Josh Brolin cast as Thanos in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

CEBU, Philippines - Variety reports that Josh Brolin has officially been cast as the cosmic villain Thanos in the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Fans can also expect Brolin to reprise the role in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” due out next year.

“Guardians” stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, the leader of the misfit Guardians. Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper and Lee Pace also star in the film.

Thanos is a popular villain among Marvel fans, perhaps most famous for his role in the Infinity Saga storyline of the early 1990s. The Infinity Gauntlet itself, which gives the wearer godlike powers, even makes a brief appearance in 2011’s Thor. A purple-hued alien, Thanos was born on Saturn’s moon Titan. He’s considered one of the baddest Marvel villains of all time, and is part of a group of god-like beings called The Eternals. He also trained Gamora to be an assassin.

However, apart from being a power-mad despot of galactic proportions, it’s still unclear what role Thanos will play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One possible connection is that the character rules a massive empire in Marvel’s Ultimate comic universe, and fathered a son in Ronan the Accuser.

This is only the most recent comic book property Brolin is attached to. Brolin is already set to play Dwight in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” which hits theaters this August. He most recently starred in “Labor Day” and “Oldboy.” His other upcoming films include “Everest,” “Inherent Vice,” and he has just joined Denis Villenueve’s “Sicario.”