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Who was that guy at the end of the Avengers?

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Avengers 2: Age of Ultron update: While this article is fairly dated, the same character was seen in the end of Avengers 2. The purple guy that everyone is wondering about is in fact Thanos. The rest of this article is specific to his appearance during the credits of the first Avengers movie, but it still does a good job at explaining the character.

Update: After a bit more research on the subject I have found some more information. The Other that Loki is making deals with was Thanos’ servant. He was reporting back to Thanos when we saw him turn and give that evil grin. Be sure to read the rest of the article for more “facts”.

I watched the Avengers this weekend. Loved it. Started a bit slow, but turned into a great film. But this isn’t an Avengers review (Ross already has that covered), but rather explaining a few things regarding the film.

Purple guy at the end of Avengers

Purple guy at the end of Avengers

First up: Who was that purple guy at the end of the Avengers?

You know, the dude that pulled off the slow turn in the credits? To my chagrin, it wasn’t purple hulk. I hate to admit it, but this is a question I had to ask myself. But thanks to my small circle of nerdy friends, the answer was just a text message away. The mystery man is none other than Thanos, from the Silver Surfer series.

Apparently Thanos is made of pure bad-ass with a sprinkle of awesome, and some don’t take shit from no one on the side. He was also described to me as Marvel’s super villain. This sounds like a major step up from Loki (who sounds like a complete pussy compared to Thanos).

But what was the significance of having him appear in the credits of the Avengers? Isn’t it obvious?!?!?! Avengers 2!

Who did you think the character was? Click here to leave your comment!

Second: Didn’t the alien flying machines sound familiar? They did to me. I am almost certain that they ripped off the SFX from Star Wars. Figure it out yet? That’s right, pod racers. Can I confirm this? No. But I can say for certain that the 2 sounds are definitely similar, and that’s good enough to call it confirmed in my book.

Lastly: I was disappointed that the portal back to Earth was blue, and not orange (and that there was no cake). My video game nerd friends will get that reference.

So what were your thoughts on the film? Did anything leave you with questions? Any fun observations? Sound off in the comments!

  • Josh

    I’ve heard rumors that Joss Whedon had said just because Thanos was in the clip in the credits, doesn’t mean he’ll be in the Avengers 2. Also, in Thor we catch a glimpse of the Infinity Gauntlet in Oden’s vault with the other toys, so there was a smaller hint at Thanos before The Avengers. I personally think his next small appearance will be in Thor 2, and they will keep building him up for Avengers 3. Kind of like all the clips with Nick Fury recruiting the Avengers.

    • While I like the idea of building up to the villain Nick Fury style, I dont see why they would wait until 3. They started hinting Thanos in Thor, they hint at him again in The Avengers, throw another clue out for Thor 2, and maybe one more hint in some other superhero movie. BAM! You are set up for Avengers 2. Why try and stretch it out to #3?

      • Brandan G

        To Make Money

        • They will make money regardless. There are literally oodles of heros and villains to choose from. I predict this will be a never ending franchise.

    • matthew

      When I first saw him, I thought it was Kang, but now I’m kinda having second thoughts, but I still have small believes, or “the other one” ( as Loki referred to him as, )( the dude who bowed) could be Kang, or just the next Villian for 2. I however don’t think Thanos will show up for a while, because, there’s The dude who bowed, and, THANOS MIGHT BE UNDER EVAN MORE CONTROL, so he might not be the leader, hence, there could be someone greater!!!!

  • Josh

    Why? You kind of answered your own question in the article. Thanos is beyond bad ass. Marvels super villain? They’re gonna save the best for last (or later, depending on the number of sequels). What are you gonna do in Avengers 3 if they whoop the most powerful villain in 2?

    • Can’t you see! They send him home in Avengers 2 defeated! Of course! But for Avengers 3 he assembles his own team of super villains to come back and seek revenge on the Avengers (who have now grown in size and power).

  • movie_biz

    not gonna lie, i thought it was purple hulk at first too.

  • Kregg

    Wiki says Thanos’ first appearance was in an extended storyline that spanned Iron Man #55, then the character next appeared in Silver Surfer vol 3 #34 (Feb 1990) and had a recurring role through issue 50.

    • Thanks for taking a look, I may add some info about Thanos in the article.

  • I thought it was Red Skull !

    • That would have fit as well. Perhaps some more research is in order to say exactly how we know it is Thanos, other than just some guy on a movie blog’s friend told him so.

    • matthew

      I thought it was Kang!!

  • Brad

    I initially thought the villian was Kang the Conqueror. But a friend saw on his Facebook that a “certified comic book nerd friend” said it was Thanos. Then, being the Silver Surfer fan that I am, I became super stoked. Anything to give me hopes of a properly done Silver Surfer series someday.

  • Mike Diaz

    ” To my demise it wasn’t purple hulk.” You should really consult a dictionary before you write an article for mass consumption…TO MY DEMISE means to my death….SO you died after writing this? SCHOOL-It isn’t just a daycare you know….

    • Let’s see here….. Nope still alive. Perhaps I should have selected my words more carefully, I will take this into consideration in the future.

      But then again, I really don’t give a damn.

      • Laney

        I think you meant to use the word chagrin instead of demise. Keep it in mind next time :)

        • Good call Laney! I will try and remember that in the future.

  • max

    i saw this movie twice and i didnt know who at first but i thought and still think that it is yohan shmit from captain america because it never really showed him die it showed the cube thing take him into itself

    • A lot of people have mentioned that it was red skull (Yohan Schmidt) but I haven’t seen anything official saying that. I can’t recall where, but I know I have seen an official statement confirming that it was Thanos. I need to track it down and add it to the original article.

  • Yar

    Has anyone noticed that the 2D version is shorter than the 3D? There are scenes that have been shorten. Not sure? Watch both version where Hulk & Thor ride the flying monster thing through Grand Central Station, its shorter in 2d than 3d. There are other parts where they’ve shorten it, but wasn’t apparent till that scene. Watched it 2x in 3D and once on 2D. Might watch it one more time in 3d, lol.

    • I actually only watched the 2D version as I normally despise 3D. But this is the first I have heard of scenes being cut from the 2D variant. Now I am compelled to watch them both again and see for myself.

  • Zero Sentience

    In all honesty, i thought (and still believe) that the villain was Galactus. But if Thanos IS the villain in Avengers 2, they should consider having a full powered Galactus in Avengers 3.

  • Boy

    I thought it was Apocalypse.

  • jedi al

    Now it is Thanos, at the end of the movie but he could be introduced in Iron man 3(he first appeared in Iron Man #55. So they could show him Nick Furry style in Iron man 3 and Thor 2
    Well not to be a buss kill but the Avengers never saw or met Galactus until the Secret Wars comics so he most likely wont make his way to the big screen unless they want to reboot the Fantastic 4

    • Billy

      Let say…… They do end up rebooting fantastic 4 (which I strongly believe they won’t because of this reason). How are they going to pull that off if Captain America and the Human Torch are played by the same actor!? Sooo don’t think well EVER see Galactus on the big screen.

  • Livengrin

    I thought it was the Super-Skrull because I was believing the invasion was skrulls, which would come back in Avengers 2 with the Super-skrull. Thanos was also a remote possibilty but I could not remember until later if Thanos was Marvel Universe or DC Universe.

    • ‘Was he skrull?’ That was actually the first question I asked when my friend was explaining who it was.

      • matthew

        I believe it was kang, but now I’m having second thoughts, please retype my reply to you, so everyone can agree or disagree.

        • Not sure exactly what you want retyped my man. Feel free to contact me here if needed layne.craig [ at ] gmail.com

          Thanks for stopping by.

  • Scott
  • Mike

    I thought it was Kang from the old comic series of Avengers.

  • pheobe

    I have a question that has little to do with the whole thanos theme…who’s gonna play johnny blaze now that the same person who played him is captain america and will there be a link to the fantastic 4?

    • BigLancey

      Good question….there was some mention of Galactus in earlier posts, and we all know that Dr. Doom tried to take on Silver Surfer and Galactus at one point, and there’s the link to FF. Unfortunately, the FF franchise might be outtey.

  • BigLancey

    I thought at first it was Apocalypse…..and since the character is not mentioned anywhere, how about this storyline…..more mentions in upcoming Thor and Avengers movies, and then he makes his full appearance in Avengers 3, who will need to call upon the X-Men to help win that battle. There might be movie/studio rights at play here, still, might be kinda cool.

  • GeekGuru;)

    I’ve heard many a rumor that the next baddy is going to be Galactus. Many many rumors

    • I have heard more rumors about this one cut scene than I have the entire time leading up to the movie itself.

  • Siena

    There may not have been cake, but there was shwarma! :D

  • Tyler

    I am absolutely sure it was Thanos, because you can see the lined chin.

  • Ethan

    Apocalypse or Galactus was definitely my first thought, although Apocalypse was more strictly X-men related, was he not? I really don’t know much about Thanos at all….

  • Ethan

    The portal joke was pretty funny btw. Took me second but I caught on ;)

  • apple

    I really thought the guys at the end was a purple hulk who was like the hulks evil twin brother. I am also very annoyed that natalie portman wasn’t in this movie. She is thor’s girlfriend. If i was her i would be pretty P.O.go purple hulk. I hope he dies. Avengers rule.

  • coolater

    I think it’s probably SCHMIT from Captain America maybe?

  • Brandon roach

    It’s the guy from captain America

  • Random Guy

    In the movie why does Thanos looks a bit like hulk except purple

  • JT

    click this link and read the entire story of Thanos…. IT IS THANOS………..AT the end of the movie when the alien said,” to challenge Them is to Court Death” Then that’s when Thanos turns and Grins.. That is his Occupation: Conqueror and Worshiper of Death.

    At some point in his adult life, Thanos met the embodiment of Death itself who, in female form, became Thanos’ companion. It is probable that Death was attracted to Thanos by both his philosophical dedication to nihilism as well as his willingness to commit genocide on even his own people. Thanos began, for the first time in his life, to experience love for another being, although the being was just a manifestation of Death. To make himself worthy of so awesome an entity, Thanos decided to acquire more power. At first he planned simply to seize political power through the conquest of worlds. To this end, he amassed a huge armada of battleships. Then he found a way to amplify immeasurably his personal power. Having kept the planet Earth under surveillance since it first exploded a nuclear weapon, Thanos learned of a power-object called the Cosmic Cube brought into existence by the subversive organization, Advanced Idea Mechanics. Thanos seized control of the reality-altering device and commanded it to give him control over the universe.

    Transformed into a godlike wraith by the Cosmic Cube, Thanos battled the Avengers and the Kree Captain Marvel, the former of whom had already vanquished his armada.

  • Lee monjello

    Didn’t anyone notice that the purple puke had a human hand as he was standing up????
    The. Redskulled guy from capt A. Would seem to make more sense

  • Lindsey

    I personally think it is, in fact, Thanos. Did no one catch the Mistress Death hint?

    “To challenge the humans is to court death.”

    Thanos practically IS courting death, because he worships Mistress Death. I think Iron Man 3 and any other Avenger character movies will lead into Thanos for Avengers 2. Thanos will be thwarted only to return in 3 with M. Death by his side.

  • comicnerd115

    It’s Thanos. It couldn’t be Red Skull. They look nothing alike. Also, Marvel will not be rebooting Fantastic Four as they currently do not own the rights to the movies. Columbia will reboot FF, the same way they have redone Spidey. Spiderman, X-Men, FF all belong to Columbia, meaning that these francises will not appear in Marvel’s cinematic universe. Same goes for Daredevil, Deadpool and more. All of you, Marvel.com and Google are your friends ffs

  • comicnerd115

    Not to mention Whedon already said publically that it was Thanos…

  • yahqob

    Doomsday

  • adam

    It was the person out of guardians of the galaxy remember when Thor had the vision showing 4 crystals and they had the yellow one in guardians of the galaxy they had the purple one and the purple guy was like the king they was fighting.