Thanos Key Issues: Essential Bronze Age Comics Guide

Thanos is a pure Bronze Age creation. Jim Starlin conceived and drew him for the first time in February 1973 in Iron Man #55 — there are no Silver Age or Golden Age issues featuring this character. Starlin then developed the Mad Titan through a saga known as The Thanos War, spread across Captain Marvel #25–33 (1973–1974), before killing him off for the first time in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977). Thanos's return in 1990 in Silver Surfer #34, followed by The Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 (1991), cemented his status as one of Marvel's most feared archvillains.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: eBay medians from our estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) and records documented by Heritage Auctions, ComicLink, and specialist press. One important caveat: the eBay median for Iron Man #55 is a blended all-grades, all-printings figure — it does not reflect the value of a well-centered high-grade copy, which can exceed $10,000. For any issue with fewer than 15 active listings, no eBay median is cited.

Thanos Bronze Age key issue ranking (eBay data and documented records, June 2026)

The issues below form the founding corpus of the character — all published between 1973 and 1977, with the exception of Silver Surfer #34 (1990) which marks his modern return. eBay medians are blended all-grades figures; high-grade CGC copies command significantly higher prices.

Iron Man #55 (1973): the birth of the Mad Titan

Published in February 1973, Iron Man #55 is one of the most important Bronze Age keys in all of Marvel. Jim Starlin handled both the script and cover art: in a single issue he introduced Thanos — a being of cosmic power obsessed with Death — alongside Drax the Destroyer. The issue now appears on Overstreet's Top 25 Bronze Age comics list. A notable collector detail: some CGC 9.8 copies exist with a double cover — an accidental printing variant that many collectors actively seek out.

Our estimator returns a median of €9 across 73 listings — a solid volume, but this is a blended figure: the vast majority of listings are ungraded, low-grade, or worn copies. That median does not reflect the value of a high-grade example. The documented record for a CGC 9.8 is $13,025 (ComicLink, reported by Bleeding Cool), which itself broke a previous record of $9,000 for the same grade. Even in mid-grade (CGC 4.0 to 7.0), certified copies trade well above the raw eBay median.

The Thanos War: Captain Marvel #25–33 (1973–1974)

The true founding arc of the character runs through Captain Marvel #25–33. Starlin takes over the series from #25 (March 1973, scripted by Mike Friedrich) and gradually builds an original cosmology around Thanos, the Cosmic Cube, and a roster of new characters. Captain Marvel #28 is frequently cited as a key issue within the saga for its pivotal developments. The run is widely regarded as the first major modern space-opera arc at Marvel and a direct precursor to everything that followed in cosmic Marvel storytelling.

Our estimator does not return sufficient volume for Captain Marvel #25 to cite an eBay median. The highest documented record for that issue is $1,450 according to GoCollect. Issues from this saga typically surface in lots or in low grade; high-grade CGC copies are scarce and rarely reach the public record. This is a hunting ground for collectors interested in Starlin's work as a whole rather than purely census-driven grail chasing.

Avengers #125 (1974) and the end of the Thanos War

Published in July 1974, Avengers #125 serves as the concluding chapter of the Thanos War in the main Marvel continuity of the era. Thanos confronts the Avengers with the Cosmic Cube, sealing his temporary defeat before Starlin revisited the character in Warlock #9–15 (1975–1976) and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977), in which the Mad Titan is defeated and petrified by Adam Warlock. It is a transitional issue that tends to be undervalued relative to Iron Man #55, but it has a respectable eBay presence.

Our estimator returns a median of €9 across 54 listings — a reliable volume reflecting an active entry-level market. As with most mid-run Bronze Age books, high-grade CGC copies would command significantly more than the blended median, but no high-grade auction record for this issue has been publicly documented.

Silver Surfer #34 (1990): Thanos returns

After thirteen years absent from Marvel's pages, Thanos returns in Silver Surfer #34 (1990). This issue opens his modern era: Starlin resurrects him and leads him toward Thanos Quest #1–2 (1990) and The Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 (1991, with art by George Pérez and Ron Lim). The Infinity Gauntlet is the mini-series that brought Thanos to a mass audience in the 1990s and directly inspired the screenplays for Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) — the two films grossed $2.048 billion and $2.79 billion worldwide respectively, driving sustained demand for all Thanos keys.

Our estimator returns a median of €19 across 55 listings for Silver Surfer #34 — a solid volume for a transitional issue and an accessible entry point into Thanos's modern era. Silver Surfer #44 (a notable appearance in the same period) has fewer than 15 active listings: no median is cited for that issue, in keeping with our reliability threshold.