Is this how Thanos loses in Avengers 4? The Mad Titan is “permanently” damaged after Avengers: Infinity War, say directors

Josh Brolin as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War

This… this does put a smile on my face. Avengers: Infinity War may have seen Thanos reign triumphant, having snapped half the universe out of existence, but it seems to have come at a cost. In fact, the damage is so great, as director Joe Russo reveals, it may just offer an in for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to take back control come Avengers: Endgame.

The Avengers: Infinity War director’s commentary – which is included in the digital release of the movie and is out now – sees Joe Russo explain a little bit about what happened to the Mad Titan post-snap (h/t Screen Rant).

“See there, with his Gauntlet and the arm,” Russo points out, just after Thanos has done the deed, “The power that it takes to use all six Stones is significant, and clearly damaged the Gauntlet and damaged Thanos permanently.”

The scene in question and the one that follows, which has Thanos retiring to a lodge of some sort, content in his life’s work, may yet prove crucial to Avengers 4. The Infinity Gauntlet is just about falling apart and Thanos has been pretty badly wounded as a result. In fact, he’s never been in a more precarious state.

It makes me wonder whether a certain Infinity War post-credits scene will tie in directly to these final moments as I’m sure it’s not out of the question that Captain Marvel is patrolling that neck of the galaxy.

For now, though, we have to wait. We have to be patient. We have to be hopeful. The world has already ended for several MCU heroes – but there’s a glimmer of hope thanks to Thanos’ own apocalyptic attack. Bring on Avengers 4 and, remember: aim for the arm this time, yeah?

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.