Throughout the MCU's Infinity Saga, Thanos displayed his incredible power level several times. Unlike Kang the Conqueror, the primary villain of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, Thanos' presence in the MCU was built up slowly over a number of years before his full debut as a villain in Avengers: Infinity War. While Damion Poitier originated the role in The Avengers' post-credits scene, Josh Brolin portrayed the Mad Titan from Guardians of the Galaxy onwards, culminating in the epic events of Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which saw Thanos go toe-to-toe with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in a battle for the fate of the universe.
In Marvel Comics, Thanos is of Eternal descent but carries the Deviant gene, which gives him his deformed appearance compared to the other Eternals. This origin seems to have been changed for the MCU, though Thanos was still confirmed to have originated from Titan, and Eros in Eternals' post-credits scene was still referred to as Thanos' brother. Thanos' identity as a warlord made him one of the most powerful and feared beings in the universe even before he had collected any of the Infinity Stones, and throughout his ferocious crusade across the cosmos, the Mad Titan displayed some very impressive feats of power.
10 Thanos Manipulated Loki Before The Avengers
The first mention of Thanos in the MCU came during 2012's The Avengers, Marvel Studios' first crossover event, which brought Earth's Mightiest Heroes together for the first time. During The Avengers, it's revealed that Loki had fallen under the command of Thanos following his apparent death in Thor, sent to Earth with the scepter to allow Thanos to invade the planet. Thanos' first major display of power was his ability to manipulate Loki to do his bidding, especially since Loki himself is the master of manipulation.
9 Thanos Waged War Throughout The Universe
Thanos' ambition to bring balance to the universe might have been justified with good intentions, but his methods were far from agreeable. Long before his quest to gather the Infinity Stones, Thanos and his armies had wreaked havoc across the universe, going from planet to planet and wiping out half the population by hand. This brought Thanos into with a variety of civilizations, including the Zehoberei people of Zen-Whoberi, Gamora's home world, and the Kylosian people, which led to the deaths of Drax the Destroyer's wife and daughter. This would continue when Thanos even eradicates half of the remaining Asgardians following Thor: Ragnarok.
8 Xandar Was Decimated By Thanos
2014's Guardians of the Galaxy saw the titular team battling Ronan the Acc to save Xandar and the Nova Corps, and James Gunn's MCU debut ended with Xandar being safe. However, since the Guardians of the Galaxy left the Nova Corps in possession of the Power Stone, Xandar became Thanos' first target during his Infinity War quest, and Thor confirms that the Mad Titan had decimated the planet to retrieve the Power Stone. Thanos' destruction of Xandar in Infinity War was filmed but hasn't yet been seen in the MCU, though it's possible that this moment could be revisited for Marvel Studios' Nova project.
7 Thanos Beat Hulk In A Battle Of Strength
Avengers: Infinity War needed to introduce Thanos in the most impactful way, which meant that both Loki and Heimdall met their demises, and the Mad Titan beat the Hulk in a hand-to-hand battle within the first ten minutes of the film. While the deaths of Loki and Heimdall were tragic, it was Thanos beating the Hulk that was the greatest show of strength. The Hulk has widely been regarded as the most physically strong of the Avengers - which is saying something - so the fact that he was no match for Thanos is incredibly impressive.
6 Thanos Threw Titan's Moon At The MCU's Heroes
After Thanos sacrificed Gamora to retrieve the Soul Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, he made his way to Titan, his former homeworld, to face off against Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. While the heroes' initial attack on Thanos almost saw them defeat the Mad Titan, a mistake on Peter Quill's part gave Thanos the upper hand. This led to the villain using the Power and Space Stones to take hold of Titan's moon and drag it towards the planet, dispersing the heroes, causing an immense amount of destruction, and eventually leading to Thanos' collection of the Time Stone from Doctor Strange.
5 Doctor Strange Couldn't Defeat Thanos On Titan
After Thanos attacked the MCU's heroes with Titan's moon, Doctor Strange launched into battle with the Mad Titan, using his incredible skills as a Master of the Mystic Arts to take on the supervillain one-on-one. During this battle, Thanos' calmness was perhaps the most terrifying part of this battle, particularly when Thanos shattered the Mirror Dimension before Strange could trap him inside. Despite Strange's persistence, the Mad Titan soon got the upper hand after realizing that Strange's Eye of Agamotto was a fake, and he would acquire the real Time Stone after defeating Iron Man, too.
4 Thanos Beat Earth's Mightiest Heroes In Avengers: Infinity War
With only the Mind Stone left to collect, Thanos' last stop was Wakanda, where Earth's Mightiest Heroes had gathered in battle against Thanos' Outriders. While the Scarlet Witch proceeded to destroy the Mind Stone, and Vision with it, the other Avengers put up a strong fight against Thanos, but they were defeated. Thanos traps Bruce Banner in rock, crushes War Machine's armor, traps Black Widow under rocks from the ground, and is only held back by Captain America's sheer strength. Even so, after the Mind Stone's destruction, Thanos uses the Time Stone to turn back the clock and kill Vision himself, taking the sixth Infinity Stone for his collection.
3 Thanos' Snap Erased Half Of All Life In Avengers: Infinity War
Perhaps the greatest and most traumatic show of power displayed by Thanos during his MCU tenure was his fateful snap. After gathering all six Infinity Stones and defeating all the Avengers, only Thor stood in Thanos' way, but even he wouldn't be able to stop Thanos from completing his mission. With the combined power of the Infinity Stones, the Mad Titan could do anything he wished, and so with a snap of his fingers, half the population of the universe was erased from existence, including several of the MCU's beloved heroes. While this action would be undone in Avengers: Endgame, Thanos' snap thrust the universe into five years of turmoil.
2 Thanos Destroyed Captain America's Shield
Despite Avengers: Endgame opening with Thanos' death at the hands of Thor, the Avengers' Time Heist five years later would allow a variant of Thanos to travel forward in time to face the MCU's heroes again. During a one-on-one battle with Captain America in the final battle of Avengers: Endgame, the younger and perhaps more brutal Thanos is able to break large chunks of Captain America's vibranium shield. This marked a terrifying realization for Steve Rogers, who had previously thought that nothing would destroy his shield, but the vibranium was no match for Thanos and his stronger weaponry.
1 Captain Marvel Failed To Stop Thanos In Avengers: Endgame
In the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, every MCU hero returns to battle Thanos and his army, including Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, who had been absent for most of the film. Widely considered to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe, Captain Marvel took down Thanos' ship with ease before facing the Mad Titan one-on-one, but even she was outsmarted by Thanos. Using the Power Stone, Thanos blasts Captain Marvel away, an action that would have allowed him to succeed had it not been for Tony Stark's quick-thinking and tragic sacrifice, concluding Endgame with Thanos and his army being wiped from existence.
