Avengers: Infinity War will establish Thanos as the MCU's biggest baddie within 5 minutes

Marvel comic fans know Thanos is a threat on a scale rarely seen, and even more rarely survived. If Mr. Purple-Skin Wrinkle-Chin shows up, you're gonna have a bad time. But more casual audiences - and those whose biggest exposure to Marvel is through film - might be a bit more confused about why his arrival is such a big deal. MCU head honcho Kevin Feige says not to worry, because Avengers: Infinity War is going to show why Thanos is an uber-villain worth fearing right away.

Speaking at Comic-Con Experience in Brazil, Feige assured fans that Thanos (who up to this point has only been seen grinning menacingly and sitting in a chair floating through space) will be the big bad they've dreamed of. "Remember the end of Avengers, the very end of the movie he turns around in the chair, and you realize something bad is coming," said Feige. "We’ve been teasing him for years, and the trick is, when you tease something for that long you have to deliver."

"Within the first five minutes of Infinity War, people will understand why Thanos is the biggest and baddest villain in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," Feige said.

Ooh, feel those tingles? Obviously Feige isn't going to spoil what happens, but there are a couple theories floating around. One is that Thanos will attack the Nova Corps to retrieve the Power Stone (seemingly the first one he has embedded in his gauntlet), which would certainly take an impressive amount of force.

Another idea is that Thanos will attack the Asgardian ship seen at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. After all, we see piles of what look to be dead Asgardians in the Infinity War trailer, and we know that Thor gets picked up by the Guardians of the Galaxy as he's floating through space. So mayhaps Thanos shows up and lays the smackdown on the God of Thunder and his green-skinned buddy. That would certainly illustrate Thanos' raw strength well - because if Thor and Hulk can't beat this madman, who can?

Guess we'll find out when Avengers: Infinity War comes to theaters on May 4, 2018.

Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.