Infinity War director hopes Thanos will be Darth Vader for new generation

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

For many of us, Darth Vader was, or still is, the greatest movie villain of our childhoods. It could certainly be argued that there are better villains out there, but there are few who approach the Dark Lord of the Sith when it comes to his pure iconic status. While speaking with Empire Magazine, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR co-director Joe Russo spoke of his hope for Thanos (Josh Brolin) to become the Darth Vader for a new generation.

Darth Vader was the pre-eminent villain of my childhood, and we're hoping to make a Darth Vader for a new generation. We're hoping he has that complexity to him, and that he strikes fear into the heart of the audience, but at the same time they go on a journey with him. Frankly, Avengers 3 is his movie.

After making frustratingly brief appearances in only several Marvel movies, it will be immensely gratifying for the Mad Titan to finally make himself known and demonstrate the true extent of his power. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has previously teased that Thanos will prove just why he's the biggest and baddest villain in the opening minutes of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, saying, "We’ve been teasing him for years and the trick is when you tease something for that long you have to deliver. Within the first five minutes of Infinity War, people will understand why Thanos is the biggest and baddest villain in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."

Joe Russo added that fine-tuning the visual-effects used to bring Thanos to life is a high-priority; "It's very important to us that Thanos has a level of photorealism that makes that audience believe him." As Kevin Feige mentioned above, Thanos will show just how evil he is in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, including blowing up a moon and flinging it towards the Avengers (as seen in the D23 trailer), but Joe Russo says that that impressive moment is just "one of many things Thanos does in this film. He's an incredible threat!" Bring it on! AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR will hit theaters on May 4, 2018.

Can Thanos hope to match Darth Vader's iconic status?