Marvel's First Thanos Actor Thought He'd Been Cast As A Massive Fantastic Four Villain

When Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" was first announced, I was skeptical it would ever get made. The Avengers, I felt, weren't nearly as popular as other comic book superheroes like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, or the X-Men. Hence, those making the movie would realize this, and the project would fall apart in pre-production. Then, when the film was actually made, I still felt it wouldn't succeed. Were the likes of Thor and Captain America really beloved enough to draw in huge crowds?

I was wrong again. "The Avengers" was a blockbuster hit in 2012, becoming a fulcrum for all pop culture thereafter. In terms of quality, the film is slick as they come, and it's easy to see why it was so popular. The makers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe wisely presented "The Avengers" as the finale to a six-movie arc, essentially turning feature films into high-octane serialized TV, and audiences loved the buildup and payoff. In terms of story, however, "The Avengers" is pure Saturday morning carton work. It's little more than a bunch of superheroes doing superhero stuff and, like kindergarteners, learning about the power of teamwork.

And then, as the icing on the cake, "The Avengers" featured a post-credits tease of Thanos (Damion Poitier), implying that bigger fights lay ahead. Poitier has little to say and only smirks at the camera, but Marvel Comics readers knew who he was and what his cameo implied. Back in 2014 (via Comic Book Movie), Poitier discussed his involvement with "The Avengers," revealing that he thought he was going to be playing a different character. His role was kept secret, of course, so he wasn't told who he was playing until the last minute.

Thus, based on his makeup, he assumed he'd be playing "Fantastic Four" villain Kl'rt aka the Super-Skrull.

Poitier, it should be noted, only played Thanos in one scene in "The Avengers." He was later replaced by Josh Brolin, who portrayed the character via a complex motion-capture performance in other MCU movies. At the time, the production of "The Avengers" was highly secretive, and many rumors were flying around as to who the villain might be (or if the film would feature any cameos). No one knew for certain if Thanos would be in the film (not publicly, anyway).

Thanos, as Marvel Comics readers know, was originally drawn as having an outsize crinkly chin, a feature that was retained for his design in the MCU. As Poitier observed, however, the Skrulls (a shape-shifting species of aliens) also have the same kind of outsize crinkly chins. Kl'rt, the Super-Skrull mentioned above, is a common foe for the Fantastic Four and is noted for being able to absorb the powers of all four members of the team, allowing him to burn, turn invisible, stretch, and have rock-like super-strength.

As Poitier explained, he wasn't told he'd be playing Thanos until the moment he sat down to be outfitted for "The Avengers." As he put it:

"I found out when I was in the makeup chair what I was doing. [...] They kept it super quiet because they didn't wanna put any spoilers out. So, they kept it super quiet what I was doing, and I didn't found out until they were casting my face to do the sculpt. [...] I thought I was Kl'rt. [...] I thought I was gonna be the Super-Skrull, because the whole rumor was that the Skrulls were going to be in 'Avengers.'"

Skrulls, incidentally, eventually appeared in the MCU starting with "Captain Marvel."

Because Thanos is only on-screen for a matter of seconds in "The Avengers," and because he didn't have many lines, Poitier revealed that his audition process was super simple. He described it as follows:

"It was a pretty simple audition process. They just really wanted someone to stand up, turn around, and smile, which is what was necessary. It just so happens I know Joss and everyone, so things kind of [worked]. [...] I'm in the makeup chair, and I knew a couple of the guys, but I didn't know everybody, so I had to keep my cool. I was really excited, but then I was really horrified because I couldn't tell anybody."

It should be noted that Poitier served as a stunt performer on Whedon's short-lived sci-fi series "Firefly," playing a "henchman." He also portrayed a character named Yankee in another Whedon sci-fi series, the slightly longer-lived "Dollhouse." Whedon was likely wholly familiar with Poitier, and perhaps only held an audition as a formality. Indeed, in 2014, Poitier had nothing but glowing things to say about Whedon, noting the family-like atmosphere on his sets. This was before several stories were revealed concerning Whedon's often toxic behavior in the workplace and his tendency to bully his actors. Since those stories broke, Whedon has become persona non grata in Hollywood, despite once being a beloved cult TV creator and the director of some of the most successful films of all time.

It's hard to say exactly why Poitier was replaced by Brolin for later MCU films. Whedon only directed one more MCU movie after "The Avengers" (his 2015 sequel, "Avengers: Age of Ultron"), so presumably the casting of Thanos fell to someone else.