By Ben Morse

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #3 AND “Marvel’s The Avengers”—PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ problems just went from bad to cosmic, as Thanos revealed himself to be the mastermind behind the new Zodiac in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #3, on sale now.

Avengers Assemble #3 art by Mark Bagley

A Death-worshipping nihilist and hugely powerful alien conqueror, Thanos made his first appearance in 1973’s IRON MAN #55 and has spent the past several decades plaguing Marvel’s greatest champions, from the Avengers to The Silver Surfer, and orchestrating schemes that threaten all of reality, such as his seizing of nigh omnipotence via the Infinity Gauntlet. Most recently, the Mad Titan made a big screen splash appearing in an unexpected cameo at the conclusion of “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

“Since we designed AVENGERS ASSEMBLE to be a nice, easy entry point for people coming out of the film, for all that it still exists within our current Marvel Universe, it was a bit of a no-brainer to have Thanos be the villains behind our first storyline,” shares Marvel Senior VP – Executive Editor Tom Brevoort. “More than simply bringing him back, this storyline will be setting him up for bigger things that are just off on the horizon—it’s the first step towards something we’ve been working on behind the scenes for a while now.”

Throughout his existence, Thanos has played the villain, the hero and all parts in between. Brevoort believes his towering sense of stature combined with this ambiguity makes him an ideal challenge for the most prominent heroes in the Marvel Universe.

“He’s a villain of such power and stature that he can give the Avengers a fight all by himself,” he notes. “There’s no such thing as a small Thanos story—he operates on an intergalactic scale. And he’s a fascinating, nuanced character, with passions and neuroses all his own that make him stand apart as an individual, and not just a cookie-cutter moustache-twirler.”

Thanos’ story continues in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #4, on sale June 13