In the pages of Thanos #14 by writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw, it was revealed that Thanos almost had a different name.
Warning: full spoilers ahead!
In the story, Thanos is whisked away to the future where he meets an aged, bearded version of himself who sits alone as the ruler of a dead universe. This future-Thanos needs the help of his past self. Naturally, present-Thanos thinks this guy is some kind of pretender, so he does what Thanos does best and beats the hell out of him. In order to convince present-Thanos that this is all real, future-Thanos speaks aloud something only the real Thanos would know: their original birth name, Dione.
Thanos’ parents were of a race called Eternals who live on a moon of Saturn called Titan. In a flashback to the time of Thanos’ birth, we are told that his mother had a name picked out for him, but when she first laid eyes on him, it was as if a cold wind whispered a different name that she had never heard into her ear, and when she spoke it aloud, “Thanos,” it drove her insane.
As Cates has pointed out on Twitter, it’s important to point out that “Thanos” is still Thanos’ real name, and that “Dione” was what his mother originally wanted to call him before he was born.
What do you think of the name originally intended for Thanos? Let us know in the comments.
Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.