With the arrival of Captain America: Civil War looming over the movie release schedule, anticipation for Marvel’s Phase 3 is reaching high proportions. As popular as the 12 movies comprising Phase 1 and Phase 2 have been, the latest batch of films stands to be the payoff for years of arc establishing and universe building - culminating in a monumental crossover event in Avengers: Infinity War. The two part event represents the final climax as all of the characters we’ve met—and some we’ve yet to meet—team up to fight the ultimate villain, Thanos.

Played by Josh Brolin (Hail, Caesar!), Thanos’ role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has, for the most part, been relegated to the background. He is, so far, merely the puppet master, surreptitiously pulling the strings and influencing events in his quest to obtain the Infinity Stones. Even his first major appearance (read: not during the credits) in Guardians of the Galaxy found the Mad Titan largely behind the scenes, despite more direct influence than we’d seen so far. Now, with Phase 3 set to kick off in just a couple of months, the prospect of more Thanos is growing larger and larger.

With so much riding on the back of Marvel’s biggest bad, Brolin, it seems, could not be happier. In an interview with Superhero Hype, Brolin briefly discussed his portrayal of Thanos and his role within the MCU. As is always the case with Marvel, specifics were avoided but the actor did reveal his excitement for the role and hints about the villain’s growing prominence:

“It’s not voice work, it’s mo-cap. I’m there. I’m there and I’m not in a booth. I’m being filmed. I have a bunch of crap on my face. [laughs] I’m being filmed by like thirty-four cameras? Thirty-six cameras? Something like that. Every movement, everything. So, it’s very new to me, it’s very exciting, it’s very unnerving. But I sure trust these guys!”

There’s no doubt that Brolin’s skills as an actor played a huge part in the villain’s success in Guardians of the Galaxy. There, Thanos was brought to life in ways that CGI alone can’t fully achieve. The subtleties of movement and expression were fully actualized resulting in a dynamic character you can’t help but love to hate. Still, the actor went on to suggest a potentially larger role for Thanos in the coming phase, offering a tantalizing tidbit for fans of the MCU.

When last we saw the Mad Titan during the mid-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thanos was done playing the puppet master and ready to take matters, quite literally, into his own hands. We know that Infinity War will find Thanos in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, a powerful glove fueled by the mysterious infinity stones that have shown up throughout the MCU series. Obtaining these stones gives the wearer of the gauntlet godlike omniscience, resulting in a massive team-up to thwart his plans. With so much ground to cover before becoming the greatest threat in the universe, we should see more of the Mad Titan before Infinity War begins - maybe as soon as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

“We’re supposed to get together very soon to talk about the trajectory of Thanos in the next few years and it’s very exciting. It’s one of the better decisions I think I’ve made.”

All the same, it’s nice to see such enthusiasm from Brolin in the run up to Phase 3, and like the actor we share his excitement for his portrayal. He’s made some great decisions as an actor over the years, but Thanos certainly does stand to go down as his one of his best.

Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.

Source: Superhero Hype