20 best superhero comics to read after Infinity War

16. Captain Marvel

If we’re going to discuss Thanos in the world of Marvel comics, then we really need to discuss his creator, Jim Starlin. As mentioned earlier, Starlin is a writer and artist who, along with writer Mike Friedrich, introduced the Thanos character in 1973. After that first appearance in Iron Man #55 (February 1973), Thanos went on to dominate much of the Marvel canon as a genuinely creeping and imposing baddie.

Also, Starlin came up with the name “Thanos” after jumbling up the word Freud used for humanity’s death — the Greek “Thanatos.” Sure, it’s a mistake, but a cool one with a very metal theme to it. Even better, Starlin only came up with Thanos after filling in as a penciller on that fateful Iron Man issue.

But Starlin didn’t begin and end his comics career with Thanos. As much as Thanos has come to represent the ultimate bad guy in the MCU, there are plenty more characters of Starlin’s to contend with.

During his career, Starlin also heavily revamped the characters of Adam Warlock and Captain Marvel, the Kree superhero who effectively carried the weight of the Marvel name on his shoulders for decades. He also created or co-created original characters that will seem very familiar indeed to modern readers and viewers. These include not just Thanos, but Drax the Destroyer and Gamora herself.

Is that enough to convince you that Jim Starlin’s work deserves a look? If so, check out Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection. The volume collects some of Starlin’s best work, including the key introduction of Thanos.