While Thanos has been everything from a villain to an anti-hero, he's almost always held a special hatred for the Avengers. This legendary feud has extended across decades and even realities, and though Thanos has teamed up with the Avengers before, it is almost always an alliance of convenience. However, there is one reality where Thanos didn't just join the Avengers, he led them, and it ended in the most tragic way possible.
The limited Thanos series from Jeff Lemire and German Peralta saw the Mad Titan in a more desperate situation than ever before. After learning that Thanos has a serious illness, a group led by his son Thane converge to try and end Thanos once and for all. However, that alliance shatters when Thane gains access to the Phoenix Force. In order to stop his power-mad son from ripping the universe apart, Thanos and his former assassins travel to the burial place of gods in the Marvel Universe, the God Quarry. There, the God Quarry's defenders the Infinity Witches encase Thanos in stone, trapping him in his mind so that he might prove himself worthy of the Quarry's power.
In Thanos #10, readers are greeted to a strange sight, Thanos leading the Avengers as Earth's Mightiest Hero. Thanos saves his team from Abomination, telling the monstrosity that no one harms his friends. Though the Avengers all celebrate Thanos' victory over Abomination, the titan himself is hesitant, realizing that something is wrong. Back at Avengers Tower he talks with Captain America as the two look at screens showing that the world is at peace. When Thanos says he feels like he's forgotten something, the screens change to show Thanos committing heinous acts in the real world. The Infinity Witches, using Cap as their voice, tell Thanos he could reject his life of violence. However, this has the opposite of the intended effect. Thanos returns to his former self and crushes Cap's head. He then kills all of the Avengers with a blast of energy, reclaiming his identity as well as the God Quarry's power.
Though Thanos claiming the God Quarry's power is undeniably a victory considering the threat Thane poses, there is something tragic about the way he claims it. Thanos might typically be a villain, but he has often been something of an anti-hero. Despite Thanos' obsession with death and frequent acts of evil, there is clearly some potential for good within him. Thanos #10 shows that potential finally blossom. If Thanos wanted to, he could be more than a hero, he could be earth's greatest hero. Seeing him reject the temptation of good is doubly heartbreaking because this version of the Avengers genuinely trusts him, so his betrayal is devastating.
Unfortunately, Thanos' time as Earth's Mightiest Hero was nothing more than a dream. Regardless of what potential for good dwells deep in the Mad Titan's heart, it is clear which side of morality he has chosen and will continue to choose. Thanos could have been the Avengers' greatest leader, but instead, he's their greatest enemy.
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