According to the good folks at ComicBookMovie.com, Marvel head Kevin Feige all-but confirmed that Thanos – seen in the end credits of The Avengers – will be a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy film that is currently in development.
Obviously there's a connection between Thanos and Guardians – one that I'll rely on those who follow the universe in which these characters live to expound on.
Why do I bring this up?
Well, as noted in a previous post… word is that the actor who played Thanos in the mid-end-credits sequence of The Avengers is a black dude! Specifically, the black dude you see in the photo above – Damion Poitier, no relation to Sidney Poitier.
The actor himself has been coy about it, teasing here and there as I saw in 2 Comic-Con interviews with him.
In an article on ComicBookMovie.com, they think it's him.
Here's their argument:
The mid-credits teaser features an intergalactic interaction between two beings. One of the characters is listed as "The Other," portrayed by Angel actor Alexis Denisof, who also appears briefly twice during the film's opening sequences. And the other otherworldly character, heavily rumored for months prior, is a Mad Titan that goes by the name of Thanos, who's plum evilly grinning face was believed to be fully CG. However, there seems to be an actor behind the death-obsessed villain, shyly revealed by the actor himself. Despite IMDB listing him as "Man #1," stuntman/actor Damion Poitier could be behind the live-action debut of Thanos, with a little CG boost obviously. Considering the teaser may hint at the villain taking on The Avengers in the guaranteed sequel, it's evidently possible Poitier will reprise the role full-on. This seems to be the case especially with the "Career Milestone" comment on Facebook (print-screened above).
As I said, and as ComicBookMovies.com also states, Poitier isn't confirming or denying whether he's Thanos or not, while dropping hints that suggest he probably is/was.
He's certainly listed in The Avenger's credits, but as "Man #1." That's all it reads.
The fact that he has a history with Josh Whedon (director of The Avengers), appearing in Whedon-created TV series like Firefly, Angel and Dollhouse, indicates that there's a history there between the two of them.
But whether or not he is/was Thanos hasn't been officially confirmed – except for the aforementioned hints/suggestions/connections.
This could be a big deal (for Poitier anyway) because, as we already know, first, a sequel to The Avengers is definitely coming; and as the end of the last movie suggested, Thanos could be the villain (or A villain) in that sequel. And also, with Marvel head Feige suggesting that Thanos will appear in Guardians Of The Galaxy, that's even more work for Mr Poitier.
The fact that, in October, Marvel is releasing Thanos: Son of Titan – a five-issue miniseries that reveals the origin of this major galactic threat to civilization – may also add support to the idea that Thanos will be returning to the big screen.
But will Damion Poitier play him? That's why I say this could be big for him, because it'll be a major role (even though we won't see his real face, but rather, Thanos').
From the interviews below, it's clear that Mr Poitier is a interested it so-called genre movie-making, dropping names like Kevin Grevioux, who he says encouraged him to create a graphic novel based on an idea he (Damion) had.
He also knows his comic books, and seems to be moving in one direction – forward; so he's probably someone we should have our eyes on from here on, so when his name comes up for that Black Panther movie (wink), you won't be surprised.
And if he is indeed Thanos, I'm sure we'll know with certainty soon enough. A Google search revealed several sites saying that he IS indeed Thanos and he WILL indeed be returning for the sequel; however, as I said, no official confirmation from Marvel Studios, or Josh Whedon – nothing I could find anyway.
