A YJA Moment - The Children of Thanos

During the Mad Titan's campaign for the Infinity Stones, perhaps the most fearsome tools Thanos had was his "Children".  These were not his flesh-in-blood, mind you, but individuals he gathered from his many conquests.  Brainwashed and enhanced, the members of his family would be sent on dangerous missions that he could not trust the Chitauri or his other allies to complete by themselves. Of all those in his family, the two most capable were Nebula and the renegade known as Gamorra.

It is ironic the Children saw little front-line action during the Infinity Crusade, as many of their tasks were often behind the scenes.  Whether maintaining the loyalty of allies or conducting raids on enemy worlds, the Children of Thanos rarely fought in the open.  The most powerful of the Children were the Cull Obsidian, or The Black Order - Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, and Supergiant.  It was these five individuals who served as Thanos' honor guard and were stationed on his flagship,  the Sanctuary II.

With the death of Thanos, the Children fragmented.  The majority, including the entirety of the Black Order, made the decision to swear oaths to Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips. The remainder have either remained with their father's former allies or have struck out on their own.  Those that have set on their own path, find freedom is a double-edged sword - though their reputation gains them instant respect, they are often the target of retribution from both Apokolips (who sees them as traitors) and the forces of Known Space (who seem them as war criminals).

Despite having adopted dozens of children, Thanos does have a biological child, conceived with a Human during his many adventures on Earth.  Born with the metahuman ability to drain life energy, Thane grew up in a world that feared and hated him like many other metahumans.  Instead of his powers, however, he was detested for his lineage and even the Xavier Academy did not admit him for fear of his father's wrath.  While Thanos attempted to reconcile with his child, their differences in worldview eventually tore them apart.  Thane wanted no part of his father's mad attempt to please Death, and the Mad Titan rejected his son's desire for a quiet life.

One of the unexpected results of Thanos' death at the hands of Kentauride, the Chitauri were unable to function without a leader.  Much of their cybernetics systems were keyed to obeying the Mad Titan and thus were lost without them.  Finding the members of the Black Order lacking, they sought out Thane and demanded he become their leader, to which after some time he reluctantly agreed.  The remaining members of the Children of Thanos do not trust Thane but because of his lineage, find themselves unable to move against him due to his newfound allies.

With Darkseid gathering a new Army of Darkness to let begin a Second Shadow War, one wonders whether Thane will join with his grandfather in order to have vengeance on the people who slew his father.