Thanos has one last plan to win Death‘s affection. And it’s pretty much the same as the last plan. Jim Starlin brings us the finale of Thanos’ machinations in this classic ’70s cosmic tale that wraps up the story of the ‘Mad Titan’ and also ends the saga of Adam Warlock… for now!
Crossover: This storyline begins in 1977s Avengers Annual, then concludes in the annual of Thing’s team-up title Marvel Two-in-One; some refer to this as the Magus Saga, but while this story continues elements from that arc, it stands very much on its own as a finale to the original saga of Thanos.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔ in the Fallout section are must-read stories that are impacted by or follow on from The Final Threat.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- THE THANOS WAR (1973-1974) – The rise and fall of Thanos of Titan
- THE INFINITY EFFECT (1975-1976) – Thanos first meets Adam Warlock
- HOMECOMING (1975-1977) – The build-up to the final war with Thanos begins
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Avengers Annual #7
- Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Avengers Annual #7 Adam Warlock is out for revenge when his former ally, Thanos, murders his own adopted daughter, Gamora. Warlock calls on the Avengers, Captain Marvel and Moondragon to oppose Thanos’ plan to destroy every sun in the galaxy in Death‘s honour sing the cbined power of five of the legendary Soul Gems into one giant synthetic gem. The heroes head into space and board Thanos’ ship, Sanctuary II. Warlock discovers a brain-dead Pip the Troll and absorbs his soul into his Soul Gem. Thanos adds the power he secretly absorbed from Adam Warlock’s gem when they fought against the Magus (during THE INFINITY EFFECT, 1975-1976). Captain Marvel and Iron Man destroy the weaponised giant gem. Warlock faces Thanos, but is mortally wounded with an energy blast. Thor takes on Thanos, instead. Adam Warlock’ emerges from the past and absorbs the present day Warlock soul into his gem (again, as per THE INFINITY EFFECT, 1975-1976). The Avengers mourn the passing of a great hero, while Adam’s soul happily rejoins his friends in Gemworld. 1st appearance: Kodabaks, Reality Gem (unnamed), Space gem (unnamed), Sanctuary III |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Moondragon mentally summons Spider-Man from across the galaxy, informing him that the Avengers have been defeated and captured by Thanos! The Thing (of the disbanded Fantastic Four) agrees to fly them both to Sanctuary II in an experimental space shuttle. Spider-Man and the Thing are overpowered by Thanos, but Spidey manages to free the Avengers from stasis. Thor and the Thing tackle Thanos together while the other heroes fight the Mad Titan’s hordes. Spider-Man smashes the orb holding Adam Warlock’s Soul Gem, freeing Warlock’s soul from the gem long enough for his spirit to turn Thanos into stone and end his threat forever. 1st appearance: Lord Chaos, Master Order |
| Must Reads | Issue(s) & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| Doctor Strange #28 (1978) Doctor Strange summons Lord Chaos and Master Order to restrain their creation, the In-Betweener, when he’s used in a pawn in a plot to create universal insanity. | ||
| ✔ | Captain Marvel #58 (1978) It’s revealed that Thanos built a program into ISAAC (the near-sentient computer used by the Eternals of Titan) in the event of his death that would make the system turn against the Eternals who live there. | THE DARK CORNERS |
| Fantastic Four #200 (1978) The Fantastic Four reform. | ||
| ✔ | Marvel Two-in-One #63 (1980) The Thing and Moondragon are present when Her tries to resurrect Adam Warlock; Her has the power to resurrect Warlock’s body, but his soul remains trapped in the Soul Gem; Her returns Warlock’s body to the grave. | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #247 (1980) Adam Warlock’s gem is retrieved from his grave by the Gardener. | |
| ✔ | Marvel Graphic Novel #1: The Death of Captain Marvel (1982) Thanos and Death lead the soul of Captain Marvel into the afterlife after the hero dies of cancer. | |
| Avengers #252 (1985) Thanos’ ship, Sanctuary II, reappears; the new Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) is sent to Sanctuary II to investigate ensure it’s not a harbinger of Thanos’ return. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers #260 (1985) Nebula lays claim to Sanctuary II when she announces herself as Thanos’ granddaughter. | SECRET WARS II THE WAR TO END ALL SKRULLS |
| ✔ | Silver Surfer #7, 9 (1988) The Grandmaster is revealed to be the next bearer of the Mind Gem; having lost the Soul Gem, the Gardener becomes the next bearer of the Time Gem; the Champion of the Universe becomes the next bearer of the Power Gem; the Collector becomes the next bearer of the Reality Gem; the Runner is revealed to be the next bearer of the Space Gem. | WAR OF THE ELDERS OF THE UNIVERSE |
| ✔ | Silver Surfer #16-18 (1988) The In-Betweener becomes the next bearer of the Soul Gem. | I DIE LIKE THE STARS |
| ✔ | Silver Surfer #34 (1990) Thanos is resurrected by Death with the mission to fix the problem of the overpopulated universe. Thanos Quest #1-2 (1990) Thanos gathers the six Soul Gems – forcibly removing them from their current owners – and renames them the ‘Infinity Gems‘ as part of his plan to wipe out half the population of the universe. Silver Surfer #45 (1991) Affixing the gems to his glove, Thanos creates the Infinity Gauntlet. | REBIRTH OF THANOS |
| Spider-Man #17 (1991) Spider-Man faces an even more powerful Thanos on his own. | THE INFINITY GAUNTLET | |
| ✔ | Silver Surfer #46 (1991) The Silver Surfer‘s soul is absorbed into the Soul Gem where he meets Warlock and his allies; Warlock learns of Thanos’ return. Silver Surfer #50 (1991) Thanos animates his own stone golem, using it as a pawn to attack the Silver Surfer. | REBIRTH OF THANOS |
| ✔ | Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 (1991) Adam Warlock, Pip the Troll and Gamora return to the land of the living to oppose Thanos; Thanos uses the six Infinity Gems to wipe out half the population of the universe; Lord Chaos and Master Order are among the abstract beings who attempt to wrest the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos; Adam Warlock confronts Thanos with the reason why his schemes always fail; Nebula uses the Infinity Gauntlet to undo Thanos’ actions and restore the dead; Warlock takes the possession of the Infinity Gauntlet. | THE INFINITY GAUNTLET |
| Warlock and the Infinity Watch #2 (1992) Warlock shares the Infinity Gems out among his friends, including Pip the Troll, Gamora, Moondragon, Drax the Destroyer and a mysterious fifth gem bearer. | ||
| Infinity War #1-6 (1992) Thanos calls on Adam Warlock as an ally when he discovers the return of Warlock’s evil self, the Magus. | THE INFINITY WAR | |
| Infinity Crusade #1 (1993) The personification of Adam Warlock’s ‘good side’ creates a Cosmic Egg (similar to Thanos’ synthetic Soul Gem, but powered by Cosmic Cubes); Thanos and Warlock become allies again to oppose the Goddess. Warlock Chronicles #2 (1993) Thanos is revealed to be the secret sixth member of the Infinity Watch and bearer of the Reality Gem. | THE INFINITY CRUSADE | |
| New Avengers #3 (2013) The Infinity Gems shatter when the Illuminati attempt to use them to push another universe away and avoid a collision of realities. | MARVEL NOW! | |
| Infinity #6 (2014) Thanos’ son, Thane, traps Thanos in a block of amber, leaving him in a very similar state to his ‘living death’ statue state. | INFINITY | |
| Thanos: The Infinity Finale OGN (2016) Thanos finally feels Death’s passionate embrace. | THE INFINITY SAGA | |
| Ultimates 2 #3 (2017) Lord Chaos, Master Order and the In-Betweener merge to becomes Logos. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Avengers vs Thanos | Avengers #125 Avengers Annual #7 Captain Marvel #25-33 Daredevil #105-107 Iron Man #55 Logan’s Run #6 Marvel Feature #12 Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 Warlock #9-11, 15 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Warlock vol.2 | Avengers Annual #7 Marvel Team-Up #55 Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 Strange Tales #180-181 Warlock #9-15 |
| The Thanos War: Infinity Origin Omnibus | Avengers #125 Avengers Annual #76 Captain Marvel #25-34 Iron Man #55 Logan’s Run #6 Marvel Feature #12 Marvel Graphic Novel #1: The Death of Captain Marvel Marvel Team-Up #55 Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 Strange Tales #178-181 Warlock ##9-15 |
| Warlock by Jim Starlin – Gallery Edition Warlock by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection | Avengers Annual #7 Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 Strange Tales #180-181 Warlock #9-15 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Adam Warlock Omnibus Avengers Epic Collection: The Final Threat (vol.9) Death of Captain Marvel Omnibus Gamora: Guardian of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy: Solo Classic Omnibus Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers vol.17 Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel vol.5 Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Two-in-One vol.4 Marvel Two-in-One Epic Collection: Remembrance Past (vol.3) | Avengers Annual #7 Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2025
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