Thanos Is Back & Marvel's Most Powerful Team Wants A Piece In Exclusive Preview

Contains spoilers for "Thanos" #1 (by writer Christopher Cantwell, artist Luca Pizarri, colorist Ruth Redmond, and letterer VC's Cory Petit).

Thanos is heading to Earth in a brand-new series from Marvel Comics, and when he arrives, the Mad Titan will face off against a new Illuminati while carrying out a mysterious quest, putting him at odds with some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Thanos has long been one of the most powerful and calculated adversaries of heroes across the Marvel Universe. The villain's most famous mission — to acquire the Infinity Stones and snap half of all life from reality in the "Infinity Gauntlet" storyline — showed how big of a threat he truly is, as he nearly succeeded in causing permanent damage to the galaxy in an attempt to win Death's affection. In more recent years, he has plotted to get revenge on the Eternals by nearly destroying the race of ancient beings that shunned him as a child for his monstrous appearance. But while his recent attempts to overthrow the Eternals ended with his own banishment, Thanos is coming back to wreak more havoc on Earth.

In Christopher Cantwell ("Iron Man") and Luca Pizarri's ("Murderworld: Moon Knight") new "Thanos" series, the purple-visaged villain will touch down on the planet he's often made one of his biggest targets. A new Illuminati, a secret group of Marvel heroes taking on extra-dangerous threats, will form to stop him, but can they prevent Thanos' latest attack and keep him from reacquiring a secret item he's lost?

Looper's exclusive first-look preview of Marvel Comics' "Thanos" #1 shows what appears to be a black hole, which is somehow linked to a new, unnamed character working at a convenience store, watching it absorb energy and explode. Thanos' screaming mouth can be seen as it erupts in a scene somewhat reminiscent of Thanos and the Black Order getting pulled into a black hole during Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw's run on "Guardians of the Galaxy." This event led to the Mad Titan getting sent back in time (where he searched for the secret seventh Infinity Stone) in "Thor" (by Torrun Gronbekk and Juan Gedeon) before returning to the present day in Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic's "Eternals."

Marvel Comics/Luca Pizzari

Marvel Comics/Luca Pizzari

Thanos' ship later emerges in space near Earth, shooting a beam of energy to the planet, helping guide the villain through the atmosphere. While Marvel hasn't shared exactly what Thanos is looking for, it's clearly important as he usually operates from afar, manipulating others to do his dirty work. The final preview page teases the new Illuminati with Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Reed Richards being joined by new members Emma Frost and Blue Marvel. The group appears to be talking with the new character introduced in the earlier preview pages, as the convenience store attendant seems to have witnessed the villain touching down. The young woman's typical workday has gone entirely off the rails after seeing Thanos descend from space before being interrogated by the Illuminati, who are trying to figure out what just happened.

Marvel Comics/Luca Pizzari

Marvel Comics/Luca Pizzari

Marvel Comics/Luca Pizzari

Marvel fans familiar with the Illuminati will notice some alterations to the secretive group, with Blue Marvel and Emma Frost replacing Charles Xavier and Black Bolt. With the "Fall of X" currently unfolding, Professor X has his attention focused elsewhere, resulting in Emma taking his place. Meanwhile, Black Bolt is likely dealing with the Inhumans, whose current status is somewhat unclear.

Blue Marvel, whose incredible anti-matter energy powers and brilliant mind make him one of the smartest and most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe, and Emma Frost, an expert telepath and tactician, should be worthy replacements for Xavier and Black Bolt. With Doctor Strange's magical prowess, Iron Man's inventive genius, and Mr. Fantastic's intellect joining them, the resulting team is quite formidable.

Christopher Cantwell tells Looper that Blue Marvel's seat at the Illuminati is "long overdue," while Frost's addition is a move "a bit born out of necessity," given her current status following the attack on Krakoa. Speaking of the titular villain, the writer says, "Thanos is one of those characters who borders on being a god, so that gets tricky in storytelling, where the stakes need to be high and personal. It does help in making heroes, even the Illuminati, feel like underdogs." In short, even with Earth defended by one of the strongest versions of the Illuminati to date, Thanos is still a force to be reckoned with, and their collective power might not be enough to stop him. But that doesn't mean the Illuminati won't give it their best.

Aside from Thanos facing off against the Eternals in the group's self-titled series and trying to find the seventh Infinity Stone in "Thor," the villain hasn't had a significant Marvel Comics presence in recent years — and that might be by design. With the Mad Titan meeting his end in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in "Avengers: Endgame," featuring him as a primary foe in the comics likely hasn't been a major priority, as Marvel's ongoing efforts to synergize with the MCU could have temporarily limited his appearances. It's almost definitely why Kang the Conqueror has seen an increased role of late, with the villain currently appearing in "Avengers" and several other titles while he's featured as the main villain in the MCU in projects leading up to "Avengers: Kang Dynasty." However, Marvel will never entirely forget about Thanos, which is evident as we gear up for his much-anticipated return.

Check out the main cover for "Thanos" #1 by Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho, alongside the accompanying text solicitation for the issue.

Marvel Comics/Leinil Francis Yu

THANOS VS. THE ILLUMINATI! The Mad Titan descends upon Earth to retrieve something he has lost. And the Illuminati must band together to stop him, because they're the ones who hid it from him!

The first issue of the new "Thanos" limited series arrives at comic book stores and online retailers on October 9th, 2023.