King Thanos (Marvel Comics | Guardians of the Galaxy)

King Thanos is an alternate-future variant of the Mad Titan from the designation Earth-TRN666, representing an elderly iteration who achieves total victory in his cosmic ambitions. Created by writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw, he first appeared in Thanos (Vol. 2) #13 (January 2018), with significant revelations and developments unfolding across the "Thanos Wins" storyline in issues #13–18. In this timeline, Thanos ultimately succeeds in eradicating nearly all life in the universe to court the entity Death, conquering heroes, cosmic beings, and entire civilizations, only to rule over a desolate realm as its solitary king, accompanied by enforced loyalists.

Possessing amplified versions of the standard abilities of Thanos—superhuman strength, durability, energy manipulation, and genius intellect—King Thanos demonstrates even greater prowess, having personally decapitated Galactus and subjugated formidable entities. He maintains a brutalized Hulk as a chained pet and employs the Cosmic Ghost Rider (a punished Frank Castle empowered by Mephisto and Galactus) as his herald and enforcer. His rule is marked by absolute dominion, yet undermined by profound isolation and the persistent rejection by Death, whom he seeks to impress through universal annihilation.

The defining arc "Thanos Wins" depicts King Thanos, nearing death, using a Time Stone fragment to summon his younger Earth-616 counterpart for assistance in defeating the final opponent, the Fallen One (a vastly empowered Silver Surfer wielding Mjolnir). After jointly vanquishing this threat and briefly reuniting with Death, the elder Thanos reveals his true intent: to provoke his younger self into killing him for a worthy end. Disgusted by this desperation, the present-day Thanos refuses, departs through time, and vows to avert this future, causing King Thanos's timeline to fade—though Death later affirms the younger version's triumph. Subsequent restorations of the timeline allow brief reappearances, underscoring themes of inevitable victory tempered by eternal dissatisfaction.

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