A couple of weeks back it was revealed that Josh Brolin will lend his voice to Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron as Marvel builds towards an expected showdown between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Mad Titan in The Avengers 3. However, the distinction of being the first actor to portray the cosmic supervillain goes to Damion Poitier (Dollhouse), who played the character for his brief mid-credits cameo in 2012’s The Avengers, and Poitier has discussed the experience during a chat with Geeks With Wives: (via CBM)…
“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 gonna be the Super Skrull, because the whole rumor was that the Skrulls were going to be in Avengers… 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 Whedon 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.”
Of course, with Brolin seemingly only providing the character’s voice, Poitier never mentioned whether he has reprised the role for Guardians of the Galaxy, although he admitted he’s certainly open to a return to the character, stating: “Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
Originally published June 10, 2014. Updated December 13, 2019.
