One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU’s) most notorious supervillains, Thanos hatched a plan to destroy half of all life in the universe.
The Mad Titan eventually got his hands on the Infinity Stones, six powerful objects that would grant their user anything they requested. Knowing this, you may wonder why Thanos didn’t just double the resources for the universe.
Thanos was too self-righteous to believe there was a better way to serve the universe. Killing half the population was his idea, and since he believed it was the best way to ensure balance between the universe’s population and its resources, he was not interested in doubling resources.
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What Was Thanos’ Goal With the Infinity Gauntlet?
Thanos saw a lack of resources ravage the population on his home planet of Titan, so to prevent other planets in the universe from meeting the same fate, he hatched a plan.
This plan involved killing off half the universe’s population. He believed that doing so would allow its remaining intelligent life to prosper, and that there would be more than enough resources to go around.
Throughout his life, Thanos recruited massive armies to his cause, but he eventually learned about the Infinity Stones. This led him on a quest to seek the six Infinity Stones to bring about his goal.
But since the Infinity Stones do their wearer’s bidding when united, many fans asked why the Mad Titan didn’t just create more resources.
This appeared to be a plot hole in the Infinity Saga for many, especially since Thanos didn’t always come across as an all-ruthless villain.
Because of what happened on Titan, for example, Thanos knew what resulted when a high population-to-resources ratio exists. We see war, conflict, and constant fighting over those resources.
We only need to open a history book for proof that throughout history, perpetual conflict existed because of two sides fighting for land, which, in turn, held immense resources.
But this does not excuse Thanos for what he did, as he could have used the stones to conjure more resources so humanity could prosper.
Why Did Thanos Choose to Wipe Out Half the Population?
Wiping out half the population was Thanos’ idea all along. He presented this when he feared Titan would fall because of its overpopulation. However, this was not a popular idea on the planet, despite Titan’s eventual downfall.
Thanos has what Infinity War director Joe Russo called a “Messianic Complex.” Although Thanos believed he was doing the universe a favor, he was also so arrogant in his thinking that he didn’t want to acknowledge that a better plan existed.
Thanos wanted to prove that he held the answer to the universe’s potential problem of lacking an adequate amount of resources to sustain its growing population.
Had he not killed half the universe, Thanos would have proven to himself that his plan was not the greatest.
This tells us that, although Thanos isn’t completely ruthless and he believed he was doing the universe a favor, he was serving his own interests and inflating his own ego.
Had Thanos truly been sympathetic, he would have sought a more humane way to solve the universe’s resource problem that didn’t involve killing massive amounts of people.
Could the Infinity Gauntlet Create More Resources?
In the Infinity Saga, we saw Thanos snap half the universe out of existence in an event called The Blip. Later, Bruce Banner (Hulk) reversed Thanos’ actions and brought back those The Blip killed.
During the Battle of Earth, Tony Stark (Iron Man) used the Infinity Gauntlet to kill Thanos and his armies.
This implies that the Infinity Gauntlet does whatever anyone asks it to do. But when you look online, there are claims that creating more resources is one thing the Gauntlet can’t do.
However, this does not align with what Anthony and Joe Russo said when addressing the subject. Anthony Russo said it best, stating, “clearly, [Thanos] is not interested.”
Therefore, the Infinity Gauntlet could create more resources if Thanos wanted it to.
He was also too far into his plan. Before discovering the Infinity Stones’ existence, Thanos was already leading his armies across the universe, killing off populations in places like Gamora’s and Drax’s home planets.
How Does Thanos Compare to Other Popular Villains?
Many successful book and film franchises have primary antagonists that can relate to Thanos. They aren’t your stereotypical villains who engage in evil just for the sake of evil–at least in their minds.
Take Gellert Grindelwald from the Harry Potter Series. Grindelwald’s slogan was “For the Greater Good”. He envisioned a world where witches and wizards ruled over Muggles who drove them into hiding.
Clearly, this is an evil act that Lord Voldemort would also attempt decades later. But at the same time, Grindelwald also believed he was doing what was in the best interest of the Wizarding World.
Darth Vader is another villain who, while ruthless, turned to the dark side not because he initially craved power, but because he believed he could save his wife, Padme, from dying while giving birth.
Thanos, Grindelwald, and Vader are three of the most well-known villains in cinematic history. But they believed they were doing something for a greater good despite their evil acts.
Conclusion
Thanos wanted to see his own plan come to fruition–a plan that involved killing half the universe so those remaining would prosper and not face a shortage in resources.
He had seen his own home planet, Titan, fall, so he believed his plan was better than any other. This displayed Thanos’ arrogance as, per Joe and Anthony Russo’s words, he could have used the stones to make more resources, but he chose not to.
The Mad Titan isn’t incredibly different from other supervillains. He is self-righteous and self-serving, but he also believes he is doing something for the greater good–something that will benefit the masses, even if he is ultimately performing an evil act.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.