Thanos creator Jim Starlin reveals the Avengers story you didn't see
In an interview with Inverse, Starlin explains why he was convinced Infinity War would end up like Justice League and reveals the Thanos story that got cut.
You can thank Jim Starlin for mastering up one of the greatest supervillains of all time. The legendary comic artist behind Thanos joins Inverse Social Hour to discuss the surreal experience of seeing his creation unfold — and subsequently rocket to fame — onscreen in the Avengers films. But not before diving into his latest work, Dreadstar Returns!, the all-new adventure story that picks up where Dreadstar last left off three decades ago. And despite how it may seem, Starlin says Dreadstar's fitting alignment to the current times happened completely by accident.
“As turmoil mounts, [Vanth Dreadstar] becomes more relevant. He stands out right now as something that a lot of folks can identify with,” he tells Inverse.
Below are the Inverse Social Hour highlights, but be sure to throw back a shot of tequila Starlin style and check out the video above for the full interview.
0:26 Why Dreadstar is more relevant now than it was in the 1980s.
“It seems like this was planned afterwards,” he tells host Jake Kleinman, “and it wasn’t.”
1:57 Why Starlin decided to bring back the character of Vanth Dreadstar.
2:20 Why he has inker Jaime Jameson to thank for getting back into drawing after he thought he’d never be able to sketch again.
“By going through the 500 pages, I was conditioning the hand to do this again without realizing,” he explained.
4:00 What it was like to see Thanos become the most famous super villain of all time.
4:58 The stuff Starlin says never made it into the films.
5:35 Why he was terrified Infinity War would end up like Justice League.
“Oh my god, this is gonna be the same movie,” he thought, “except it’s gonna be Thanos.”
7:35 Starlin makes a toast to “all the giants whose shoulders I crawled up upon to get a career out of this crazy comic book business.”
“Learn all the rules, master the rules, and then break them.”
8:20 The “most interesting” British crime show he’d love to see make a comeback.
(Spoiler alert: An American reboot is indeed in the works.)
10:13 The one movie he wishes he had written.
10:55 The Batman movies he enjoys tremendously for their “tongue-in-cheek” humor.
12:25 What Starlin thinks will happen next for Thanos.
“I imagine that you’ll see more of Thanos along the way,” he said. “I’d be very surprised if you didn’t.”
13:25 Thanos for president.
13:59 The book-to-movie he’d recommend for a “great little story.”
15:23 The advice Starlin has for aspiring comic book writers: “Learn all the rules, master the rules, and then break them.”
16:20 The life-changing experience he had at 16 years old.
17:00 Starlin reveals what’s next for Dreadstar.
A huge thanks to Starlin for joining us!
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