby planet, where he demanded they reveal where Thanos was. Death appeared, demanding that Thane kill Tryco but then Thanos attacked.


(Thanos II#11) – Thane used the full power of the Phoenix Force to battle Thanos, who had his vast power sources back, and they literally destroyed the planet behind them. They prepared for final battle in the God Quarry, where Tryco, Nebula and Starfox lay unconscious, and the Coven watched.


(Thanos II#12) – In the God Quarry, the Coven easily propelled the Phoenix Force away from Thane, stripping him of his power. Thanos easily defeated Thane, beating him and stripping him of Thanos' helmet then he tossed Thane into the God Quarry, where he predicted the boy would face a living hell, being given visions of his own inadequacy. As Thane begged his father for help, he was slowly encased in rock and trapped there.

Comments: Created by Jonathan Hickman, Mike Deodato, Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver.

Thane is... unoriginal. He looks like Thanos, his name sounds like Thanos, he is obsessed with Death like Thanos, but he has spent his entire comic book career in the thrall of others, from the Ebony Maw to Mr. Knife to Death to the Phoenix Force. I find this character underwhelming. Thane has appeared in various formats in video games, sometimes as a playable character.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Thane has no known connections to:


House of Lor

(Infinity I#4 (fb) – BTS) – Hundreds of years ago, during a time when the Inhuman royalty was fractured, many Inhuman tribes went into space and others spread across the Earth to live in secret societies. The House of Lor built the city of Orollan, taking with them one lone Terrigen Crystal. Over the following years, they could only use the crystal once per generation, hoping it would give their people the gifts needed to survive.





--Infinity I#4 (fb)

Jourr

(Infinity I#4) – In the hidden city of Orollan, Jourr broke his arm while climbing but Thane the healer took care of him. Later, the city was destroyed when Thane faced Terrigenesis.







--Infinity I#4

images: (without ads)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#1, p7, pan1 (main)
Infinity I#4, p11, pan5 (before transformation)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#1, p49, pan1 (in black cloak)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#6, p55, pan1 (in gold armor)
Nova V#28, p21, pan1 (Thane, after Black Vortex)
Thanos III#6, p17, pan1 (with Phoenix Force, and Death)
Thanos III#10, p22, pan1 (with Phoenix Force)
Thanos III#10, p21, pan2 (kneeling in armor)
Infinity I#4, p11, pan4 (House of Lor)Infinity I#4, p11, pan4 (Jourr)

Appearances: New Avengers III#10 (November, 2013) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Infinity I#4 (December, 2013) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Jerome Opena, Dustin Weaver (artists), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Infinity I#5 (December, 2013) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Jerome Opena (penciler), Dustin Weaver (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Infinity I#6 (January, 2014) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Jim Cheung, Dustin Weaver (pencilers), Mark Morales, Dustin Weaver, Guillermo Ortego, Dave Meikis, Jim Cheung, John Livesay (inkers), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Inhumanity I#1 (February, 2014) - Matt Fraction (writer), Olivier Coipel, Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Dustin Weaver (pencilers), Mark Morales (editor)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#1 (July, 2014) - Rob Williams (writer), JL Mast, Geoffo, Iban Coello (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#2 (August, 2014) - Rob Williams (writer), JL Mast, Geoffo, Neil Edwards (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#3 (September, 2014) - Rob Williams (writer), Daniel Govar, Paco Diaz (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#4 (October, 2014) - Rob Williams (writer), JL Mast, Geoffo, Iban Coello (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#5 (November, 2014) - Rob Williams (writer), Daniel Govar, Niel Edwards (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Thanos: A God Up There Listening Infinite Comic I#6 (December, 2014) - Rob Williams (writer), JL Mast, Geoffo, Paco Diaz (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Legendary Star-Lord I#7 (March, 2015) - Sam Humphries (writer), Freddie Williams II (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
Legendary Star-Lord I#8 (March, 2015) - Sam Humphries (writer), Freddie Williams II, Paco Diaz (artists), Mike Marts (editor)
Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex Alpha#1 (April, 2015) - Ed McGuinness, Kris Anka (writers), Kris Anka, Mark Farmer, Jay Leisten, Mark Morales (inkers), Mike Marts (editor) Guardians of the Galaxy III#24 (April, 2015) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Valerio Schiti (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
Legendary Star-Lord I#9 (April, 2015) - Sam Humphries (writer), Paco Medina (penciler), Juan Vlasco (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
All-New X-Men I#39 (May, 2015) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Andrea Sorrentino (artists), Mike Marts (editor)
Guardians Team-Up I#3 (May, 2015) - Sam Humphries (writer), Mike Mayhew (artist), Katie Kubert (editor)
Legendary Star-Lord I#10 (May, 2015) - Sam Humphries (writer), Paco Medina (penciler), Juan Vlasco (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
Nova V#28 (May, 2015) - Gerry Duggan (writer), David Baldeon (penciler), Terry Pallot (inker), Nick Lowe (editor)
Captain Marvel VIII#14 (June, 2015) - Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), David Lopez (artist), Sana Amanat (editor)
Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex Omega#1 (June, 2015) - Sam Humphries (writer), Ed McGuinness, Javier Garron (pencilers), Mark Farmer (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
Thanos II#1-2, 4-6 (January-February, April-June, 2017) - Jeff Lemire (writer), Mike Deodato Jr (artist), Jordan White (editor)
Thanos II#8-12 (August-December, 2017) - Jeff Lemire (writer), German Peralta (artist), Jordan White (editor)


First Posted: 06/19/2020
Last updated: 06/19/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at:
http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters