Thanos was created by Jim Starlin, debuting in Iron Man #55 (February 1973, Bronze Age). This absolute key issue carries a blended eBay median of €9 (73 listings, all grades) as of June 2026, but a CGC 9.8 copy reached $13,025 at ComicLink in 2013, according to Bleeding Cool — high-grade values bear no resemblance to the blended median.
Thanos has no Golden Age or Silver Age presence: he is a Bronze Age creation, born in 1973 under the pen and pencil of Jim Starlin. Since that debut, a handful of writers and artists have each taken a turn redefining the Mad Titan and transforming his comics into sought-after collectibles. Understanding those creative voices is essential to understanding why certain issues command thousands of dollars today, and why some more recent books are already generating speculation among collectors.
This guide sticks to the verifiable: eBay medians from our estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) and records documented by specialist press (Heritage Auctions, Bleeding Cool). Issues with fewer than 15 active eBay listings receive no quoted median.
Jim Starlin: Thanos's creator (1973–1977 & 1991)
James Starlin (born 1949) conceived Thanos during psychology classes at college, drawing on Sigmund Freud's concept of Thanatos — the death drive. The visual influence of Jack Kirby's Darkseid is also documented: editor Roy Thomas reportedly suggested pushing the design closer to that New Gods character. Starlin served as both writer and artist on the early appearances, giving the character an unusual consistency of voice from the outset.
Iron Man #55 (February 1973) is the first appearance of Thanos — and simultaneously the debut of Drax the Destroyer. Starlin immediately followed with the so-called Thanos War arc across Captain Marvel #25–33 (1973–1974), a sprawling cosmic storyline that crossed multiple titles. He wrapped the initial cycle in 1977 with Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2, in which Thanos is defeated. Starlin's most celebrated return to the character came in 1991 with The Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 — but that series involved multiple artistic hands.
| Issue | Significance | eBay data (all grades) |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973) | 1st appearance of Thanos and Drax — script and art by Starlin | Median €9 · 73 listings |
| Avengers #125 (Jul. 1974) | Thanos in the Thanos War crossover | Median €9 · 54 listings |
| Silver Surfer #34 (Feb. 1990) | Thanos returns after 13 years — Starlin writing | Median €19 · 55 listings |
The €9 eBay median for Iron Man #55 is a blended figure covering all grades and printings. It bears no relation to high-grade values: a CGC 9.8 copy sold for $13,025 at ComicLink in 2013 (source: Bleeding Cool), making this one of the most prized Bronze Age keys on the market. Silver Surfer #34, backed by 55 listings and a €19 median, represents an accessible entry point for collectors who want to own the return issue.
George Perez and Ron Lim: The Infinity Gauntlet (1991)
The Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 (July–December 1991) was scripted by Jim Starlin, but it is the artists who made it the visual landmark it became. George Perez pencilled the first three issues and part of the fourth: his densely populated double-page spreads defined the series' aesthetic ambition. A scheduling conflict — Perez was simultaneously working on DC's War of the Gods miniseries — forced him to step back, and Ron Lim stepped in to complete issue #4 and draw issues #5 and #6.
The transition had no commercial downside: contemporary sources note that sales rose with each Lim-pencilled issue. The miniseries became one of the most influential storylines of the 1990s, and the collected Infinity Gauntlet returned to the top of the graphic novel charts in 2018 on the back of Avengers: Infinity War's release. Our estimator does not cover this series directly; for CGC 9.8 sale prices, GoCollect and Heritage Auctions are the reference databases.
Donny Cates & Geoff Shaw: "Thanos Wins" (2017)
Thanos vol. 2 launched in 2016 under Jeff Lemire (issues #1–12). With issue #13 — scripted by Donny Cates and drawn by Geoff Shaw — the series took a radically different direction. The "Thanos Wins" arc (issues #13–18) sends Thanos to a future timeline where he has already won, having killed nearly all life in the universe, and introduces the Cosmic Ghost Rider: the Spirit of Vengeance who became Galactus's herald and then King Thanos's servant. The character was subsequently spun off into his own miniseries.
The Cates and Shaw arc landed at the precise moment when Thanos's mainstream profile peaked via the MCU: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019, with Josh Brolin as the Mad Titan) together dominated the global box office, with Endgame alone grossing $2.799 billion worldwide. That cinematic exposure amplified collector demand across all Thanos keys, from early Bronze Age issues to modern books. "Thanos Wins" is now cited as one of the defining works of contemporary Marvel Cosmic continuity.
Own a Thanos comic? Get a free valuation with our tool based on real eBay sales to find its low, median, and high value.