SPOILER ALERT: The Avengers After-Credits Scene In-Depth Analysis

UPDATE: This article was originally written straight after the release of The Avengers. Now we know a lot more about "Phase 2" of Marvel's Cinematic Universe - particularly the confirmation of Guardians of the Galaxy - so we've updated the article now to feature our thoughts on what could be in Guardians of the Galaxy.

SPOILERS INSIDE!!

I've seen the Avengers! And it was so very, very awesome. You can read my review of it by clicking here. It also has a rather awesome after-credits scene. There's no big explosions, or fight scenes, but it does introduce a key villain in the marvel universe.

THANOS is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For those who don't know, Thanos is an alien who was born on Titan, one of Saturn's moons. He is obsessed with death and nihilism, and boasts super-human strength, stamina, and durability. He can also absorb huge amounts of cosmic energy, and is very clever - considering his mind as his greatest weapon. He also has limited telekinesis and telepathy skills.

In the after credits scene it seems to be shown that Thanos was the one who provided Loki with the Chitauri army. Although he doesn't speak in this appearance he is accompanied by another unnamed alien who says, "Battling The Avengers would be to court death." Then Thanos flashes us a delightfully evil grin. 

This has been quite a surprise for a lot of fans (myself included), but really we should have seen it coming. The Cosmic Cube/Tesseract has played a major part in the last few Marvel movies, and Thanos also has a bit of history with it. In one of his first comic-book story arcs, he tries to use the Cosmic Cube to make him omnipotent (become all-powerful). Needless to say, he doesn't succeed, and the cube ends up being destroyed by Captain Marvel.

Which brings us onto another point - are we going to see more intergalactic heroes appear next time Thanos shows his face? Captain Marvel, Nova - and we have heard that a Guardians of the Galaxy movie is on the table... This has now been confirmed! Check out our speculation on what could be in the movie, below!

Thanos is probably most famous for his storyline, "The Infinity Gauntlet." And, this is one of the main Thanos hints - in Thor, we see the Infinity Gauntlet weapon in a shot, albeit briefly. We can't help but think that this was a hint of things to come.

In the comics, Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to make himself all-powerful and then attempts to kill half the living things in the Universe.

So what does this all mean? Well, it seems a little too early to be teasing an Avengers 2 villain, seeming as we probably won't be seeing that until around 2015 - then again the super-team were mentioned in the scene.

Update: All signs seem to be pointing to a Thanos appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy. While the movie will no doubt serve as an origin story for the galactic super team, it's hard to imagine that Marvel wouldn't include Thanos in there as well. Here's the rumoured synopsis for the movie:

"About a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants."

Could the "something everyone wants" be the aforementioned Infinity Gauntlet. And if so does that mean the ex-cons raid an Asgard vault at the beginning of the movie?
And could the "universal conflict" be the Kree-Skrull War that's been a big part of Marvel Comics history since it ran in the early 70s?

One theory that's been circulating for a while is that the Guardians take on Thanos at the end of this movie, but fail to stop him attacking Earth. This would lead straight into The Avengers 2 which would feature a Guardians/Avengers team-up.

Whatever happens, the announcement of Guardians of the Galaxy has added a whole new lease of life to this scene - and I for one can't wait to find out Marvel's plans. 

Original Article: So what about Iron Man 3? Almost definitely not. All hints are pointing towards an "Extremis" based story for that one.

Thanos being in Captain America 2 seems like even more of a long shot, seeming as the two characters seem so unrelated. 

But Thor 2 - that's a possibility. Thor is the most space-based Avenger at the current time. Secondly, we saw the Infinity Gauntlet in an Asgard vault, hinting that Thanos could be on his way there. And Thor did play a substantial part in The Infinity Gauntlet storyline.

Alternatively, Marvel have been talking about "Phase 2" of The Avengers for a while now so maybe we'll see more small Thanos appearances in the aforementioned upcoming movies, building up to a big part in Avengers 2.

Whatever happens, Thanos will no doubt play a big part in the future of Marvel's movies - What do you think he's up to? Comment!

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