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Thanks to Marvel’sAvengersmovies the entire reality now knowsThanos , the power - excited despot . What they probablydon’tknow is that he was originally designed to look astonishingly dissimilar , guide inspiration from one of rival DC ’s character reference – but not the one most masses think .
In a uncommon case of multi - film character introductions , the design of Thanos underwent significant changes in each appearing . Thefirst cameo at the end ofThe Avengersused prosthetic physical composition to charm the closest likeness to the comics , with his signature smile and overstated Kuki . But as his overall design evolved into a less exotic , more shivery , and ego - important ' saviour ' … the comparisons to DC ’s Darkseid became harder and harder to neglect . Rightly so , some fans cry , since ' Thanos was a knockoff Darkseidto begin with . ' But not in his very first drawing .
With the graphics bare ( just penciled and inked ) sports fan need to supply the violet - blue and yellow-bellied color scheme using only their imagination . But looking beyond the colors , the man picture in Starlin ’s artistic creation miss almost all of the signature features he would afterward develop to make Thanos the mutate Deviant . But more importantly , this design fires a torpedo into the usually - hold feeling that Thanos was based on Jack Kirby ’s 1970 creation Darkseid , Lord of Apokolips . Not to mention affirm Starlin ’s claim ( made when this original piece wasput up for auction ) that if any of Kirby’sNew Godsinspired him , it was Metron – NOT Darkseid .
This is believably one of the first concept drawing off of Thanos I ever did … Jack Kirby ’s Metron is reset the more prevailing influence in this fiber ’s look . Not Darkseid . Both [ Darkseid and Thanos ] started off much low than they originally became . This was one of the drawing I had in my portfolio when I was hired by Marvel . It was later inked by Rich Buckler .
As Starling read , both Thanos and Darkseid eventually grew in size and hulking physique , suggesting more in common than their initial appearances , where they were simply … mankind of normal supervillain size . And when comparing this honestly human look for Thanos to Kirby ’s fantastical approach to Darkseid , the similarity are non - actual . Especially when Metron ( picture above ) is as obvious an inspiration as Stalin admits .
So now that fan can see for themselves the normal , human - lookingThanosthat Marvel could have made noted , will the contention between he and Darkseid , wage by Marvel and DC devotee , finally lessen ? We wo n’t bet on it .
NEXT : Thanos Once DESTROYED ( Then Saved ) The Entire Marvel Universe
Source : Tom Brevoort , Heritage Auctions
