“Thanos is the best! He’s the greatest villain ever! He’s so complex!”
If you ONLY saw Infinity War, I would agree with you. He’s empathetic and intimidating, a well-written antagonist to Tony, Steve and friends. But Infinity War is far from Thanos’ first appearance in the MCU.
That’s where Thanos as a character suffers slightly, despite his general badassery.
When fans first glimpsed the unmistakeable chin of proto-Thanos after The Avengers in 2012, the direction for the MCU was clear. The Infinity Gems (sorry, Marvel purist here) assembled into the Infinity Gauntlet That was May 2012. The next time audiences saw Thanos was August 2014 in Guardians of the Galaxy. What was Thanos up to for two years? Or better yet, why did he wait until 2012 to enact his sacred mission to wipe out half of the universe?
We don’t know and we probably won’t ever know. Maybe sitting in a floating throne all day isn't the best idea for a zealot like Thanos. Wait, why does he have a floating throne again if he has a giant ship (Sanctuary II) with a throne too? ...
We do know that Thanos made unwise decisions with his Stones. Sorry, his Infinity Stone. He gave the Mind Stone to Loki, so that God of Mischief could find the Space Stone and enslave humanity or something. Thanos entrusted one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe to a trickster god. All to collect another artifact with nigh infinite power. The plan didn’t work and Thanos lost both Stones. Big surprise.
Sure, Thanos underestimated humanity and their protectors, but he also underestimated Loki. Deception and betrayal define Loki. It’s who he is. He would steal those Stones and use them to serve his own mischievous ends. Thanos shouldn’t trust an angsty sociopath to wield and gather Infinity Stones!
Do Mad Titans ever learn? In 2014, he trusts another angsty sociopath (Ronan) to gather the Power Stone! He dispatches his to children watch over Ronan, sure, but Gamora betrays him and Nebula leaves before Drax’s massively-huge turds hit the fan. Couldn’t Thanos’ most loyal/brainwashed Children (of which he has many, if the MCU character follows his comic-book roots) to perform this sacred task most effectively from the start? Where were the Black Order? (I also don't know why he allowed Loki the opportunity to enslave all humanity and let Ronan wipe out ALL of Xandar. Doesn't that go against Grimace's "perfectly balanced" mission?)
It's in a post-credits scene after 2015's Age of Ultron when Thanos commits to “do it [him]self.” Three years after his initial MCU introduction. Three years is a long time for a Titan who lusts for galactic genocide on an unfathomable scale. He sat back and watched others fail hard.
If you believe Thanos is the best, totally understandable. He wrecks in Infinity War and now in Fortnite . Yet there are too many inconsistencies with Thanos in the broader MCU for me to think of him as the baddest baddie ever for all time. (I'll say Killmonger is my favourite, because Loki wasn't a true villain while he was SPOILER alive) The upcoming Thanos book may answer all these questions and more, but until then I’m unconvinced.
Thanos may wipe me from existence because I wrote that. Come at me, nutsack chin! Just kidding, I love you please don't turn me into bubbles or something.