Thanos was a break out character from Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War. Despite being the villain/avenger's enemy of the story, the film treated the mad titan as a pseudo protagonist. Thanos must go on his own "hero's journey" to attain his ultimate goal and achieve his dreams/desires. This was an unusual choice for a villain, but was effective in many ways, with critical time spent developing/examining the characters powerful (if twisted) worldview. With this in mind, it is important to examine how Thanos is treated in Avengers: Endgame, Infinity War's follow up, and to discuss whether Thanos is further developed or if the character now takes the more stereotypical/traditional "villain" role within the narrative.
I think it’s important to note how in Endgame, there was no other way but for Thanos to be the traditional villain because his actions had already occurred, thus giving the Avengers a little more advantage because now instead of him risking everything, they had to do the same even though they win in the end. So his role made you think that no matter the outcome, sacrifices and death had to unfold – AccordingtoJazz6 years ago
Thanos has a long history in the original Marvel comics universe where he has moved from out and out villain, to a more tragic figure, even to hero (or anti-hero). It would be interesting to hear more on how the movies drew from this history. – AlephZeroHeroes6 years ago