Recent rumors have claimed that Infinity Saga big bad Thanos is set to return for Avengers: Secret Wars, with Josh Brolin said to be in talks to reprise his role as the Mad Titan.
Brolin has now addressed the possibility of a return to the MCU, and while he stops short of confirming anything outright, he does at least hint that he's been contacted about potentially (mo-cap) suiting-up as the powerful villain again.
While discussing his past roles with Collider, Brolin admitted that he would consider playing Thanos again under the right circumstances - and with Joe and Anthony Russo at the helm.
"I’m not kidding — There’s a thing with playing Thanos. It’s like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna bring Thanos back.’ It’s like Sicario ; it has to be right. It’s like Ryan Reynolds and I talking about Taylor Swift and we should be talking about Deadpool 4 . But we go back and forth. Again, it’s what in his mind fits, what in my mind fits. Thanos has to fit if you’re going to bring him back. I would do anything that the Russos wanted me to do."
Brolin was then asked if Marvel has been in touch: "He declined to give an answer. He did cough, though."
Take that as you will!
If Thanos is set to return for Secret Wars, how big a part he'll play obviously remains to be seen, but with so many other heroes and villains fighting for screen-time, we can't imagine he will have a significant role.
In the comics, The Mad Titan does factor into the story when he challenges Doctor Doom (known as "God Emperor Doom") for control of Battleworld. With Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. now set to play Doom, we could be looking at a very interesting rematch.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.