Marvel Reveals the 1 Hero Who Can Permanently Defeat Thanos (& Even Redeem Him)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Incredible Hulk Annual 2024 #1!Thanos is perhaps the greatest villain in the Marvel Universe, not just because he’s insanely powerful and has rocked the entire cosmos on more than one occasion, but because he genuinely loves murder and mayhem. However, that shouldn’t suggest that Thanos can’t be defeated, or even redeemed, as Marvel Comics has just named the one hero that has what it takes to do just that.

In The Incredible Hulk Annual 2024 #1 by Derek Landy and Geoff Shaw, Thanos is hunting a new Stone Bearer, as he hopes to reclaim all the Infinity Stones to once more become omnipotent. This comic is the latest addition in the ongoing Infinity Watch Saga, a story that’s being told across a number of Annual 2024 comics. In this one, the Mind Stone has found a bearer, and imbued that person with god-tier telepathic power – and his name is Worldmind.

When Thanos finds Worldmind, the Stone Bearer hits Thanos with a psychic attack so powerful that it drops the Mad Titan to his knees. Worldmind explains that the only reason Thanos is hunting the Infinity Stones – and why he’s a villain at all – is because of the trauma of his childhood. So, Worldmind said that he would alter Thanos’ memories of his childhood, erasing that trauma and thereby reshaping who Thanos is on a fundamental level, defeating and perhaps even redeeming him in the process.

The Mind Stone Itself is the 1 ‘Hero’ Who Can Defeat Thanos

Every Infinity Stone is Deliberately Possessing Heroic ‘Hosts’, Making the Stones Heroes Themselves

Worldmind’s plan to take down Thanos is a solid one, as the Mad Titan was totally immobilized while the god-tier psychic was rooting around in his mind. Unfortunately, Thanos mustered the strength to snap out of it, and killed Worldmind before the hero could finish the job. But, just because it didn’t work this time doesn’t mean it couldn’t work in the future, especially if the Mind Stone chose an already powerful telepath as its host.

If someone like Charles Xavier, Emma Frost, or Jean Grey were imbued with the power of the Mind Stone (rather than someone like Worldmind, who only became a telepath once possessed by the Stone), it’s a fair assumption that they’d be able to succeed where Worldmind failed. They would already have a masterful understanding of telepathic power, and with the cosmic upgrade of the Mind Stone, they could potentially alter everything about Thanos in a second.

The Infinity Stones as Heroes is an Awesome Concept that Needs to Stay

One of the coolest aspects of this ‘one hero’ who can take down Thanos is the fact that that hero is the Mind Stone itself, especially since the same is true for the other Infinity Stones. These sentient cosmic artifacts are deliberately choosing heroes to inhabit, and when these heroes come together as a team, their individual power grows exponentially. The Infinity Stones have been used by heroes and villains alike, with seemingly no say in the matter. Now, Marvel Comics is giving them a voice, and they’ve decided to be cosmic heroes – and that’s just such an awesome concept.

The Infinity Watch have the chance to be the greatest team of heroes in the Marvel Universe, powered and guided by the sentient Infinity Stones themselves. Only time will tell how their story will play out, but in the short term, it seems one of the Infinity Watch heroes, the Mind Stone, has already figured out how to defeat (and even redeem) Thanos permanently – it may just need to find a better host to actually get the job done.

The Incredible Hulk Annual 2024 #1 (2024)
	Writer: Derek Landy Artist: Geoff Shaw Colorist: Frank Martin Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit Cover Artists: Salvador Larroca and Guru-eFX