Warning: Contains spoilers for Avengers Annual 2024 #1! Thanos Is one of the most terrifyingly powerful villains in the Marvel Universe, something that was made clear by his many conquests across the cosmos. Thanos has murdered elders of the universe, he’s wielded power that can bend and reshape the fabric of reality, and he even once killed an entire universe. However, this should not suggest that he is unbeatable, because Thanos actually surrenders to an extremely powerful Marvel hero (and means it).
in Avengers Annual 2024 #1 by Derek Landy and Salvador Larroca Thanos is confronting each member of the new Infinity Watch to get the Infinity Stones again. One by one, Thanos kills each member of the Infinity Watch, then claims their stones. After most of the team is dead, Thanos is faced with his final opponent: the Time Stone bearer, Overtime. However, Overtime is more than ready to deal with the Mad Titan.
Overtime uses the Time Stone to stop time at the moment Thanos launches an attack, giving himself enough time to come up with a plan to beat Thanos – and he does just that. Overtime creates a temporal bubble, a closed time loop that ends with his own death, which would then create a paradox that would rip reality apart, killing everyone in the universe (including Thanos). So, Thanos has no choice but to surrender, at which point Overtime turns back time on each of his teammates dead, effectively outsmarting and defeating Thanos.
Outsmarting Thanos is a feat very few Marvel heroes can boast
Adam Warlock is one of the few other Marvel heroes who has outsmarted Thanos
Although Thanos has been beaten by a number of Marvel heroes in the past, it’s usually after Thanos himself makes a mistake. Some of​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​a major defeats when Thanos removed Thanos The Cosmic CubeCarelessly left the Infinity Gauntlet vulnerable, and arrogantly challenged God Emperor Doom. However, Thanos suffering defeat due to being outsmarted is incredibly rare.
Thanos is a brilliant warrior and a master tactician, therefore he is usually defeated by his own hand, because most heroes cannot hope to match him. However, while it’s rare, there are moments in Marvel comics where Thanos is outsmarted, just like he was recently. Avengers Annual #1 by overtime. Another character who has outsmarted Thanos is Adam Warlock.
During one of their more notable conflicts, Adam Warlock effectively faked his own death before retreating into the Soul Stone, only to come back and kill Thanos when he least expected it. As Overtime, Adam Warlock used a combination of ​​power and cunning to defeat Thanos when the Mad Titan was on the precipice of victory, without relying on Thanos’ own carelessness.
The Infinity Watch just made Thanos their ultimate arch enemy
Thanos will not let this defeat stand
The Infinity Watch may have won this round, but they left Thanos alive, which means he will absolutely come back to haunt them. Thanos will never stop trying to get the Infinity Stones (including and especially the one Thanos created, the Death Stone), and there’s no way he’s going to let this defeat stand. Vengeance for his humiliation will be the cherry on top of killing the Infinity Watch and taking their stones, and Thanos won’t rest until he does that.
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Although it remains to be seen if Thanos will be able to recover from this defeat, it is a near certainty that he will become the arch-enemy of the Infinity Watch going forward, allowing for more exciting stories to come. But, for now, Thanos Will just have to assert in his defeat, as he actually surrendered to overtime after the cosmic hero did what few other heroes have done before: outsmart him.
Avengers Annual 2024 #1 by Marvel Comics is now available.