Did Thanos Really Rip Iron Man in Half? Here Is What Happened

Thanos is one of the most formidable villains in the Marvel Universe. His cruelty is unparalleled and rivaled only by his desire for power and domination and to impress his love, Death. Throughout his attempts to conquer reality, Thanos was mostly unsuccessful, except in one of the What…If? comic book storylines when he destroyed nearly all life in the universe. He clashed with the Avengers and was ultimately victorious. None of the Avengers made it out alive, but Iron Man died an especially gruesome death. In his attempts to retrieve the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos, Iron Man faced his final moments, but many fans that did not read the comic wondered, Did Thanos Really rip Iron Man in Half?

Thanos ripped Iron Man in Half during the 2018 “Thanos Wins” comic book storyline while the Avengers launched the final attack on the Mad Titan. Thanos can be seen fighting the Avengers, making quick work of them, and disposing of them easily. One of the casualties is Iron Man, who gets ripped in half as he tries to face Thanos. Thanos disposes of him and, in the scene, seemingly pours his insides out of his body. The story is told from the perspective of Frank Castle, who gets turned into Cosmic Ghost Rider to stop this future from coming true.

Luckily, Thanos Wins is just a part of What…If? series, it has no impact on the main Marvel continuity. Still, it’s interesting to imagine what would have happened if Thanos truly won. If you’re interested in more, stay with us!

“Thanos Wins” delivers a view into a bleak and depressing future for everyone

“Thanos Wins” comic book storyline created by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Antonio Fabela, and Clayton Cowles delivers an insight into how things would have turned out if Thanos had managed to get his way with the Infinity Gauntlet. Frank Castle, aka Cosmic Ghost Rider, plays a huge part in this alternative storyline as he was one of Thanos’ victims when he launched his attack on Earth’s superheroes.

Thanos was driven insane by his over-encompassing desire to finally claim Death and bring balance to the universe. He managed to acquire all six Infinity Stones, and this is where the rampage begins. Frank Castle recalls that in his final moments, he saw Thanos standing amidst all destruction, holding two halves of Iron Man’s body with insides pouring out. Thanos can also be seen killing Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, and inevitably the rest of the Avengers.

Franck Castle was killed by a piece of debris from nearby destruction, and in his final moment, he thought about how he would have given everything to punish Thanos for everything he did, and after Death, he gets that chance.

Frank Castle gets imbued with the Spirit of Vengeance

As we’ve mentioned, Franck Castle is so consumed with hatred, grief, and vengeance he gets transported to hell after dying and meets Mephisto, who offers him the chance to punish Thanos. Frank Castle gets imbued with the Spirit of Vengeance and its powers. He becomes the fabled Ghost Rider.

After Frank Castle / Ghost Rider returned to Earth, Thanos was long gone. The desolation he left behind was beyond any scope, and no living creature was in sight. Ghost Rider spent eons alone wandering the desolated ruins of his home planet. Even Mephisto falls silent after some time until a glimmer of hope appears in the form of a desperate and nearly dead Galactus.

Galactus comes to Earth in search of help

Galactus is looking for any means to stop Thanos. He happens upon Earth and remembers how he met the mightiest forces of the universe here. At first, he searches for Reed Richards, but the only creature that answers is Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider makes a deal with Galactus. He will help him on his quest to defeat Thanos, but first, Ghost Rider needs to imbue him with the Spirit of Vengeance. After Ghost Rider was transformed into a Cosmic Ghost Rider, he and Galactus made their way across the numerous Galaxies, fighting Thanos every step until the final confrontation.

Cosmic Ghost Rider makes a deal with the “Third Devil”

Galactus and Cosmic Ghost Rider inevitably had to face Thanos. This is the confrontation that Galactus sadly lost. Thanos offered Cosmic Ghost Rider to switch sides again, and he agreed. Back at Thanos’ palace, Hulk can be seen serving as one of Thanos’ pets.
Thanos, now known as King Thanos, gave Cosmic Ghost Rider a Time Stone fragment to return in time and brings his “younger safe” to the current time. Cosmic Rider is successful in his retrieval of younger Thanos, and the end of time begins.

The last stand of the Fallen One

King Thanos and younger Thanos are joined, and they expect the attack of the Fallen One and Annihilation Wave. Fallen One arrives, and the battle ensues. At one moment, Thanos orders savaged Hulk to kill the Fallen One, but during the fight, Hulk comes to his senses and returns to his Bruce Banner form for a moment. The Fallen One embraces him but is soon killed by the combined forces of King Thanos, Thanos, and Cosmic Ghost Rider.

Thanos Wins

After the confrontation with The Fallen One, Death appears. Thanos seems frustrated because it seems that Death requires one more thing. His own life. This is where Thanos figured out why his older version summoned him to the future. He summoned his younger self to kill him because no one was allowed to kill Thanos but Thanos.

The confrontation is quick, and Thanos easily overpowers his older self. In one crucial moment, however, Older Thanos begs younger Thanos to kill him. Thanos is seemingly disgusted. Kings don’t beg. Thanos doesn’t beg!

The display of weakness revolts younger Thanos, and he decides to punish the older version of himself by keeping him alive. He takes the Time Stone and returns to the past, where he decides that the future in which he is weak and begs for Death is too pathetic and can’t come to pass.

The current timeline, the current version of events, starts to fade around Old King Thanos and Death. The two stand in Thanos’ palace, aware that the future in which they are joined will never come to pass. Old Thanos realizes that younger Thanos has erased him from existence, and he asks Death one final answer to his question.

What did Thanos do to get rid of him? The Death answers, “He won”