After 50 Years, Two of Marvel’s Most Iconic Villains Meet for the First Time

After fifty years, Thanos will finally have his first encounter with another iconic Marvel villain, marking what appears to be their only meeting for the fifty years both characters have existed.

Across the sprawling world of superhero comics, almost every combination of hero and villain have met at some time or another. Doctor Doom has fought Squirrel Girl, Iron Man has shared page space with the Hypno-Hustler, and even Spider-Man and Joker have traded barbs, despite existing in different universes.

However, there are always exceptions, and in just the Marvel Universe alone, two big-name characters have never spoken to each other… until now.

Thanos Meets Bullseye for the First Time Ever

Marvel recently shared a preview of Marvel Gold ’76 #1, a new one-shot comic from Stephanie Phillips and Madibek Musabekov. The comic will unite a quartet of characters created in 1976, as Bullseye is hired to kill a mysterious target hiding on Earth, and Nova, Star-Lord and Jack of Hearts unite to stop him. The issue’s summary reads:

JACK OF HEARTS, NOVA, STAR-LORD AND…BULLSEYE!? THANOS has hired BULLSEYE to pull the trigger… and this time, the shot could end everything! As the DEADLIEST ASSASSIN IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE hunts his target through New York City, STAR-LORD, NOVA and JACK OF HEARTS clash with Bullseye in a brutal, zero-room-for-error fight against the inevitable. Don’t miss one of the most intense superhuman battles in Marvel history.

The preview shows the first meeting between Thanos and Bullseye, as the Mad Titan appears in the form of a hologram, and Bullseye immediately attempts to kill him. Thanos’ response is to grin, beginning a partnership that could potentially plunge the entire universe into disaster.

Thanos and Bullseye haven’t encountered each other before, mostly because of their differing scopes. Bullseye is a hired killer who works mostly in New York, while Thanos is an interplanetary threat who strides between planets.

While it seems unlikely that Thanos would bother to hire Bullseye, it actually makes sense. Thanos has a long history of delegating when he doesn’t want his presence to draw attention, and while Bullseye may be small potatoes compared to the Mad Titan, he’s still widely considered the deadliest hired killer on the planet – exactly who Thanos would seek out to kill a target on his home turf.

How Will Thanos Enhance Bullseye for This Impossible Fight?

There’s still one lingering question about the Thanos/Bullseye team-up – how can the villain possibly expect Bullseye to win against three cosmic-level heroes? The likelihood is that Thanos plans to aid Bullseye in some way, potentially by either empowering him or granting him a weapon that will help him accomplish his mission.

If so, the heroes need to watch out. While Bullseye is a street-level operative by nature, he’s capable of so much more. In 2019’s Valkyrie: Jane Foster #2, Bullseye was able to kill the Asgardian god Heimdall after coming into possession of an enchanted weapon. He also (temporarily) slew the godlike enchantress Morgan le Fay while working with the Dark Avengers.

Judging by the heroes’ costumes in the comic’s preview pages, this story will take place before those accomplishments, but they show that Thanos isn’t necessarily wrong to assume that the world’s deadliest assassin is capable of taking out his target, even with Nova, Star-Lord and Jack of Hearts on his trail.

Marvel Gold ’76 #1 is coming September 9 from Marvel Comics.