Thanos actor Josh Brolin recently teased his potential MCU return, and Marvel Studios may have already hinted at when it will happen. From 2014 to 2019, Brolin brought Marvel's Mad Titan to life in live-action, serving as the primary villain for the franchise's Infinity Saga. However, he was eventually killed off in Avengers: Endgame, with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers thwarting Thanos' plan for universal balance.
Despite his character being dead in the super-powered series, that has not stopped fans from wondering if Brolin could ever come back as the iconic comic villain. Brolin himself has even commented on it, telling Entertainment Tonight he would be open to an MCU return.
"If [Avengers: Doomsday director] Joe Russo comes to me, which he may have... then I might acquiesce," the former Thanos actor remarked:
"If Joe Russo comes to me, which he may have, I don’t know. And has an idea, then I might acquiesce. Probably pretty quickly."
This comes not all that long after Marvel Studios seemingly teased the Mad Titan's return in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. In early September, a hologram show promoting the forthcoming Avengers film appeared to recreate an iconic comic book moment between Thanos and Doctor Doom, Doomsday's central antagonist.
Several fans took this to mean Brolin's Thanos will play at least a small part in the 2026 MCU team-up movie, potentially serving as canon fodder for Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom to show just how powerful the new MCU big bad actually is.
Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters on December 18, 2026. The new Marvel Studios movie from Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo will follow several universes' worth of heroes as they band together to take on the Multiversal villain Victor Doom (aka Doctor Doom).
Brolin's appearance in the new movie has not been confirmed, but the evidence continues to stack up in favor of his Thanos having a role in some capacity.
Will Thanos Ever Return to the MCU?
Even though Thanos has been 'dead' in the MCU canon for several years at this point, it is not as though the franchise has entirely abandoned the Infinity Saga big bad.
Josh Brolin's beloved Marvel villain has popped up several times since his demise in Avengers: Endgame, playing a small role in Multiversal Disney+ series like What If..? and (most recently) Marvel Zombies.
Given Avengers: Doomsday's reality-hopping conceit, there is always the chance Marvel Studios opts to bring back Thanos in some capacity for the 2026 blockbuster. As Brolin teased in these new quotes, he may have already talked to Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo about a potential comeback for his character.
If he were to return next year, it would likely be for a brief moment only to show the true strength of the franchise's new central villain, Doctor Doom. In the comics, there is a particularly iconic moment between the two big bads, in which Doom obliterates Thanos, leaving only his skeleton as a trophy.
Given Doom has not had time to build his reputation as a major Avengers-level threat to this point in the MCU, audiences seeing him absolutely school one of the most menacing Marvel villains ever to do it could be an easy way to win them over.
If he doesn't pop up in Doomsday, there is always the chance he appears as part of a potential Multiversal supervillain team in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars, but that seems even less likely at this point.
