<Li> Plasma energy projection </Li> <P> Thanos (UK: / ˈθænɒs /, US: / ˈθænoʊs /) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by writer Mike Friedrich and writer - artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55 (cover dated February 1973). </P> <P> The character appears in various Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including The Avengers (2012), portrayed by Damion Poitier, and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and its untitled sequel (2019), portrayed by Josh Brolin through voice and motion capture . The character has appeared in various comic adaptations, including animated television series, arcade, and video games . </P> <P> Writer - artist Jim Starlin originally conceived of Thanos of Titan during college psychology classes . As Starlin described: </P>

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