Avengers: Endgame brought an end to the first three phases of the MCU, bringing an end to a storyline that spanned across 23 movies, and a couple of TV shows, over a period of more than 10 years - dooming the franchise's ability to bring back its most iconic villain at the same time. Endgame was an epic conclusion to the Infinity Saga, calling together earth's mightiest heroes in a pitched battle against the combined might of Thanos and his armies. It provided fans with multiple highlights, brought closure to a number of individual character arcs, and broke numerous records at the box office. In doing so, however, it also sabotaged any chance of Thanos being able to return to the MCU.

Thanos was a major player in the Infinity Saga storyline, starting out as a backstage player pulling the strings, before taking center stage as the big bad in both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. The final battle brought a definitive end to the saga, with Thanos and his armies vanquished by a snap of Iron Man’s fingers. With future storylines focused on the multiverse, and rumors of a soft MCU reboot bringing back retired characters, Thanos could theoretically make a return to the MCU. The major plot device used in Endgame, however, means any chance of the Mad Titan making a reappearance could be seen as redundant.

Related: 4 Ways The MCU Has Ruined Endgame's Time Travel Rules 4 Years Later

Endgame's Two Thanos Plot Makes A Future Return Unlikely

Thanos was killed off not just once, but twice in the final chapter of the Infinity Saga, and both deaths were definitive. At the beginning of Endgame, The Avengers track Thanos down, finding him injured and alone after he destroyed the Infinity Stones. In a fit of anger, Thor kills Thanos by cutting off his head. Thanos' first death sets off a time-traveling caper that allows the Avengers to reset the events of Infinity War, resulting in a pitched final battle with a younger version of Thanos, which leads to his second death in the film. By bringing Thanos back once, the MCU may have already lost their chance to do it again.

The introduction of the multiverse is an opportunity to bring back any number of characters into the MCU. It has already been done in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which showcased multiple variants of Spider-Man and his enemies. It also allows for the introduction of variants of characters that have yet to appear in the MCU, such as Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Bringing Thanos back as a variant in future MCU storylines would feel repetitive, however, because it's already been done, and it would also lessen the impact of Tony Stark's sacrifice in Endgame.

Why Thanos' Return Being Unlikely Might Be Good For The MCU

Thanos is a hugely popular character, but resisting the urge to bring him back is a good thing for the MCU. A returning Thanos would only cheapen the emotional, and impactful, conclusion of the Infinity Saga. There are already a number of major MCU characters who died and came back to life, and it can fuel the criticism that these stories do not have any real consequences. There are so many Marvel stories and characters yet to be explored, and while Avengers: Endgame may have sabotaged Marvel's only real chance of bringing Thanos back into the MCU, there is plenty to look forward to.