Thanos is known and feared throughout the world of Marvel Comics as one of the most powerful supervillains to ever menace the universe. And in Infinity Abyss, Thanos creator Jim Starlin showed Marvel readers that the only thing worse than one Thanos... was an entire team of them.
Meet the Thanosi: a family of five genetic backups created by Thanos himself that have gone rogue, and are now out to kill their creator and the entire universe. The clones were created by Thanos by mixing his DNA with various superbeings in the Marvel universe-including Dr. Strange, Professor X, and Gladiator. Thanos designed the clones to serve as both backup bodies for Thanos and as a way to test his strength against various enemies. The clones were regarded as genetic failures however due to their "intellectual deficiency" and self destructive nature, which drove them to avoid the meticulous scheming that Thanos prided himself on. While The original Thanos is famous for his obsession with (literal) death and his love triangle with her and Deadpool, his clones have an even darker goal: to kill the anchor of reality itself. This is extreme even for Thanos, so stopping the clones has become top priority for the mad titan, but fighting five Thanos clones is a job so big even Thanos couldn't do it on his own.
Related: Thanos Once DESTROYED (Then Saved) The Entire Marvel Universe
Infinity Abyss is a six-issue mini-series written by Thanos creator Jim Starlin and drawn by Starlin, Al Milgrom, Jack Morelli, and Christie Scheele. The comic is just one in a long series of "Infinity" comics written by Starlin to explore the life and psyche of Thanos, a saga that includes the original Infinity Gauntlet storyline. This story chronicles Thanos' quest to prevent his clones from killing the anchor of reality, casting the mad titan in the rare role of anti-hero. What makes this particular mission more complicated is that the anchor of reality isn't a thing, but a being: Atlez, the alien entity who just happens to be preparing to pass the duty to his replacement. Naturally, the Thanos clones want to stop that from happening. But to do it, the clones need the help of Adam Warlock, Thanos' eternal rival and counterpart to locate him.
Disguised as the original Thanos, one of the clones tries to trick Warlock into giving up the location of Atlez. At the same time one of the clones sends a brainwashed Moondragon to kill Dr. Strange (who was investigating the Atlez issue at the time) while another sets out to kill Thanos' adopted daughter Gamora. Gamora manages to escape and stumbles upon the real Thanos and his secret lab, whereupon she learns about his clone project and the threat the Thanosi pose to reality itself. Thanos gives her a warning that while four of the clones are "almost" as strong as he is, the fifth clone, Omega, was apparently a "mistake" and was never meant to be activated. Reluctantly Gamora and Thanos agree to work together to protect the successor to Atlez.
Back on earth, Spider-man and Genis-vell (who was Captian Marvel at the time) are both busy protecting a seemingly innocuous New York home from an invading army of aliens led by one of the clones. This is because the daughter living in that home is actually Atleza, the destined successor to Atlez. Warlock and Dr Strange arrive at the home of Atlez to protect him directly while the remaining heroes (including a now freed Moondragon) assemble on earth to fight off the alien army. While the earth team manages to defeat one of the clones sent to kill Atleza, Warlock has a tougher time fighting his enemies and is forced to use the soul gem, nearly killing himself in the process. At this point Thanos and the heroes come together for the first time and prepare to face the final and most powerful clone, Omega.
This is where it's finally revealed why the final Thanos clone is considered so deadly. It's because Omega was created using the DNA of of Galactus, the devourer of worlds. The stage is now set for the final battle, with all of the assembled heroes working together to fight Omega. The final issue of the mini-series is mostly action, with each character present contributing something to Omega's defeat until finally Thanos delivers the killing blow on his own creation.
With the Thanos clones are defeated and Atleza safe she is able to transend the earth to her new home in the cosmos. Atleza hasn't made an appearance in the comics since this mini-series, so it can be assumed that she's still safe from harm. The comic ends with Warlock and Gamora sharing a tender moment with one another while Thanos returns to his base, preparing a new scheme and mulling over what just transpired. It's the perfect end for the story because it's exactly how Starlin loves to write Thanos: contemplative, intelligent, and always yearning for more.
Next: Thanos Creator Jim Starlin Has a Cameo in Avengers: Endgame
