Now that everyone on the planet has watched Avengers: Infinity War and sits impatiently waiting for next year’s finale, this seems like the perfect time for a deep examination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's newest faces. Thanos might be larger than a wardrobe and blessed with Josh Brolin’s gruff voice, but even the Mad Titan knows better than to challenge our planet without backup. While Earth has the Avengers, Chins has the Black Order!

Eighteen movies in the making, Infinity War brought together characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, Dr. Strange, and the previous two Avengers for their biggest showdown to date. Already overstuffed with super-powered heroes, the Russo Brothers rightfully prioritized Thanos’ development above the villain’s four henchmen. As a result, the Black Order came across as nothing more than nameless enemies designed to distract the Avengers while their boss completes his treasure hunt. Aesthetically, the Children of Thanos look the part, but nobody enjoys being treated like a mini-boss! In the comics: Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Cull Obsidian are names to be remembered and feared!

Thanos and the Avengers had their moment in the sun, so it is time to talk about the Black Order. Here are 25 things only super fans know about the Children of Thanos!

25 Son Of Thanos

Via comicbook.com and hypebeast.com

Thanos' plan is simple: the dude dreams of collecting the infinity stones to cut the Universe's population by half. As scouring through thousands of galaxies can be rather tiring, the All-Father created the Children of Thanos to aid in his scavenger hunt for the remaining pieces. Also, the Avengers need something to do while Thanos is busy with the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the Infinity storyline, Thanos' attention is divided between searching for the infinity stones and locating his son, Thane. Yes, the Mad Titan has an actual child, one who is not too fond of his father. To be fair, the feeling is mutual. While the Black Order are also tasked with retrieving the infinity stones, their main focus is locating and getting rid of Thane.

This begs the question, why did Infinity War neglect to mention Thanos' offspring?

Thane's backstory is rather complicated and involves the Inhumans and their king, Black Bolt. Despite ABC "best" efforts to create an Inhumans series that establishes a couple of the more prominent players, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to legitimize its existence. Also, Inhumans flopped terribly and has already been canceled. It just shows that not everything Marvel touches turns to gold.

24 The Black Order Has A Traitor In Its Midst

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Who would dare betray the great Thanos, destroyer of worlds? The antagonist is built like a tank and hardly seems to be the forgiving type, so a turncoat must wholeheartedly disagree in Thanos' philosophy to risk going against him. Avengers: Infinity War paints Ebony Maw as Doctor Strange's superior and a powerful telepath who is completely devoted to his master. In the space of two hours, the Russo Brothers managed to introduce the Children of Thanos and establish them as worthy roadblocks for the Avengers. At the same time, Infinity War dedicated a great deal of its runtime on expanding Thanos' backstory, while allowing the super-friends to get in their typical one-liners and trailer scenes. Frankly, there was no time for a betrayal.

The comics were faced with no such constraints. After tracking down an out-of-control Thane, Ebony Maw bestowed Thanos' son with a suit that limits his powers, although it also allowed the villain to capture the Inhuman. With his mission complete and Thanos on the scene, Ebony Maw freed Thane and presented him with a choice: escape or fight your father. Shockingly, he went with the latter and reigned judgment on Chins. Later on, Ebony Maw and Thane form a mentor-student relationship.

23 Thanos Kept Himself BUSY (Wink)

Via cnet.com

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's track record with villains leaves something to be desired. Just to be clear, there has been a few diamonds in the rough, but the majority struggle to step out of the hero's shadow. Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane could have been the perfect antagonist to Iron Man's Tony Stark, but the third act dropped the ball by lazily having the villain mimic Iron Man's powers. The Incredible Hulk's Abomination and Iron Man's Whiplash felt like afterthoughts; also, does anyone even remember Thor: The Dark World's big bad? Loki? It is always Loki.

Tom Hiddleston sizzles as Thor's mischievous half-brother, but Loki is merely entertaining rather than outright intimidating.

Driven by well-meaning but ridiculously flawed logic, Avengers: Infinity War got things right with Thanos.

The All-Father's comic counterpart ranks among the most complex characters in Marvel's lore. Struggling to justify his place in the universe and falling into a depression, Thanos fathered dozens of children in a variety of planets to try and feel something. Unfortunately, Chins' heart remained vacant and, without fail, he abandoned his offspring. The Black Order might be nicknamed the Children of Thanos, but they are just a poor imitation of the real deal.

22 Thanos, You Might Want To Do A Roll Call...

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Avengers: Infinity War surrounds Thanos by four Warcraftesque henchmen; Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, and Ebony Maw. Even though they prove to be an able enough bunch and present the Avengers with a hearty battle for survival, the Black Order's comic counterpart included one further member.

While her name might suggest an alien of massive size with, potentially, ties to the Frost Giants; Supergiant is merely a normal woman with blue skin and a touch for the theatrics. Infinity War is based on Jonathan Hickman's similarly titled Infinity comic crossover storyline, but the author was free to use a slew of other characters that are not available in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With Thanos threatening the safety of the entire planet, the X-Men can hardly just watch from the sidelines, so they are dragged into the conflict.

In the comics, Supergiant's main purpose is to take on Professor Xavier's school for mutants. As a side-effect of Marvel not owning the rights to Wolverine and company, Supergiant ended up being a casualty of the licensing war with Fox.

On the other hand, Avengers: Infinity War deviates heavily from its source, so why not just throw in Supergiant? Could they be saving her for the sequel? Thanos can probably make due without any help.

21 Playing Favorites

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Avengers: Infinity War opted against presenting a pecking order within the Children of Thanos. At first glance, they appear to be on equal footing. If push comes to shove, Ebony Maw seems to be the closest thing they have to a make-shift leader for when Thanos is not present to bark orders at the group. As for the remaining three mini-bosses, they share the same goal of trying to capture the infinity stones and work in conjunction with each other.

In the comics, Corvus Glaive serves as the Mad Titan's right-hand. 

As the film did not have anywhere near enough time to expand on the characters beyond their cool aesthetic and love for everything Thanos, Corvus' strategic insight and leadership skills were largely lost in translation. Besides the Black Order, the All-Father employs a literal army for the sole purpose of conquering planets. In the film, they make an appearance during the battle for Wakanda, but the army was fighting without their leader and chief tactician. As Thanos' second-in-command, Corvus Glaive leads the charge into battle. Admittedly, realizing the Avengers defeated a directionless army takes the shine away from their victory. They managed to beat a snake that had already lost its head!

20 When Thanos, Proxima Midnight, And Corvus Glaive "Protected" Earth

Via digitalspy.com and marvel.wikia.com

Okay, things are about to get complicated. On occasion, the Marvel Cinematic Universe ventures forth into truly insane territories, but even the most absurd moments pale in comparison to some of the comics' "normal" events. New Avengers Vol 3 #2 inaugurated the concept of "incursions," an incident referring to the collisions of two universes.

The only way for Earth to survive is to get rid of its doppelganger, an act that provided too gruesome for the Avengers.

Frustrated by their unwillingness to deliver the necessary finishing blow, Namor deflected from Captain America and Mr. Fantastic's Illuminati to form a rogue group called the Cabal. Consisting of villains like Doctor Doom and Norman Osborn, the supergroup enlisted Thanos, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight as their resident destroyer of worlds. With the Illuminati ostracized for their lack of stones, Earth had no choice but to accept their new "heroes." Over the next couple of months, the Black Order protected the planet by destroying any alternate Earths and turned Wakanda into their home base. While they got the job done, Namor grew weary of their methods and forged a plan with the Illuminati to put an end to the Cabal's reign.

19 Cull Obsidian Was Not Always Cull Obsidian

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Fans of the comics were in for a surprise when Marvel disclosed the names of the Children of Thanos. Putting aside the forgotten alien; Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive survived the adaptation process largely intact, but the same cannot be said for Cull Obsidian. When it comes to the character, Avengers: Infinity War successfully captured the antagonist's tendency to smash things with a large ax, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe opted for one specific alteration: his name.

In the comics, Cull Obsidian goes by the (bland) moniker of Black Dwarf. Okay, what is Marvel and DC's fascination with color-coded names? Oh, you think Black Widow and Black Panther are a bit too much? Well, they are just the tip of the iceberg! Marvel's roster includes Black Knight, Black Cat, Black King, Black Bolt, and Black Mamba. Frankly, this is beyond ridiculous and comes across as parody. Rant over.

Technically, at the Marvel Cinematic Universe has only referred to Chins' backup dancers as the Children of Thanos, the Black Order is a comic exclusive. As a subtle nod to their origin story, Cull Obsidian actually translates to the Black Order. In other words, the filmmakers got half of Black Dwarf's name right.

18 Thanos In A Bottle (Sort Of)

Via digitalspy.com

At best, Thane's powers are unique; at worst, they are overpowered and poorly explained magic created primarily to bring to an end the comics' Infinity storyline. Thanos' power level might be over 9000, but even he was not prepared for the incredible amount of non-sense flung in his general direction by Ebony Maw's partner.

Thane's left hand can alter the very economics of existence. What does that mean? We have no clue, but it generally leads to a lot of innocent people meeting their maker. In other words, touching his hand results in an instant game-over. But, alas, limps tend to come in pairs! So, what happens if someone accidentally bumps into Thane's right shoulder?

They get trapped in an amber construct.

Impacting the Inhuman's immediate area, Thane's right hand emits an amber construct that captures anyone caught in the vicinity. Thanos and Proxima Midnight both end up trapped within Thane's pokéball before they are teleported to Wakanda's Necropolis. This begs the question; is Thane the most overpowered character in Marvel history? If he could control his powers, the dude would be borderline unstoppable. Even though he arguably used his weaker hand, Thanos and Proxima Midnight still failed to defeat him. Chins should really be proud.

17 Hello Thanos, Meet The New Thanos

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Due to the previously mentioned incursion, Marvel's multiverse ends up being destroyed, prompting Mr. Fantastic to recreate everything. Obviously, the plot was slightly more complicated than implied by that description, but we would need to write a dissertation to accurately describe 2015's Secret Wars story arc. In this new timeline, Corvus Glaive soon realized there was someone missing: Thanos.

Fueled by the disappearance of his former master, Glaive quickly took control of the Black Quadrant and enlisted the worst criminals as his own group of minions. While nowhere near as powerful as the All-Father, Glaive's strategic mind proved more than capable of conquering a couple of planets and an empire quickly formed around the reformed minion. Unfortunately, you just cannot keep a good villain down and Thanos soon made his return. Annoyed by Glaive's arrogance, the former allies traded blows, but there was only going to be one winner. Noticing the writing on the wall, the Black Order pledged fealty to Lord Thanos and took out their former leader.

As Thanos' second-in-command, Glaive's ambition proved to be his downfall. There is nothing wrong with striving for a promotion, but there is wisdom in understanding one's limitations.

16 Ebony Maw's Strange Telepathic Powers

Via coub.com

From Scarlet Witch to Professor Xavier, telepathy is a relatively common and versatile ability in Marvel's universe. As seen during his fight with Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War's Ebony Maw appears to be cut from the same cloth. With a flick of his wrist, the alien can send objects flying in every direction. In Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, Scarlet Witch is capable of taking down all of the Avengers with her mind. With the exception of the Hulk and Thor; she is, without a doubt, the most powerful member of the team.

By presenting Ebony Maw's powers as a carbon copy of Scarlet Witch's magic, Infinity War did a disservice to the antagonist.

The REAL Ebony Maw is closer to Professor Xavier and tends to avoid conflict. Unless left without any other alternative, Maw is not the type of villain who would waste his time in a game of dodgeball. In the comics, the telepath infiltrates his target's mind and persuades them to act on his behalf. An expert manipulator, Maw twists a person's psyche until they truly believe they are behaving in their own best interest. Rather than a battle of wits between Maw and Doctor Strange, Infinity War opted for throwing rocks and shiny needles.

15 Girls And Their Toys

Via mymbuzz.com

Due to Supergiant mysterious absent, Proxima Midnight is the only female member of the Children of Thanos. During her battle with Scarlet Witch and Black Widow, it became apparent that the Black Order's combatant was an expert martial artist who possessed overwhelming strength and speed. While that might seem impressive to us ordinary folks, Marvel rarely strives for ordinary. Everyone has superhuman strength and speed. Those traits are practically just a medal for attendance.

Physically capable but hardly indestructible, is there anything separating Proxima Midnight from the rest of the crowd? Something that gives her an edge in a fight? Well, how about a spear forged from the energy of a sun? Oh, is that still not good enough?

Okay, what if the sun was caught in a distorted time-paradox, so it simultaneously functioned as a star, black hole, and supernova?

Now, things are starting to get interesting! Proxima Midnight's spear is a strange concoction, one that allows its user to freely alter its density for maximum impact. Still, she is going up against Earth's Mightiest Heroes, so a cool spear is hardly going to cut the mustard. If only the weapon's tip emitted a poison capable of rendering anyone immobile with a simple touch! Something like that could be pretty useful.

14 Joining The Black Order Hurts One's Life Expectancy

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In all likelihood, the Children of Thanos never had the option to decline the All-Father's offer to join the Black Order. Still, the group's recruitment process would have been a sight to behold! Just imagine, Thanos sitting in a hot office and waiting for any potential warriors to join his cause.

Unfortunately, Marvel has remained tied lipped about the Black Order's origin story. For all intensive purposes, their lives only commenced once they joined Thanos' army. Obviously, things happened prior to the formation of the Children of Thanos, but readers are yet to be provided with any insight into their backstories. Still, we have to assume things were pretty bad prior to Thanos' arrival. With three of the five members succumbing to the Avengers during the Infinity storyline, the Black Order's life expectancy is not particularly encouraging. Going out on a limb, the Children of Thanos might have been the strongest combatants on the planets conquered by their Master. Presenting with the option to join Thanos' crew and survive, they leaped at the chance. Actually, that makes them sound a little too heroic, which goes against their entire personalities. They probably joined the Black Order simply because it presented an ideal opportunity to cause destruction and mayhem.

13 Dad And His Toys

Via marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com

Earth was hardly the Black Order's first rodeo. By the time they reached the Avengers' planet in search of the Infinity Gems and Thane, the supergroup had already performed at a string of other venues. Gaining a reputation for always delivering on their promises, the Avengers were right to fear the Children of Thanos. Even if mostly relegated to Chins' minions; Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Supergiant were still more than capable enough to overwhelm a couple of planets. Prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos earned a reputation for being a laissez-faire boss who barks orders from atop his floating throne. Luckily, the Russo Brothers and Josh Brolin managed to infuse enough gravitas to elevate the villain to new heights.

In the comics, Thanos largely behaves in the same way. While the All-Father waits patiently at home, the Black Order is ordered to ransack a planet. Also, the group is mandated to return with a couple of trinkets for their Master. The Infinity Gems are not the only thing on his mind, as Thanos genuinely seems to enjoy collecting souvenirs from the worlds he has liberated. Hey, everyone needs a hobby!

12 Finding Love In A Hopeless Place

Via comicvine.gamespot.com and syfy.com

Time for a quick quiz for anyone who has yet to read the comics! Who is Proxima Midnight's husband? If your answer was Corvus Glaive, then treat yourself to a cookie! Avengers: Infinity War hints at a possible romance between the two side characters; still, at best, their marriage is implied. After Corvus Glaive exists the building, Proxima Midnight is clearly shown to be upset. While this suggests there was something more between them, her reaction could also be a result of losing one of her companions. By this point, the Children of Thanos spent a great chunk of time working together and might have grown attached to their companions. Furthermore, they know that Thanos does not accept failure, so reducing their team brings them closer to judgment.

Here is another fun fact: Cull Obsidian and Corvus Glaive are brothers. Apparently, the Black Order is a family business!

Physically, the siblings hardly share any similarities; on the other hand, they both love hitting things with big pointy weapons. As Glaive and Black Dwarf are relatives, this means the latter is also Proxima Midnight's brother-in-law. The Children of Thanos prefer to keep it in the family.

11 Thanos' Secret (And Reluctant) Defenders

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As a character, Thanos' motivations are on the slippery side. Sure, the alien is constantly striving to increase his strength, but he is not driven merely by a thirst for power. As another source of inspiration for Avengers: Infinity War, 1991's Infinity Gauntlet storyline saw the entire universe coming together to try and thwart Thanos' attempts to collect the six Infinity Gems. With the combined forces of Adam Warlock, Silver Surfer, Starfox, Galactus, Kronos, and Uatu; eventually, Thanos succumbed to their overwhelming numbers. While the odds proved too much for even the All-Father, Warlock believed it was Thanos' own doubt that led to his failure.

In the comics, Infinity War coincides with one of Thanos' bouts of heroism. As part of the Infinity Watch, Thanos assists in saving reality by defeating Magus. For a short period, the destroyer of worlds batted for the home team; unfortunately, in due time, Thanos yearned for something to quench the boredom. Deciding to search for the all-knowing Oracle, he formed his own secret defenders by recruiting the unwilling Gaetar, Super-Skrull, Nitro, Rhino, and Titanium Man. Formed by Doctor Strange, the "Secret Defenders" project recruited specific heroes depending on a mission's requirements. Evidently, Thanos liked the idea enough to steal it.

10 Thanos Reformed The Black Order With A New (Terrifying) Member

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For all intensive purposes, the Black Order was a relatively short-lived group who only really contributed to one major arc. Focusing only on its original incarnation, the group was generally created to serve as secondary characters in Jonathan Hickman's Infinity crossover event. By the end of its run, three of the five members ceased to be and Thanos was left trapped in an amber construct. After witnessing the end of the Multiverse and squashing Corvus Glaive's timid attempt at a rebellion, the All-Father reformed the supergroup.

Out of the initial five, Proxima Midnight was the only member left standing.

As an army needs more than a solitary soldier, Thanos turned to his former Cabal companion, Black Swan, as a replacement. Hailing from an alternate reality lacking in stars, Yabbat Ummon Turru was captured by the Illuminati but her ability to detect Incursions proved vital to Earth's survival. Sadly, the new Black Order did not fair better than the previous incarnation, as they only lasted a single mission. Due to Hela's insistence, Black Swan and Proxima Midnight went on a futile mission to retrieve an alternative Mjolnir for Thanos. Things went belly-up rather quickly.

9 Once A Turn Coat, Always A Turn Coat

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Ebony Maw is just not a trustworthy dude. At the end of Infinity, Maw convinced Thane to challenge his father, which led to Thanos' imprisonment. Rather than coming to a sudden realization that he was working for a madman, Maw's betrayal hinged more on his obsession with power. At heart, the telepath knew that attempting to manipulate Thanos would be an act of futility, but the same could not be said about his mentally weak son. In spite of his insane abilities, Thane feared himself and his heritage. For a master manipulator like Maw, Thanos' offspring proved to be the ideal puppet.

After escaping from Earth, Maw took Thane on a journey through Thanos' greatest hits and, somehow, convinced the Inhuman that the telepath was only a figment of his imagination. With his power growing, the overconfident pair fell at the hands of Empire Corvus Glaive, who imprisoned the duo in separate cells. Due to his abilities, Maw quickly talked his way out and escaped, leaving the clueless Thane to fend for himself. Maw's gameplan defies logic. While willing to betray Thanos and manipulate someone capable of rendering him lifeless in a matter of seconds, Maw still left his only trump card at the mercy of his enemies.

8 The Challenger's Contest

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With the majority of their members out of commision, Marvel put on its thinking hat to conjure up a reasonable excuse to bring the Black Order back to life. The best they could come up with was a contest between the Grandmaster and the Challenger. As immortal Elders dating back to the formation of the Big Bang, the rivals regularly played games to pass the time. Entitled "The Challenger's Contest," each member selected a team to compete in a series of matches. While the Grandmaster already had his Lethal Legion, the Challenger resurrected the Children of Thanos. Besides the original five members, the Elder's team also included Black Swan. In probably a smart move by the Challenger, Thanos was left out of the competition.

Taking into account Ebony Maw's previous betrayal of the Black Order, the team talks must have been somewhat uncomfortable. Anyway, they managed to take the first round and seemed primed for victory when the Challenger summoned the Hulk as his ace-in-the-hole. In our books, playing the Banner card is practically cheating, but whatever. If it was not for those meddling Avengers, the Black Order might have gotten away with it too!

7 Black Dwarf's Soft Head

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Just in case his appearance was a bit too subtle, Cull Obsidian is the Black Order's muscle. In comparison with the Avengers, he would serve the Hulk's role, although with a lot more self-control. When pitted against his contemporaries, Black Dwarf seems to have pulled the short straw. Unlike Supergiant or Ebony Maw, he lacks any special abilities and relies solely on his physical prowess. While powerful, Cull Obsidian's giant two-bladed ax is merely a normal device and lacks any awesome status effects. In contrast; Corvus Glaive's weapon of choice renders him immortal and Proxima Midnight's spear is LITERALLY a sun.

Is there anything that separates Black Dwarf from the flock? The warrior's best trait is his near-indestructibility, as Cull Obsidian's skin is unbreakable. Avengers Vol 5 #23 sees the powerhouse shrugging off attacks by Ronan and Super-Skrull. Okay, that is definitely a positive in Black Dwarf's favor, but he has a rather disappointing weakness: his head. Just to be crystal clear, we are not mocking the dude's obvious lack of brains, but we are actually referring to his literal skull. Despite his unbreakable skin, Black Dwarf's head is on the soft side and struggles to withstand a solid hit. Ronan the Accuser defeated Cull Obsidian by aiming for this bullseye.

6 Thanos Is Fine Without His Lackeys

Via geekculture.co

Avengers: Infinity War was merely Thanos' latest attempt to amass the six Infinity Gems to create the Infinity Gauntlet. Jonathan Hickman's Infinity supplied the All-Father with a bit of backup, but the Black Order was more of an accessory than a downright necessity. Predating the event by two decades, Thanos accomplished the same task on his own.

Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet saw the universe's birth rate eclipse its mortality rate, prompting Chins to be tasked with reducing the population by half. In this version, instead of being motivated by a twisted sense of obligation, Thanos was driven by love. After collecting the Infinity Gems, he used their powers to try and impress Marvel's equivalent to the Goddess of the Underworld. Sadly, she was having none of it.

Infinity Gauntlet sees Thanos besting many different heroes and villains, including the likes of Mephisto and Silver Surfer.

To be fair, he was already equipped with the Gauntlet's full power, but the odds were firmly stacked against Thanos. The Black Order is a strong bunch who is capable of entertaining Earth's Mightiest Heroes for a few hours, but they are just a distraction. Thanos can stand on his own without anyone's assistance.