Both Times Thanos Died in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Explained

Thanos is one of the greatest villains in the MCU ever. He’s been Avenger’s main threat for years, and his goal to wipe half of the universe from existence greatly threatened everything that lives and breaths. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that regardless of his might and strength, Mad Titan died not once but twice. With that in mind, we will explain both times Thanos died in Avengers: Endgame.

Thanos died for the first time in ”The Garden”, where the Avengers caught him off guard and Thor chopped his head off. He died for the second time when Iron Man used the Infinity Stones and turned Thanos and his whole army into ashes, sacrificing himself in the process.

Mad Titan thought that he was helping everyone and considered himself a savior. Others considered him a madman who brought only murder and chaos wherever he went. Eventually, Avengers stopped him once and for good, but they had to kill him twice to ensure he was no longer a threat. Let’s see how it all went down.

How did Thanos die for the first time in Avengers: Endgame?

After Thanos succeeded in his mission and wiped out half of the Universe’s population, despair and hopelessness followed. World governments were a mess, as they were unsure how to cope with the fact that half of humanity had simply been gone. The remaining Avengers were in disbelief and anger, with their only focus being to find Thanos and have their revenge.

Their search, deep space scanning, and satellite usage yielded no results, as the Mad Titan was nowhere to be found. However, after some minor disagreements, Nebula provided the Avengers with valuable information about Thanos’ whereabouts.

Thanos often spoke of his “grand plan,” frequently mentioning it as he repeatedly disassembled and reassembled Nebula to make her into the perfect weapon. Nebula blindly believed in Thanos and desired his approval. Ultimately, she hoped she would stand by his side when he completed his lifelong mission and that together they would find peace in “The Garden.” This was the place Thanos had always planned to retreat to after achieving his great victory.

Although the Avengers didn’t know the exact location of “The Garden,” Thanos revealed his position when he used the Infinity Stones again, causing a massive power surge that the Avengers detected. So, without much hesitation, they decided to travel to the unknown planet, take the Infinity Stones from Thanos, and restore the world to its former state. However, things were not as simple as they initially seemed.

Thanos resided peacefully in “The Garden,” and the Avengers found him alone, without any defenses or weapons. In a surprise attack, they managed to overpower him, and Thor, filled with rage, got a new opportunity to “go for the head” this time. However, they mainly wanted to find Thanos to retrieve the Infinity Stones – but they were gone. Thanos had used the Stones to destroy the Stones themselves, as they were merely a means to an end for him, and afterward, they were nothing more than a temptation for the power-hungry.

After Thor realizes Thanos is not lying and that he destroyed the Stones, he uses Stormbreaker to chop off Thanos’s head. He got his revenge, but it didn’t make him any happier. The rest of the Avengers had to accept the devastating fact that they had lost their only chance to set things right. And with this realization, they lived for the next five years.

How did Thanos die the second time in Avengers: Endgame?

After Thanos’s “snap,” several years passed, but grief and struggles remained. Everyone tried hard to move on, one step at a time, but the pain of loss was too great to do so effectively. However, a new hope was born when Ant-Man explained to the Avengers how the quantum realm could be used for time travel, and Tony perfected the time-space GPS.

So, the Avengers devised a plan and went on a “Time Heist” mission across time and space. The plan was to find all the Infinity Stones in the past at different locations, on different planets, and at different times – all before Thanos could. However, Thanos realized what the Avengers were doing and used it to his advantage.

Eventually, the Avengers collected all the Stones, and Bruce Banner used them to snap his fingers and bring everyone back. However, their excitement was short-lived because, moments later, Thanos’s ship attacked the Avenger’s compound with Nebula’s help.

What followed was one of the greatest battles in the MCU ever. Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor teamed up and used all their might, powers, and effort in a majestic fight against Thanos. Captain America proves himself worthy of wielding Mjolnir and Stormbreaker and strikes Thanos with potent attacks. But it wasn’t enough, as Thanos was too strong to defeat.

It all ended in a grand battle between two armies, one led by the Avengers and the other commanded by Thanos. And just when it seemed that Thanos might win, Captain Marvel brought the much-needed advantage to the Avengers. Nevertheless, Thanos fought fiercely and managed to overpower anyone standing in his way. And all that resulted in him obtaining the gauntlet with Infinity Stones again.

Tony Stark started to lose hope but was encouraged by Dr. Strange’s sign that this was the only time they defeated Thanos. At that point, he knew what to do. Iron Man confronted Thanos for a moment, just enough so that he could use his nanotechnology and obtain the Stones from Thanos’s hand. And that’s what he did. Tony then snapped his fingers, turning Thanos and his army into ashes.

The Avengers killed Thanos for the second time, and this time for good. The Universe was restored as before, but it all came with a great price, as Tony sacrificed his life.

We can all agree that the moment when Iron Man snapped his fingers and used the Infinity Stones will be remembered as one of the tensest and most emotional in the franchise.