Marvel Studios Just Unveiled the 5th Hero to Defeat Thanos

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Marvel Studios has introduced another hero who can defeat Thanos, the powerful villain from the Infinity Saga. While Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) was once considered unstoppable, he’s now been defeated multiple times in different versions of the Marvel universe. This new Disney+ series shows Thanos losing for the fifth time, demonstrating that even the strongest characters can be overcome.

The new Marvel Studios series, Marvel Zombies, finally resolves a storyline that began in the What If…? episode from 2021. It also shows Thanos suffering another defeat. The series picks up five years after the “What If… Zombies?!” episode, returning to the scene where Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and Black Panther arrive in Wakanda, only to find Thanos transformed into a zombie and armed with five Infinity Stones.

Episode 3 fully explains the battle, with Peter Parker narrating how Thanos’s weakening mental state limited his abilities while infected.

It was absolutely devastating watching the battle in Wakanda. Seeing Thanos tear through the Golden City and unleash that molten vibranium was horrific enough, but then to see Thor, Groot, and Rocket rush in to help… and then just vanish thanks to the Power Stone? It was a gut punch, honestly. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like everything changed in that moment.

Desperate to save the universe, T’Challa used the Mind Stone to attack Thanos, understanding it might be their only chance. In a final, heroic sacrifice – a path taken by many before – T’Challa tackled Thanos into the reactor core, destroying both of them and stopping Thanos from snapping his fingers again.

When the Infinity Stones were destroyed, they unleashed a massive surge of energy that twisted reality, ultimately leading to the appearance of Infinity Hulk in the series finale.

Although this moment felt significant for Marvel Zombies, Thanos has lost before in other Marvel movies and shows.

4 Heroes Who Defeated Thanos

Thor

The beginning of Avengers: Endgame (2019) shows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) still struggling with his defeat in Infinity War. He immediately takes out his frustration with a vengeful act, which sets the stage for his troubled journey over the next five years.

Thor finds Thanos hiding in a secluded garden and joins the Avengers in questioning him, hoping to learn what happened to the Infinity Stones, which Thanos has broken down into their basic components.

Overcome with anger and sorrow, he quickly beheads Thanos using Stormbreaker, a tremendously powerful weapon. This shocking moment marked one of the most impactful defeats in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Thanos died even while appearing to win.

Iron Man

In the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., finishes his transformation from a carefree bachelor to a hero who sacrifices everything for others.

During the climactic fight among the shattered remains of the Avengers’ base, Stark secretly takes the Infinity Stones from Thanos’ glove. He declares, “I am Iron Man,” and then snaps his fingers.

As a huge fan, I always felt his selfless act was the perfect ending to the Infinity Saga – it gave us both the satisfying revenge we wanted and a real sense of finality. That’s why the news of the actors potentially returning as Doctor Doom feels so strange and honestly, a little confusing. It just doesn’t quite fit with the emotional weight of that ending!

Illuminati

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we learn that the Illuminati from Earth-838 previously overcame their universe’s Thanos, proving how powerful their version of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is.

A version of Doctor Strange created a team to safeguard reality. Its members include Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart), Reed Richards (John Krasinski), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), and Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

In this alternate reality, during the conflict with Thanos, heroes used the Book of Vishanti to defeat him with his own weapon, preventing him from wiping out half of all life. Stephen Strange was a more powerful and dangerous opponent here, ultimately needing to be defeated after Thanos.

Ravager T’Challa

In the second episode of What If…? Season 1, a version of T’Challa—raised among the Ravagers instead of as king of Wakanda—doesn’t beat Thanos in a fight. Instead, he convinces Thanos to change his ways.

In this version of events, T’Challa convinces Thanos to give up his plan to wipe out half of all life, pointing out how wrong it is. Instead of destruction, Thanos changes his ways and teams up with T’Challa and the Ravagers to fight even bigger threats, like the Collector. This prevents Thanos from ever using the Snap, and leads to a universe filled with surprising optimism.

BONUS: Infinity Ultron

In the animated series What If…?, Season 1, Episode 8, the villain Infinity Ultron (voiced by Ross Marquand) quickly defeats Thanos.

Having defeated humanity and taken control of Vision’s body, Ultron gathers the Infinity Stones and immediately destroys Thanos with a powerful energy blast.

Driven by immense power and unchecked ambition, Ultron’s destructive actions threatened all of reality, ultimately forcing The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) to break his long-standing rule and intervene to save everything.

BONUS: Killmonger

In Season 2, Episode 9 of What If…?, Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) double-crosses Thanos and seizes the Infinity Stones. He then uses them to eliminate Thanos – marking the seventh time the villain has been defeated in the series.

Killmonger was brought in by The Watcher to help with a crisis affecting multiple universes, but his desire for power quickly led him to betray his allies and try to take control for himself.

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2025-11-09 00:06