Thanos has the power to heal himself, but the Avengers aren’t completely hopeless

The Russo brothers recently revealed that Thanos could have the power to heal himself with the Infinity Stones. So, is this bad news for the Avengers?

Since the Avengers lost the battle with Thanos, they really have to be careful when they make their next move. No one quite knows what happened to their friends, and it’s likely none of them know where Thanos made off to.

And who knows what Thanos could be doing while he’s off relaxing. Playing golf? Bedazzling his armor to match his gauntlet? Or maybe even healing himself from all the damage he took after the snap?

The first two options are hilarious, but maybe not what he’s likely doing during retirement. The latter, we know is actually quite possible — thanks to the Russo brothers, who answered such a question during a Twitter Q&A.

Considering Avengers 4 is pretty much done at this point, it’s possible the Russo brothers already considered this healing power a possibility for Thanos. The qualifier the brothers use, “but there is a cost,” really adds to the believability that this might not be an on-the-fly answer.

So how could this play out in the movie? Thanos might try to heal himself at the very beginning, but finds out that the stones are taking a toll on him. Some Twitter users agreed that if Thanos’ goal is to focus on his physical strength, then his mind would be the next sacrifice he has to make.

A totally healed-up Thanos could certainly be scary for the Avengers. But a Thanos that’s off his rocker? That might make things a little bit easier. Thanos’ one advantage, aside from his strength, is his brilliance and ability to strategize and use the stones wisely. Without that sharp ability, his actions might be a bit more careless — leaving plenty of room for the Avengers to one-up Thanos and catch him off guard.

Plus, having a villain who can heal himself without any consequences always seems like a cheap trick. If they’re totally invincible, then what makes them worthy of being fought in the first place? Everyone (including heroes) has a little bit of vulnerability.

We like to think that Thanos is like the Death Star. Huge and scary, but there’s still a sliver of something in him that can be his downfall. And only the best Jedi– we mean Avenger– can take him down.