Josh Brolin's acting career began in 1985 with "The Goonies" and continues to this day with the survival horror thriller "Whale Fall," currently in theaters. Along the way, he has portrayed many well-known characters. Ironically, his most famous and iconic film role is the one where his true face was largely obscured by heavy makeup and visual effects: the Mad Titan Thanos, the first overarching ultimate villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe moves toward the final stage of its next major story arc, "The Multiverse Saga," introducing Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., as the next ultimate villain in "Avengers 5: Doomsday" and "Avengers 6: Secret Wars," Josh Brolin can still feel the impact of portraying Thanos. He discussed this with us during New York Comic Con.
At the New York Comic Con media interview for "Whale Fall," ComicBook reporter Chris Killian asked Brolin how he felt seeing Marvel Cinematic Universe fans still "traumatized" by Thanos's actions. "It's incredible, man!" Brolin replied. "I mean, the impact this character had, along with the story they crafted, the way they utilized this character, and the final result, were all extraordinary!"
When "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) were released, Thanos became one of the most talked-about characters in pop culture. Since his death in "Endgame," the character has frequently appeared in internet memes, cosplay, quote references, comedy parodies, and licensed collaborations such as "Fortnite." Brolin's portrayal of Thanos remained so popular and iconic that there were rumors he would make a surprise appearance in "Avengers 5: Doomsday" as a fan-favorite version of Thanos. Brolin did not outright deny the possibility of Thanos's return, but he also believes that the character has already left a sufficiently profound mark:
"People ask, you know, 'Are you coming back? Are you going to do it again?' Questions like that. That's not the point: if it happens, it happens. But Everythinggj that has happened has been wonderful. It had a huge impact on me too, because I really enjoyed playing this character; it was truly fun. I filmed a few other movies during that time, and the shooting process wasn't as pleasant, but this one... especially being able to work with Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, and everyone else."
It's worth noting that while filming "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," Brolin also starred in the action-thriller sequel "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" and the "X-Men" spin-off "Deadpool 2." We wouldn't be surprised if he was referring to filming the sequel without Denis Villeneuve (director of the "Dune" trilogy), who directed the first "Sicario." But we also can't help but wonder if he was including his role as Cable in David Leitch's "Deadpool 2." This might help explain why he enjoyed playing Thanos so much.
"Avengers 5: Doomsday" is scheduled for release on December 18.