No, it is incorrect to say Thanos was not purely malevolent; however, you are still on point in recognizing his deep motivation to “wipe out half the universe’s population.”
In ‘Eternals,’ we learned about one of the greatest powers in the Marvel Universe: the Celestials. Their existence – in short, is sustained by absorbing life energy from planets to birth a new generation of Celestials.
Interestingly, the more you reduce the population, the more this strategy is delayed.
So, did Thanos actually try to SAVE us? Let’s find out.
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What Is The Strategy of Celestials Shown in Eternals?
The Celestials are the universe’s oldest beings, cosmic giants with the power to shape matter and energy. They’re the architects behind many planets and life forms across the stars.
Here’s the twist: To sustain their race, Celestials plant the seeds of their offspring in various planets.
This process, known as the Emergence, requires planets like Earth to have large populations of intelligent beings.
These populations provide the energy needed for the Celestial eggs hidden inside these planets to mature.
In short, the Celestials embed their eggs in planets and absorbed the life there as a power source for their growth.
This implementation, while subtle, is devastatingly catastrophic; Earth is just one of the many doomed worlds.
Tiamet, a Celestial’s egg embedded within Earth, draws energy from the planet’s life cycles to gestate. Upon emergence, Tiamet would destroy the planet and all its life forms.
And, Thanos’ snap – intentional or not, halved Earth’s life force, delaying the Celestial’s emergence and buying humanity time (sounds weird).
But the question here: is it an accident or on purpose?
Did Thanos Stop Celestials’ Plan On Purpose?
First things first, let’s be clear: we are simply examining the scenario, without asserting right or wrong.
To clarify whether Thanos intended to save the universe from the Celestial’s emergence: there could be two scenarios: 1) He might have been aware of the danger, and 2) He is an Eternal aiming to prevent a massive disaster from the Emergence.
Let’s examine each possibility step by step.
Titan Planet Was Destroyed By Celestials?
The first thing to notice is that Titan’s is mysteriously destroyed.
In “Avengers: Infinity Wars,” Thanos explains the downfall of Titan as primarily due to resource scarcity, yet he hints at an underlying, unspoken cause tied to its extinction.
But – The dramatic physical changes on Titan – such as its shift from its axis and unusual gravitational anomalies like Star Lord said, suggest more than mere resource depletion.
Such catastrophic events hint at a more sinister and massive force at work, which aligns with the known behaviors of Celestials.
This theory posits that a Celestial, similar to Tiamet within Earth, might have emerged from Titan, leading to its ultimate ruin.
Thanos is a “Protecting” Eternal?
Another theory directly about Thanos: Whether he is an Eternal? But before we answer that, first, what exactly is an Eternal?
The Eternals are near-immortal beings created by Celestials, sent to various planets to protect life and power Celestial seeds.
And you might wonder: But if they complete the Celestials’ mission, wouldn’t the Emergence occur and eventually destroy the seeded worlds?
Once their mission is complete, Eternals are returned to the World Forge, where their memories are erased and reset. They are then given false memories and sent to repeat their mission.
Given these facts, is Thanos an Eternal?
Yes, he is; but officially informed in Marvel Comics. His origin in the MCU, on the other hand, is quite vague about this detail.
But recently, there has been a detail that affirmed Thanos’s origin as an Eternal: the post-credit scene in “Eternals” is the appearance of Eros, Thanos’ brother.
(It is unbelievable that Thanos has such a gorgeous brother like Harry).
Until Marvel Studios officially confirmed, the belief that “Thanos was an Eternal” seemed valid enough to suggest unique insights of Celestials and the Emergence.
These insights might explain his drastic actions against the core Celestial plan (perfect balance).
So if all the reasons above confirm that Thanos is an Eternal working to stop the catastrophic effects of Emergence, why doesn’t he reveal this initially?
To answer that, referring to Ajak’s case, Thanos might get a symptom like the Madweiry – which potentially made him realize the situation but at the same time, still uncertain about it.
That is where the reason for “limited resources” kicked in for his Infinity plan (I think).
So, what do you guys think? Do you have any thoughts of yours? Share with us!