Marvel’s Phase 5 has a big villain behind it. Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror is ready to terrify the multiverses, but before him, a real challenger to the Avengers changed it all. This is Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, the main villain moving in the shadows for the Infinity Saga.

It’s been almost four years since the big cinematic event, Avengers: Endgame, that showed the team of superheroes finally defeating Thanos, which was not easy. And consequences of what the villain did are still present in the MCU stories. And, of course, nothing would have been the same without Brolin behind the character.

Speaking with Variety, the actor recalled he almost rejected the part because he didn’t want to do those types of movies, but ended up taking it after realizing it had a much deeper story than he thought:

"I was doing ‘Everest’ in London and they dropped off the huge bible of Thanos and what he meant in the Marvel Universe and his trajectory and his relationship with Lady Death and all this stuff. And I thought it was really interesting, but I had turned down a few really big films of those types of films, not Marvel, but other people. And I just didn't have a real interest in doing it. I just felt like that was going down a road that I just wasn't particularly interested in. So this came and I was like, this is interesting and it was the bible that did it. I was reading through volumes and volumes of information and I thought, this is really cool and I love how in depth this has gone."

Related: Why Marvel Fatigue Is Finally Setting In

Josh Brolin’s Future in the MCU

Josh Brolin in Everest
Universal Pictures

Thanos might be dead, but Brolin’s future in the MCU doesn't have to be. After playing Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, the actor got the chance to shine as another beloved Marvel character in Deadpool 2.

Cable made his debut alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, and by the end of the movie it was pretty clear they wanted to set up a team that included Cable on it. Of course, Disney purchasing Fox changed it all, and now the Merc with a Mouth will be part of a bigger story, but Brolin could easily play Nathaniel Summers in the future.

Especially now that the X-Men will be introduced into the MCU and will probably play a big part in what’s coming for the franchise.