Warning: Contains spoilers for Avengers Annual 2024 #1!Thanos One of the most fearsomely powerful villains in the Marvel Universe, as evidenced by his many victories across the universe. Thanos has killed the ancients of the universe, he has used powers that can bend and reshape the fabric of reality, and he even once killed an entire universe. However, that shouldn’t suggest he’s invincible, as Thanos actually surrenders (and means) to a very powerful Marvel hero.
In Avengers Annual 2024 #1 by Derek Landy and Salvador Larocca, Thanos confronts each member of the new Infinity Watch to obtain the Infinity Stones once more. One by one, Thanos kills each member of the Infinity Watch, later claiming their Stones. With most of the team dead, Thanos faces his final opponent: the Time Stone Bearer, Overtime. However, Overtime is ready to deal with the Mad Titan.
Overtime uses the Time Stone to stop time the moment Thanos launches his attack, giving himself enough time to come up with a plan to defeat Thanos – and he does just that. Overtime creates a temporal bubble, a closed time-loop that ends with his own death, which will then create a paradox that will tear reality apart, killing everyone in the universe (including Thanos). Thus, Thanos has no choice but to surrender, at which point Overtime returns the time of death to each of his teammates, effectively outsmarting and defeating Thanos.
Outsmarting Thanos is a feat few Marvel heroes can boast.
Adam Warlock is one of the few Marvel heroes who outlasted Thanos
Although Thanos has been defeated by several Marvel heroes in the past, it’s usually after Thanos himself made a mistake. Some of his biggest defeats were when Thanos thoughtlessly abandoned the Cosmic Cube, carelessly left the Infinity Gauntlet unprotected, and arrogantly challenged God Emperor Doom. However, it is incredibly rare for Thanos to suffer a defeat due to his sophistication.
Thanos is a brilliant fighter and a skilled tactician, which is why he is usually defeated by his own hands, as most heroes cannot hope to match him. But, though rare, there are moments in Marvel comics where Thanos gets pretty darn awesome, just like he did recently. Avengers Annual #1 by overtime. Another character who surpasses Thanos is Adam Warlock.
Adam Warlock defeated Thanos
Marvel Two-in-One Annual
#2 by Jim Starlin.
During one of their more notable confrontations, Adam Warlock effectively faked his own death before returning to the Soul Stone, only to return and kill Thanos when he least expected it. As in Overtime, Adam Warlock used a combination of strength and cunning to defeat Thanos when the Mad Titan was on the brink of victory rather than relying on Thanos’ own carelessness.
Infinity Watch just made Thanos their ultimate arch enemy
Thanos will not let this defeat stand
Infinity Watch may have won this round, but they left Thanos alive, which means he’ll be back to haunt them. Thanos will never stop trying to get the Infinity Stones (and especially a Death Stone made by Thanos) and there’s no way he’s going to let this defeat stand. Avenging his humiliation requires killing the Infinity Watch and taking the Cherries from their Stones, and Thanos won’t rest until he does.
While it remains to be seen if Thanos will be able to recover from this defeat, it is a near certainty that he will become an arch-enemy of the Infinity Watch, allowing for more exciting stories to come. But, for now, Thanos His defeat only has to be infuriating, because he actually succumbed to overtime after the cosmic hero did what most other heroes have done before: outwitted him.
Avengers Annual 2024 #1 Available now by Marvel Comics.