Ronan the Accuser Is Not Thanos’ Son, Here’s How They’re Connected

Ronan the Accuser is one of the most notable villains in the MCU, largely to his infamous fall from grace and the fact that he was defeated in what will be remembered as a dance-off in a fight against Star-Lord. Ronan collaborated with Thanos for much of his career until he decided to defect from his service and pursue his own goals, and this is why many fans are wondering whether Ronan is one of Thanos‘ children and how they were connected in the first place. 

Ronan is not Thanos’ son. They are not related biologically, and Thanos never adopted him like most of his “children” in the MCU. Ronan was simply embittered Kree, who saw collaboration with Thanos as means to get back to Xandarians and used the opportunity and power that the Mad Titan presented. Ronan eventually decided to betray Thanos, and the Mad Titan never got the opportunity to exact his vengeance because Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy got to him first. 

Now that we’ve summarized that Ronan and Thanos are not related in any way, it’s time to analyze this in more detail. If you’re interested in Ronan’s early life and what led to his fall from grace, stay with us and keep reading!

Ronan was a Kree Accuser that took part in several wars before his dealings with Thanos

We know that Thanos had several close underlings supporting his cause during his role as the main MCU villain, and many of his most important goals were carried out by his adoptive children, the so-called ‘Black Order.’ In fact, Gamora and Nebula were also Thanos’ adoptive children, but Gamora decided to defect pretty early on, largely due to Thanos’ dealings with Ronan, who was even at that time known to be unstable and cruel. 

Ronan was never part of the ‘Black Order’ and was never adopted or biologically related to Thanos in every way. He was born several centuries ago on the Kree capital planet of Hala, and he witnessed the consequences of Kree’s many wars firsthand as he lost his father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather at the hands of Xandarians. 

Since Ronan was from an Imperialistic family himself, it was expected that he would pick up the cause and join the military, and he did, quickly rising to reach the rank of Accuser, a branch of military force in the Kree empire.  

Even though Ronan took part in the Kree-Skrull war, there was nothing he hated more than Xandarians, with whom the Kree Empire waged wars for centuries up to this point. 

Ronan, as well as numerous other Accusers, lost their good standings with the Kree Empire when Captain Marvel annihilated their fleet after it was discovered that the Kree started the conflict with the Skrulls. Still, he remained an Accusser until the Kree Empire signed the peace treaty with Xandarians, ending the war that raged for centuries. 

Ronan took this as a personal insult due to his family history and sacrifice in the war. He ultimately defected from the Kree Empire, keeping the Accuser title but pawing his own road related to vengeance to Xandar. Kree Empire severed all ties to Ronan, and he was even branded a terrorist because he threatened a very fragile peace with the Xandarians and Nova Corps. And this is where Thanos comes in. 

Thanos promised Ronan that he would destroy Xandar for him if he delivered the Power Stone 

Soon after his defection from the Kree, Ronan got in contact with Thanos. Thanos was already infamous at this point and was known for his power but for significant cruelty as well. Ronan decided to bend his knee for Thanos and carry out his goals, and Thanos, in turn, promised Ronan the destruction of Xandar, something that would greatly benefit Thanos as well. 

One of first Ronan’s orders was the destruction of Kylos, Drax’s home planet. Drax’s wife and daughter were killed during the ordeal, something for which Drax swore vengeance against both Thanos and Ronan.

Following the destruction of Kylos, Ronan was tasked with finding the Power Stone. Thanos pressured Ronan with threats of death, and Ronan was at that time too afraid and considered himself too weak to present any kind of resistance and danger to Thanos, but things would soon change. 

Gamora’s defection was the beginning of the end for Ronan 

Gamora decided to betray Thanos largely because the fact that Thanos was working with Ronan opened her eyes to what kind of person her adoptive father really was. 

The chance to retrieve the Power Stone presented itself when Ronan learned that the Orb was in possession of Star-Lord back on Xandar, but Gamora insisted she retrieves and delivers the Orb. 

Ronan never suspected that Gamora was about to betray both him and Thanos, keeping the Orb for herself to sell it and pay for her own freedom. 

When Thanos learned of Gamora’s betrayal, he took out his anger on Ronan, who was once again too afraid to offer real resistance. 

Ronan eventually successfully captures the Orb, which will change everything for him. 

If Star-Lord didn’t kill Ronan, Thanos most certainly would

When Ronan got his hands on the Orb, it didn’t take long to figure out that the protective sheath contained one of the Infinity Stones. Ronan decided to let Thanos know that he had the Orb, but he wasn’t going to hand it over. Instead, he took vengeance into his own hands and defected from Thanos’ service, deciding to utilize the Power Stone to destroy Xandar once and for all. 

Thanos was furious with Ronan and swore he would have his head multiple times.

Thanos, however, never made it to Ronan. When Ronan attacked Xandar, the Guardians of the Galaxy were there to defend it, and Ronan, along with the Power Stone, was defeated at the hands of the Guardians. The Nova Corps claimed the Power Stone for safekeeping, and the planet was safe, at least for a time. 

Even though the Guardians ultimately defeated Ronan, it was only a matter of time before Thanos himself dealt with him, and ironically enough, Thanos held his end of the bargain. Four years after Ronan’s failed assault on Xandar and his death at the hands of the Guardians, Thanos invaded the planet himself and completely decimated both the planet and the Nova Corps in pursuit of the Power Stone. 

So, if Ronan was just a bit more patient and decided to stick with Thanos until the very end, it’s most likely that his eventual death would be delayed, and Thanos would deliver his end of the deal.