In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, the story is adapted from the events of the Infinity Gem saga, because of course, it probably had to be. With Avengers Endgame marking the end of a decade of storytelling spanning 23 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) leading up to Thanos and the now infamous snap, there was likely no choice given to explore anything but some version of the events that have become so iconic.

As an adaptation of the events, the story in the game ignores previous cannon with regards to characters and can simply be considered one among the infinite multiverse realities. Reader beware, there be spoilers everywhere!

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Crazy Ol' Thanos

Thanos and his followers in the Black Order, consisting of familiar villains Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Supergiant, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight, seek out the six Infinity Stones. This time, however, we do not hear various Thanos monologues about bringing balance to the universe, and instead, we see the Mad Titan wanting the unlimited power of the stones for total conquest.

Via: mobilesyrup.com

Our story begins here as we take control of the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight Nebula and Ronin, after which we learn that the Black Order seeks the stones. In typical fashion, Peter Quill is able to secure the stones before either ally or Proxima Midnight, and in imagining that they being held in a safe and secure location, accidentally transports himself and the team to Earth through the power of the Space Stone, only to end up on the Raft, a prison for super-powered beings.

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As the story progresses, the heroes seek to reclaim the stones that have become scattered across the world and are in use by the worst of Marvel’s villains, or so we are led to believe. Early on, an encounter with the Kingpin is used to teach players about ISO-8, the elements that can be equipped by characters to boost certain attributes.

Thane, Son Of Thanos

As we progress through the story, gathering more stones across a broad range of Marvel locations such as Xavier’s School, Asgard, Wakanda, and many more, we eventually meet the Inhumans, and a significant plot point is revealed. Thane, one of many illegitimate children belonging to Thanos, hides from his father on Attilan.

Thane’s involvement in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is loosely adapted from the 2013 crossover miniseries, and it is made clear that Thanos hunts down all his offspring in order to murder them, fearing that one day there may be one powerful enough to destroy him. In this miniseries, Ebony Maw plays the role as a manipulator of terrifying proportions, setting in motion virtually everything that occurs and leaving unscathed in the end.

Via: marvel.com

In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, however, we see a different fate for all parties involved. As would be expected, Thanos takes control of the stone and transports everyone to his throne to battle.

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During the course of events, Thane finds himself corrupted and takes the stones for himself to access the Infinity Armor, which is revealed to be a suit too powerful for any mortal to possess, which Thanos explains is why he only ever wore a single gauntlet at a time.

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The characters, including Thanos, are transported to the Heart of Infinity, where an alliance is formed to prevent Thane from destroying all of reality. In an act of compassion, Thanos sees much of himself in Thane, and rather than let him suffer and die, he fights to pull the gauntlet from his son’s hand. In the blink of an eye, both vanish, leaving only the stones.

Thanos’ last words before disappearing are that he is going to take away the pain of both him and Thane, so what might that entail? Self-exile? Removing themselves from having ever existed?

The answer may lie in the post-credit scene of the story. Much like the MCU has always placed a teaser or clue for what lies ahead at the end of its films, so too has the game followed suit. After the heroes vow to split the stones up and place them as far apart from each other as they can, we cut to a scene in space, where two galaxies seem to appear at once from nowhere.

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What this means is up in the air, but considering that the developers are releasing three rounds of DLC characters over the next year and a half, along with a number of free characters, we may see additional story content released that provides some insight into this cryptic ending.

Of all the characters adapted for this game, it is Thane who is perhaps the most different. This is likely due to the fact that since he has not been a part of the MCU, only readers of the comics would spot the differences in his character. Still, Thane eventually becomes a powerful force that brings death and destruction to the galaxy, but in the comics, most of it is not of his own accord. Instead, he is often manipulated by one force or another, whereas here in the game we are presented with a corruption storyline rather than a long-term tutelage towards evil and manipulation.

It is interesting as well how Thanos in his final moments in the game seems to pity his son, genuinely wanting to help him. Be sure that in no way in the comics is this the case. Thanos is intent on defeating his son, and eventually, he does in Thanos Volume 12, Issue 12 (2017), leaving Thane powerless to rot for eternity in the God Quarry, a place where old gods go to die.

As far as the rest of the story adaptation goes, the game does a fine job in keeping the plot points feeling relevant throughout, which is no small task for a beat-em-up game of this length. Considering that there were little other alternatives regarding what story to adapt so close after the release of Endgame, we can certainly say that the game handles it well, and it could have been far worse.

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