What does his name mean?:

It is, quite simply, a permutation of the Greek word Thanatos:

Than·a·tos
n.
1. Death as a personification or as a philosophical notion.
2. Psychiatry. See death instinct.

[Greek.]thana·totic (-ttk) adj.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Isn't Thanatos a character in Greek Myth?:

Indeed he is. The following is from Mythography:

In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the god who personified death. He appears in the Theogony of Hesiod as the son of Nyx (Night):

"Night gave birth to hideous Moros and black Ker
and then to Death and Sleep and to the brood of Dreams."

The Greek poet Hesiod therefore claims that Thanatos is the brother of Hypnos, the god of Sleep. Indeed, the two gods together play a role in Homer's Iliad. In one poignant scene of the epic, Thanatos and Hypnos join forces to remove the hero Sarpedon's body from the battle field. This scene features Zeus speaking to Apollo:

"Come, dear Phoebus,
wipe away the blood mantling Sarpedon;
take him up, out of the play of spears,
a long way off, and wash him in the river,
anoint him with ambrosia, put ambrosial
clothing on him. Then have him conveyed
by those escorting spirits quick as wind,
sweet Sleep and Death, who are twin brothers. These
will set him down in the rich broad land of Lykia,
and there his kin and friends may bury him
with tomb and stone, the trophies of the dead."

Thanatos also had a small but significant part in the story of the Greek heroine Alcestis. According to the play by Euripides, in order for the hero Herakles (called Hercules by the Romans) to rescue Alcestis, he had first to wrestle - and defeat - the god of death. Euripides describes Thanatos as "the dark-robed lord of the dead" in this tale. But in this version of the myth valiant Herakles overcomes his daunting opponent, and Thanatos loses Alcestis.

Thanos is often depicted as a large, fierce-looking man with a shaggy beard. He 's dressed in a dark robes, and armed with a sword. He's often shown to possess large, dark wings as well. Also, despite a handful of prominent mentions in myth, Thanatos would be overshadowed by Hades, the Lord of Death. Hades remains a better-known character to this day.

For more, you can go to the Death section of the The Pythagorean Tarot Homepage

When did Thanos make his first Appearance?:

Iron man #55

When did he die?:

Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2. But like any good Bad-Guy, he came back.

Who killed him, and how?:

He was killed when the spirit of Adam Warlock (whom Thanos had killed earlier) emerged from the Soul-Gem, and turned Thanos into stone.

Who are his major Foes?:

Just about everyone! His most persistent enemies in the Past were Captain Marvel (who died of Cancer several years back.), Drax the Destroyer and Adam Warlock, who has since become something of an Ally. The Magus, Jack of Hearts, Ganymede, Champion, The In-Betweener, the Super Skrull, Tyrant (who is currently suffering from a severe state of Death.). You can also add Ka-Zar and his wife Shanna to the mix, as well as X-Man. Also, Eternity still carries a grudge against Thanos for conquering the Universe with the Infinity Gauntlet (Geez...get over it already). Odin isn't too fond of the Titan either. Thanos found a foe more powerful than himself in the form of the incredibly powerful Death-God, Walker.

And his major Allies?:

Adam Warlock and his Infinity watch, The Silver Surfer, Legacy (the Son of Mar-Vel) And Terrax the Tamer was an ally in one of Thanos' schemes. Thanos used the beastial Mangog in his gambit to gain the illumination stone and the Chalice of Tears. Gamora was raised by Thanos, but she's off doing her own thing now. Thor was also recently allied with Thanos in the battle against the Death-God, Walker.

What are his powers and abilities?:

As a Titanian-Eternal, Thanos was destined to be powerful by nature. Most Eternals have some level of Superhuman strength, and the ability to manipulate cosmic energy for attack or defense. Thanos, however, was a mutant, and was born with even more potential than the average Eternal. Thanos further augmented himself after his banishment from Titan using both mystic and scientific means, increasing his already formidable might to nearly incalculable levels. Through meditation he honed and increased his latent telepathic powers, becoming a formidable psionic opponent. He also sharpened his energy manipulation abilities to great effect, even deveoping the ability to disrupt/manipulate matter.

His powers were again increased by Death when she returned him to life, giving him the might to fight such powerful beings as Tyrant, and Odin (King of Norse Gods) on nearly even ground. His body is tremendously resistant to injury, can go without food, water and even air for an indefinate period. His body is also able to withstand a total vaccum (such as in deep space), and is incredibly strong. His exact strength level is unknown, but it seems he might be as strong as or stronger than such heroes as the Hulk or Thor. His abilities to manipulate cosmic energy have been increased to a staggering degree, and he can utilize it to grant himself near-invulnerability, or to project the energy from his eyes or hands in the form of light, heat or concussive force.

However, what makes Thanos truly dangerous is his high-degrees of intelligece, cunning, and razor-sharp logic. He possesses not only the Advanced knowledge of the Titans, but also technology and skills gained from all over the Universe. He is obsessed with knowledge, as he believes that knowledge is power. Thanos is also a hightly skillled combatant, having trained himself in many different fighting-styles from throughout the universe.

For greater details on his superhuman powers, please refer to my article on Thanos' Powers in Detail.

How did Thanos' Mother die?:

This is an issue that, at first, seems clouded. However, the actual facts are quite clear.

Sui-San, mother of Thanos and Eros, wife of Mentor, died when Thanos launched a nuclear attack on Titan after his 80-odd year exile.

Many of you may recall a conflict arising in this story based on the tale that Mentor related to the Silver Surfer (in Silver Surfer vol 3, # 37, 67). In Mentor's version of events, Thanos brutally killed his mother when he was only 10 years of age, and then arranged it so that it appeared to be an accident. 8 years later, he kidnapped a girl, took her into the woods where he experimented on her and tortured her unto death, after which he then fled from Titan and traveled to the Galactic rim.

However, Mentor's tale is largely a fallacy.

It was originally stated (in the pages of Captain Marvel) that Sui-San died in the bombardment when Thanos attacked Titan the first time. In vol 3, # 40 of the Silver Surfer, a letter-writer brings up the conflict between the original story of Sui-San's death, and Mentor's version. The editors, Craig Anderson and Renee' Witterstaetter, replied, saying that the original story was indeed correct and that Mentor was deluded over the nature of his wife's death.

The capper is that in issue # 1 of the current Thanos series, this story is again re-stated. This time, Thanos relates his orgins to the one being alive that knows Thanos even better than Thanos knows himself... Adam Warlock. We know this to be an honest account, because Thanos has no reason to lie to Warlock. Warlock dwelled within the soul-gem while Thanos had it in his possession as part of the Infinity Gauntlet, and as such had access to Thanos' soul and memories. Thus, lying to Warlock would be absolutely pointless, and the original story of Sui-San's death remains the correct one.

Case closed.

Is Thanos part Skrull? If not, what is he?:

To answer the first portion: No. At least not according to current Marvel canon.

This is an old notion, based largely upon Thanos' furrowed, Skrull-like chin. However, it gained real attention in the pages of the Alex Ross conceived series "Earth X", which depicts a possible future of the MU. In Earth X-X, it is stated that Thanos' mother, Sui-San, was actually a disguised Skrull, something which Thanos discovered as a boy. Sui-San swore Thanos to secrecy, and he kept this secret, a burden which grew into resentment.

However, I must point out that none of this is actually in continuity. The events in Earth X and Paradise X depict an alternate, POSSIBLE future. While Eath X is a wonderful story, some of its concepts are rather strange, or completely conflict with the MU as we know it. For example, the series states that Death is actually Mephisto's daughter, and that Colossus and Nethaniel Essex (Mister Sinister) are one in the same.

Until someone writes these revisionist events into current continuity, they remain non-canon. Sui-San is still an Eternal, not a Skrull, and thus Thanos is NOT part Skrull.

To answer the second part, Thanos is a mutant, born with "Deviant Syndrome". Pretty much covers that, don't you think?

Is Thanos in love with Death?:

You bet your sweet bippy he is.

Thanos met the personification of Death when he was still but a child. Over the years that followed his initial facination turned into love, and that love became an obsession. He eventually decided that he would do anything to gain her favor, and pleasing Death became the driving force behind his acquisition of the Cosmic Cube, his plan for Stellar Genocide, and later his acquisition of the Infinity Gems so that he could slay half of all life in the cosmos in Death's name.

However, despite his vast knowledge, he severely misjudged and angered the dark entity on several occasions, mistakes which eventually led to Death rejecting him utterly for a time, banishing Thanos from her realm and making him effectively immortal. Thanos grew incredibly frustrated and angry due to her perceived ambivalence, fickle ways, and reluctance to even speak to him directly, and refused to serve her any longer.

However, when faced with the threat of the powerful Death-God, Walker, Thanos did not hesitate to assist Death at her time of need. Still, once the threat had passed, they again parted ways, though not as contentiously as before. When Thanos prepared to renew and remake the Universe at the climax of "The End", Death appeared to Thanos and not only thanked him directly, but bestowed upon him a single kiss. Later, when Thanos journeyed to the Crunch (aka the Genesis Cascade) and contemplated the path he wished to walk in the future, Death appeared before him and spoke at length. The conversation, though strained, ended with Death saying

"I have always loved you, Thanos of Titan...to the extent I am able...Learn how to love me. I am well worth the effort."

With that said, Death vanished, and Thanos smiled slightly, saying "Good to know."

So, despite their rocky relationship, Thanos still loves Death deeply, even if at times he doesn't like her very much. Wow, its almost like a real romance isn't it?

Is it true that Thanos cannot die?:

A few years back, Thanos was banished from Death's domain, effectively making him immortal. And, since Death and Oblivion are two sides of the same coin, he also couldn't be erased from existence. More recently, however, it seems that Thanos patched up his relationship with Death, and he is once again in the good graces of this fickle universal force. This being the case, it seems he can probably be killed, as statements he has himself made give evidence to such a stance.

As an aside, another interesting aspect about Thanos is that he is outside the influence of Chaos and Order, and they cannot detect his comings and goings.

How old is Thanos?:

Pretty darned old, but because his age has never been explicitly revealed, we don't know exactly how long he's been around. Thanos has himself stated that his existence has been "centuries-long". Having done some research on the matter, I personally estimate his age to be at least 4,000 years, and at most 24,000 years.

For a detalied look at this very question, please read my article entitled 'The age of Thanos'.

What is the 'Cosmic Cube'?:

The Cosmic Cube is a totem of vast power, able to grant the user almost anything they can imagine. Thanos acquired one of these exceedingly-rare items after he had taken control of his home-world, Titan, and used it to become one with the Universe for a brief time, until the Cube was itself shattered by the Kree-born hero Captain Marvel.

For a detalied look at the Cosmic Cube, please read my article entitled 'Thanos' Equipment'.

What is the 'Infinity Gauntlet'?:

A Marvel mini-series featuring Thanos.

Oh, wait! You mean the object itself! Silly me.

The Infinity Gauntlet is another item possessing immense, virtually limitless might. It is formed by assembling the six Infinity Gems and using them in unison. In doing so, the wearer achieves total dominion over the mind, soul, space, time, reality, and power. With it, virtually anything is possible, and its power is several orders of magnitude greater than that of a single cosmic cube. With the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos was able to overthrow Eternity to briefly become the supreme being in the Marvel Universe.

For a detalied look at the Infinity Gems, please read my article entitled 'Thanos' Equipment'.

Is Nebula really Thanos' Granddaughter?:

No, I don't believe she is. Despite her claim that she's Thanos' heir, there is no proof that she's related to him at all, much less his grand-child. Thanos himself not only denied her claims, and was even offended at the notion that he, a lover of Death, would ever father a child.

For a detalied look at this very question, please read my article entitled 'Nebula - Grandchild or Liar?'.

Did Thanos and Darkseid tussle in a crossover? And if so, who won?:

Indeed, Thanos and Darkseid did have a go at it in the pages of the Marvel vs. DC 4 issue cross-company crossover. However, they didn't really get going before they were interrupted by an assortment of Marvel and DC heroes. Thus, the battle was inconclusive, and the whole event never happened in-continuity anyway.

Is it true that Thanos was defeated by Ka-Zar?:

Ever since Mark Waid's somewhat perplexing climax to his Thanos story-arc in the pages of Ka-Zar back in 1997-98, fans of the Mad Titan were left scratching their heads at the fact that the Mighty Thanos had been defeated by a blonde man in a loin-cloth, pretty much Marvel's Answer to Tarzan. However, in the recent story-arc in Captain Marvel #'s 17-18, writer Peter David provided an excellent explaination for both the Ka-Zar storyline, and the recent arc in Thor #'s 21-25. In David's retelling, both incidents were vital tests designed to find a way to defeat the death-God Walker in their ultimate confrontation. Later still in the Jim Starlin series, Infinity Abyss, it was revealed that what Ka-Zar had actually battled was a low-level Thanos duplicate, created by Thanos himself.

Who Created the character of Thanos?:

Jim Starlin. Starlin is best known for revamping the marvel version of Captain Marvel, and he is also known as the man who killed Robin (The Jason Todd version.) over at DC. He created Thanos for Iron Man #55. At first, Thanos really wasnt much more than a Darkseid rip-off. Later, as Starlin fleshed out the character, he became quite different. Most readers believe (and rightly so IMHO.) that Starlin wrote the best Thanos stories, and many regard the Infinity Gauntlet as one of his finest works ever.

To learn a bit more about Jim Starlin, try his Official Site. And to see his own awesome art go to Captain Relhok's site.

Any particular Thanos artists stand out?:

Well, Jim Starlin not only created the character, but also how he looked. Starlin refined the appearance of Thanos during his run on Captain Marvel. Starlin's Thanos was a powerful, hulking foe. George Perez got a brief, but highly visible, crack at Thanos during the first 4 issues of the Infinity Gauntlet. His rendition of Thanos was okay, but not my favorite. Angel Medina got to illustrate the Mad Titan several times, and pencilled the awesome battle between Thanos and Odin in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #25. His version is a favorite of mine, as his Thanos was a massive, mighty figure, who looked almost invincible. But perhaps the artist most associated with Thanos these days is Ron Lim, who got the plum assignment of ressurecting the Titan during his awesome run on Silver Surfer. Lim is also perhaps the most prolific Thanos artist, having pencilled the majority of Thanos' appearances since Silver Surfer #34.

Anyone in particular that you would like to see draw Thanos?:

Several artists come to mind. John Byrne, Jim Lee, Mike Mignola, Jerry Ordway, Jon Bogdanove, J, Salvador Larroca, Walter Simonson, Joe Madureira, Adam Kubert, John Buscema, Alex Ross, and Alan Davis. Wow... I sure like a lot of pencillers don't I?

I once wished to see John Romita Jr. render Thanos...but after the recent Thor run I quickly wished otherwise, as much of Romita's work was extremely sloppy in my opinion.

Can Thanos beat -fill in the blank- ?:

I get this question all the time, and its one of fandom's most popular (and annoying) queries. Can so-n-so beat such-n-such?

There are no easy answers to most "versus" questions, especially where Thanos is concerned, and people seem to come up with both logical matchups (Dr. Doom, Apocalypse, Darkseid, Superman, Galactus, Doomsday, the Hulk), and somewhat illogical ones (Goku, Dormammu, Evil Ernie, Obnoxio the Clown).

The fact is, any good writer can find good reasons why nearly anyone can beat anyone else. It just takes a little knowledge, a little imagination, and a little thought, and you can come up with something plausible that doesn't smack of bad writing, or simple ignorance. Too often, however, such solutions can often be attributed to Dues ex Machina, or groan-inducing last-minute plot-twists (Rats! That wasn't Doctor Doom! It was just a stupid Doom-Bot!). To this end, versus questions are rather redundant most of the time, because most hypothetical battle situations fans cook up in their noggins involve people with similar power-levels, power-levels that are rather ill-defined, and often show a lack of knowledge on the part of the fan. As I stated before, if you can find a good reason, anyone can beat anyone else.

Er, except for Obnoxio the Clown... nobody beats the clown, NOBODY! (removes tongue from cheek)

Who the heck is Kazantra?:

Kazantra is portrayed as Mentor's wife in an unusual backstory that appeared in Daredevil #105 that explained Moondragon's origin. It completely contradicts the origins of Mentor, Thanos, Titan and Moondragon herself, as shown in the pages of Captain Marvel #29.

This origin story states that Heather Douglas (Moondragon) was brought to Titan while Thanos was but a child, and that Mentor's wife is known as Kazantra, who is identified as the mother of Thanos and Eros. While some things could possibly be explained away (A name change by Sui-San wouldn't have been out of the question), what cannot be reconciled is the fact that it was a very adult Thanos that orphaned Heather in the first place, a move that resulted in Moondragon being brought to Titan, and eventually the origin of Drax the Destroyer.

Starlin did go on to state that this version of the tale had been written months earlier, and was intended for the pages of Iron Man. Nonetheless, it remains odd.

For more, you can visit the entry for Kazantra at Marvel Universe: The Appendix, a superb site!

Who is Terraxia?:

Terraxia - aka Terraxia the Terrible - is the name of a woman that Thanos created to be his consort in Infinity Gauntlet #3 when the Titan grew weary of Mistress Death's continued indifference. Predictably enough, Terraxia was made to both adore and serve Thanos, and was a rather transparent attempt to make Death jealous. However, Death couldn't be bothered to care.

While she was created with the desire to fawn over her master, Terraxia didn't merely stand around and look good. When Earth's defenders attacked Thanos on his floating space-platform in the pages of Infinity Gauntlet #4, Terraxia lept into the fray. She quickly lived up to her title, killing both Iron Man and Spider-Man.

However, Terraxia's life was cut short when Nebula attained the Infinity Gauntlet in Infinity Gauntlet #5 and banished both Thanos and his consort to drift in deep-space. There, starved of Oxygen, Terraxia died. Thanos sadly mused over her passing, realizing he hadn't thought to create her to survive in a vaccum without the aid of his Infinity Gem-given powers.

You can read more about Terraxia over at SpiderFan.org of all places. The webmaster has been kind enough to create an entry for her there.

First, choose any fighter you wish, and beat the game. I reccomend adjusting the number of rounds to 1, so you can get through them quickly. After you have beaten the game, save the results to your memory card if you have one (You do need the memory card to make this trick work.). After saving the game, go to the character selection screen and make the following actions with your controller: Tap Up, Up and hold, then press fierce punch and hold, strong punch and hold, jab punch and hold. Spider Man's screen photo should then change into Thanos' and then Thanos will leap from the screen, ready to fight.

Thanos special moves:

Charge: Back, Down Back, Down, Down Towards, Towards + Any Punch Button (Can be done in the air)
Sphere Toss: Down, Down Towards, Towards + Any Kick Button
Infinity Specials: Down, Down Back, Back two times+ Any Button (Each Button utilizes a different gem special)

( On the Sega Saturn, you can follow these instructions to play as Thanos in that version as well. You don't need a memory card to do it however. )

Can you play as Thanos in the game "Marvel vs. Capcom 2"?:
Indeed! Thanos is one of the hidden characters you must work towards purchasing or unlocking in the game. His moveset is as follows:

Thanos
Moves:
Titan Crush: QCF + P (air)
Death Sphere: QCF + K
Supers:
Gauntlet Power: QCF + PP (rolling ball)
Gauntlet Reality: QCB + PP (two slabs of rock)
Gauntlet Space: QCF + KK (rock shower)
Gauntlet Soul: QCB + KK (health drain)
Assists:
A-Capture Type: Death Sphere / Gauntlet Power
B-Dash Type: Titan Crush / Gauntlet Reality
C-Launcher Type: C.Fierce / Gauntlet Space
Launcher: C.Fierce
Snapback: S.Roundhouse
Colors:
Jab: Lt. Blue/Orange Fierce: Lt. Blue/Peach A1: Purple/Orange
Short: Blue/Yellow Roundhouse: Blue/Red A2: Purple/Red

My thanks to Unofficial Marvel vs Capcom 2 Homepage

Also, you can get more info on HOW to play as Thanos using Khaotika's MvC2 THANOS FAQ

What are some of his greatest Battles?:

These are all opinion, but I think most would agree.