Synopsis
Thanos: The Infinity Finale GN #1 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
In the Infinity Relativity GN Thanos was trapped by Annihilus and Dr Bultar in teleportational limbo. He escaped by committing suicide, knowing that he would awake here in the realm of his lover Death. But it has taken 3 months for her to reconstitute him. He enters the Infinity Pool to learn what has happened while he was away.
With the captured power of the new Adam Warlock (who is the embodiment of a whole alternate universe) Annihilus has defeated alien races like the Badoon, Kree and Shi'ar, killed Galactus and slaughtered the Celestials. Earth is destroyed but some survivors huddle inside the Moon. Thanos chooses to materialise there.
After getting past the guardian Hulk, he finds Black Bolt, Captain Marvel, Captain Universe, Colossus, Corvus Glaive, Dr Doom, Drax, Firelord, Gladiator (of the Imperial Guard), Hyperion, Lockjaw, Loki, Mentor (of the Imperial Guard), Nightcrawler, Nova, Runner (of the Elders of the Universe), Silver Surfer, Smasher, Terrax, Thor (Odinson), Venom, some Kree and a member of the Brood.
Pip the Troll is still hiding on Annihilus' mobile planet. He's been scavenging parts and has built a scanner that shows him how to get to Warlock. Who is held in a coma by the tech of Dr Bultar. Whose tech stops teleportation to/from the planet, except by his own gateways. Who we discovered in Infinity Entity is really Mephisto and is the real brains behind the whole thing. And who has just located the resistance group in the Moon.
Thanos wants to ally with the resistance to kill Annihilus. They are understandably distrustful. Thanos says he can enhance the ability of a teleporter to breach Bultar's barrier. But it will be a 1-shot effect that will kill the subject. There are only 2 teleporters to choose between:- Lockjaw (the Inhuman dog) and Nightcrawler. Kurt Wagner volunteers. Thanos operates on his brain.
Annilihus' planet arrives at the Moon cloaked. He wants to savour the defeat of the resistance so he doesn't just order the Moon destroyed. Instead he blocks off their exits preparatory to porting in his troops. But Surfer, Terrax, Thanos and Thor blast a new exit and the resistance escape to the surface.
Battle commences with everyone else defending Thanos and Nightcrawler. Slowly our side gets whittled down. Then Annihilus notices Thanos, and Bultar sends a death ray which kills Nightcrawler but only staggers the Titan. With that hope gone Thanos joins the fight until only he and Thor stand on a mound of corpses. Then a death ray takes Thor too. Bultar has teleportation from the Moon blocked, and Annihilus finally orders its destruction.
An earlier instance of Thanos arrives on the Moon together with 2 avatars of Thanos from Infinity Gauntlet days (as seen in Thanos Annual #1). The current Thanos now remembers this scene, and takes comfort in the fact that Annihilus' victory will soon be negated by the end of the universe.
Meanwhile Pip has been sneaking, and occasionally reluctantly fighting, his way towards Warlock's containment chamber. He at last wakes Adam from his coma. A blaze of energy erupts from Warlock's forehead - and the universe is consumed. Including Death's realm and all the cosmic beings.
Warlock opens his eyes to a white void. And Thanos who he has recreated. But Adam can't bring back the rest of the universe. Thanos says they'll have to petition the being known as Above-All-Others, who ranked even higher than the Living Tribunal on the cosmic scale. And who can only be contacted by LT.
The just-gone universe's Tribunal was killed by the Beyonders, which probably made it easier to destroy. But Adam contains a whole other universe, including its LT. So he can communicate with the ultimate being. And take Thanos with him.
They enter a cloudy realm and meet a being of light who to their eyes alternates between male and female, and who has been expecting them. Thanos negotiates a deal which he knows was what Above-All-Others had already decided (so he doesn't actually have to spell it out) - the creation of a universe unique in the multiverse. The deal is passed to Warlock's mind and he agrees too. The supreme being will allow them to set some things aright before the deal is activated.
The universe is recreated and we find ourselves in the Negative Zone at the beginning of Infinity Relativity. Thanos and Warlock appear and uncloak Dr Bultar as Mephisto. Annihilus summons his Annihilation Wave but Thanos counters with the legions of dead from Death's realm. The dead win by sheer numbers.
With a gesture Warlock imprisons Annihilus (without his Cosmic Control Rod) and Mephisto. Then he destroys the tower containing Annihilus' clone bodies, but 1st he teleports its inhabitants out. Then he releases Annihilus and devolves him to a small insect. But Thanos squashes it with his boot. Adam considers Mephisto a necessary evil, so he sends him back to Hades. But without a mouth, which should limit his future deceptions. They leave Blastaar to rule the Neg Zone.
The duo leave, and Warlock checks that everything is as it should be. Finally he brings back the Earth-616 Warlock (but still in his new outfit from Infinity Revelation). then he leaves to fulfil the bargain.
Thanos sends Warlock-616 to Pip the Troll, to a replay of a scene from IR which previously had Thanos instead. Thanos himself returns to his lover Death.
Meanwhile the not-616 Warlock has become the replacement for the Living Tribunal that was killed by the Beyonders. He tells Eternity and Infinity that his presence will mean the outcome of 'that story' will be different now.