Convincing Marvel fan theory suggests why Thanos waited so long to attack The Avengers

It's the end of August 2018 and if by now you haven't seen Avengers: Infinity War and are clicking on articles about the film, then you deserve to have it spoiled.

Anyway, you'll probably be more than aware that at the end of the blockbuster, a lot of people die - including quite a few of the Avengers at the hands of Thanos, once he collected all the infinity stones.

Yet Thanos had been knocking around the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the end of Avengers Assemble in 2012, so why did he wait seven years to unleash his wrath on Earth's mightiest heroes?

Sure, there are obvious reasons like Marvel wanting to make more money by releasing more films and introducing more characters, but that would be cynical.

If we're to put on our Marvel logic hats and ask why Thanos took so long to attack the universe, then a theory recently on Instagram might have the answer.

That's right, if the combined forces of Odin, The Ancient One and Ego the Living Planet were still active, then Thanos might not have stood a chance.

Just in case you haven't been keeping check, Odin was killed off in Thor: Ragnarok after being impersonated by Loki, The Ancient One perished in Doctor Strange, and Ego was taken care of in Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol 2.

All of those films were released after Thanos first appeared on our screens and would suggest that he was biding his time, perhaps out of a fear of their power.

Of course, this is all just a theory and fans grabbing at straws to make something seem cool, but it's kinda fun to indulge in these ideas every once in a while.

However, when you dig back through the interviews with some of Marvel Studios head honchos, it would seem that there is some gravitas to this theory.

Ahead of the release of Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum did suggest that Thanos was weak to the power of Odin.

He told ComicBook.com:

And what we come to learn, what Thor comes to learn early on, is that there’s a lot of terrible things in the cosmos that just shouldn’t be that way.

And we learn that Odin was doing far more than it seemed on the surface to keep the universe safe.​

There were all these threats that he had quelled or was keeping at bay, using his strength and power to do so, that Loki was completely unprepared for. 

So he becomes the King of Asgard, everything is great, it’s a good party. But he failed to realise the threats that were just over the horizon.

Whatever the answer is, it still isn't helping us get over the ending of Infinity War.

Avengers Infinity War will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK on September 3.

HT Shortlist

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