Thanos is set to be the biggest bad guy the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen. In fact, when Thanos becomes the primary antagonist for the big screen heroes instead of hiding in the shadows, it will take nearly every hero Marvel has put in the movies so far to take him down. That fearsome presence is inspired by his long running feud with… well, just about everyone in the comics.

Despite being someone who is almost always after the power to destroy and create worlds, Thanos isn’t always a bad guy. There is the rare occasion that Thanos is even good. Known as The Mad Titan, he quests for ultimate power, wanting at times to alleviate boredom, and, at others, to impress the love of his (very long) life. Just because he craves power and love doesn’t make him evil. Even if it did, evil guys can have soft spots too.

Thanos often proves that he can do the right thing when it comes down to the very fabric of reality being torn. He can’t become all powerful if reality is destroyed, after all. Yes, some of his good deeds are self-serving, but that doesn’t make them any less good.

In fact, we’ve got 15 Times Thanos Was A Good Guy to prove it.

Rescued And Raised Gamora

Gamora is known as the most dangerous woman in the galaxy and it’s not like her life was all sunshine and rainbows. However, if Thanos hadn’t rescued her, she would have been dead.

Gamora is a member of the Zen-Whoberi race, and she’s one of the last of her kind. Her people were slaughtered by Magus, the alter ego of Adam Warlock. Thanos set out to prevent a specific timeline of events occurring in which the Magus became all powerful, and he thought saving Gamora would create a new track in the timeline.

To be fair, Thanos’ reasons weren’t entirely selfless. He wasn’t simply trying to save the universe, but make sure that he could get some of the Magus’ power as well. He could have abandoned Gamora when rescuing her. Instead, he raised her as his own, trained her to fight, and even taught her about some holidays, like Christmas.

Teamed Up With Heroes To Stop Nebula

Thanos was out to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet for his own use in the comics, and he even briefly succeeded. He made a mistake though and didn’t for Nebula, whom he had left close to death on his ship, and she stole the gauntlet from him, healing herself, while he was busy astral projecting and his mind wasn’t in his body.

As a result, Nebula became the real villain of the comic book arc (and something many fans are hoping to see in the Avengers: Infinity War movie). Thanos didn’t sit back and let her destroy things though. He teamed up with the heroes to save her.

It took the combined abilities of Thanos, Adam Warlock, and Silver Surfer to stop Nebula and split up the Infinity Gems. Though Thanos still wasn’t a hero anyone could completely trust, he and Adam Warlock did share a mutual respect that led them to team up again in the future.

Stopped Thor With The Silver Surfer

The Blood And Thunder comic book arc was a strange one. It saw Thor driven insane and bent on destruction. As a desperate move, Thanos was called in to save the day.

Initially, Thor’s destructive insanity was relegated to Asgard, where his own people tried to stop him. The Silver Surfer was soon on the scene to help, and it was this cosmic entity that called on Thanos when he realized his own abilities weren’t enough to end the conflict. Thanos didn’t initially want to help, but he did come to Asgard’s rescue, battling Thor, and even confining him to a prison that could hold him temporarily while his Asgardian family figured out just what could be done to help him.

Thor eventually thanked Thanos for his role in saving the day, and Thanos enjoyed the experience of fighting the God of Thunder, so it was a win-win for everyone.

Saved Death With Deadpool

Though Thanos began the story arc in the limited series Deadpool vs Thanos as competition for The Merc With a Mouth, the two ended up becoming allies.

Deadpool, because he can’t die, caught the attention of Lady Death, which made Thanos jealous. Thanos has always enjoyed being the center of her attention and didn’t like that he had to compete with the anti hero.

The two decided to forces though as Lady Death was kidnapped by Eternity. With Death held by Eternity, everything would live forever, something that would have truly brought chaos to the comic book world. It was Deadpool, ultimately, who convinced Lady Death to return, but Thanos made sure they were both able to get to her.

Became A Farmer

Readers (and the heroes) of the Infinity Gauntlet storyline were led to believe that Thanos died during the massive battle that occurred. It was revealed that he was still very much alive, though not in a place where they’d have expected.

When receiving a visit from Adam Warlock, Thanos is shown to be living a simpler life. The larger-than-life villain decided to become a farmer after his latest quest for power didn’t go the way he expected. He decided to take some time out for himself and examine his own life, figuring out just where he made a wrong turn.

Of course, this more zen Thanos didn’t exactly last forever. Thanos may have spent some time growing plants and reflecting, but eventually, he would set out to rule the universe again - and again.

Guarded The Reality Gem

Despite having tried to steal (and use) all of the Infinity Gems for himself, Thanos was entrusted with the guardianship of one of them by Adam Warlock.

Following Thanos’ defeat, it was Adam Warlock who ended up with the Infinity Gauntlet and the powers of a god. He went before the Living Tribunal to discuss the possession of the gems, and it was decided that he wasn’t worthy of godhood. Warlock decided to give the gems to a few trusted individuals, keeping one for himself. Thanos was the recipient of the Reality Gem.

This might seem like an odd choice, but the gem is often considered the most dangerous, able to completely rip apart reality as we know it. Thanos, for all his love of power and destruction, can’t lord his giant ego over anyone if reality is torn asunder, so really, it’s not a bad move on Adam Warlock’s part.

Led The Avengers

One of the most recent issues of the Thanos solo series saw The Mad Titan in an unfamiliar situation: he was leader of the latest team of Avengers.

Thanos #10 saw the title character getting a chance to see a world where he was the biggest hero of the Avengers, and the entire world loved him, even uttering the catchphrase “Avengers, Assemble,” on the way into battle while Daredevil, Ms. Marvel, and more followed his lead.

Of course, the entire thing is a lie, a hallucination of sorts created to test him. It’s a fleeting moment for long-time comic book readers, but one where they finally get to see Thanos as a hero instead of a villain who only aligns with the good guys when it suits him.

Changed His Mind

When Annihilus decided it was his turn to dominate the universe, Thanos surprised many by not challenging the villain for power. Instead, Thanos decided to follow Annihilus, tired as he was of seeing the same heroes rise and villains fall. That might sound bad, but that’s not why this experience lands on our list.

When Thanos discovered that Annihilus wasn’t out to rule the universe, but to destroy it, he decided he’d made a mistake. He decided he could no longer be a follower and set out to release the trapped Galactus, the only one who could likely take Annihilus on and succeed. Thanos was killed by Drax before he had the chance, but it was the thought that counts.