Avengers: Endgame brought Thanos' story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close, but that doesn't mean we can't revisit the Mad Titan's history somewhere down the line. During a recent interview with ComicBook.com, the character's co-creator Jim Starlin was asked what he thinks the future holds in store for Thanos on the big screen, and he's convinced we'll see more of him.
"Well, I understand that the story's not completely ended," Starlin said. "They've already announced that. I think a young Thanos appears in The Eternals. I remember reading that somewhere."
We're pretty sure that's just a rumour the comic book writer and artist is referring to, but he went on offer a compelling explanation for why he believes we'll see more of Thanos in a movie like Eternals. "They made a shit load of money off this guy. So I don't see them retiring him anytime soon. Comic book characters tend to have an extended lifespan beyond the actors who work on them. I'm half expecting to see much more Thanos down the line."
Marvel Studios was planning to explore Thanos' early years in Avengers: Infinity War, but there wasn't room for that in the movie, so it's entirely feasible that this 2021 release will address it instead. We're not sure how his "origin" would fit into the film, but it would likely be tied to the Deviants.
Ultimately, we're unlikely to know whether there are indeed future plans for Thanos in the MCU until we see Eternals. As of right now, of course, that's not going to be until next February...