It’s unclear if Marvel will ever bring Thanos back, but one previously mentioned scene before the MCU is done with the character is a must-see. Thanos was the central villain of the Infinity Saga, and his presence built slowly before confronting the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War. Despite his understandable motives, his methods were despicable, and he left a reign of terror over the planets he and his armies encountered.
One of the most impressive demonstrations of Thanos’ power was never shown in the MCU. In Guardians of the Galaxy, the Power Stone remained on Xandar under the protection of the Nova Corps. However, when Thanos attacks Thor and the Asgardians at the beginning of Infinity War, Thanos already has the Power Stone. It’s later mentioned that Thanos decimated Xandar to get the stone, undoing all the Guardians did to defeat Ronan and save the planet. The fate of Glenn Close and John C. Reilly’s characters is unknown, but it’s safe to assume they didn’t have happy endings.
A 45-minute scene in Infinity War showing Thanos destroying Xandar was shot, but then later deleted. In an interview, Thanos’ comic book creator Jim Starlin said they “never wanted to spend the money on the effects, and they didn’t want the movie to be as long as the second one [Endgame] was.” Infinity War was already long, and an additional 45-minute sequence may have been unnecessary.
Fortunately, Marvel has another opportunity to bring this scene to life. A Nova MCU series is being developed, focusing on Richard Rider, a random teenager given the powers of the last surviving centurion of the Nova Corps after Xandar was destroyed. The series can deliver this previously cut scene, showing the destruction of Xandar and how Rider gained his powers. Given Richard Rider’s origins, this show is the perfect opportunity to show Thanos destroying Xandar.
