While Marvel Studios is reveling in its continued Phase 4 efforts, it is hard not to look back at what has come before - specifically, in what ended the historic decade-long run that has come to be known as the Infinity Saga. The groundbreaking collection of 23 films runs all the way from 2008's Iron Man to 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, with the pair of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame serving as the culmination of these ten years of filmmaking.
At the center of those two Avengers films was the Mad Titan Thanos. Thanos had been teased as far back as 2012's The Avengers, but Brolin did not jump into the role until 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Much of the Infinity Saga was spent checking in with Brolin's big purple baddie as he got closer and closer to collecting the Infinity Stones and then ultimately wiping out half the universe in Avengers: Infinity War.
Now, the Avengers did do away with Thanos in Endgame, but that does not mean he is gone forever. No one seems to be 100% dead in the MCU, and rumors have pointed to the character returning, so if Thanos were to come back, would the man who brought him to life be game for a return? Well, it looks as though fans may have an answer.
Another Round for Thanos?
In an appearance on Sirius XM's Jess Cagle Show, via ComicBook, Thanos actor Josh Brolin addressed Thanos' potential future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and if he'd be interested in returning to his Mad Titan role.
When asked, Brolin said "[he] would do it [he's] sure." However, seeing as Marvel Studios "have their own trajectory," he doesn't "know what they're thinking:"
"They have their own trajectory that they're worrying about and if they want me to do it, I would do it I'm sure, but I don't know what they're thinking."
That isn't to say he "[doesn't have an interest in it," but he does feel that his work in Infinity War and Endgame "kind of bookended this thing after 10 years:"
"I don't know what their plan is. We've kind of bookended this thing after 10 years. I was so happy and I loved being involved in that so much because that wasn't the intention when I first got involved."
The Hollywood vet did say that he never thought Thanos would become as critical to the story as he did, calling the "The whole Thanos character more of a cameo" upon the initial pitch who became more integral to the story being told. So anything could happen at this point:
"The whole Thanos character, it was more of a cameo and they liked the character so much. They had never felt like they had a villain that was substantial enough for what they were creating and then I think they felt like they found it and then there were two movies that kind of revolved around it. It was a lot of fun and it worked out for them very nicely."
Rollin' With Brolin
While fans would be excited to see Josh Brolin back as Thanos in a future MCU project, and it seems the actor himself shares that enthusiasm, it might not be the best idea for the franchise.
The whole Infinity Saga led up to a duel with the Mad Titan, so would a return from the character not only cheapen the impact of that initial decade of Marvel Studios storytelling? Yes, it is true that in the world of Marvel no one is truly dead, it's probably best to leave Thanos snapped away (despite the introduction of his brother in Eternals).
Perhaps if the actor really wanted to come back, he could jump into another potential Thanos-themed What If...? episode, but aside from that, there is no logical reason to hear from the Mad Titan in the MCU again.
