Thanos: undervalued key issues (real market data, June 2026)

Thanos is a Bronze Age creation — there are no Silver Age or Golden Age keys to his name. Jim Starlin drew and co-scripted the character's first appearance in Iron Man #55 (February 1973), alongside Drax the Destroyer. The Thanos War arc then ran through Captain Marvel #25 to #33 (1973–1974), followed by Avengers #125 (1974), Warlock #9 to #15 (1975–1976), and the character's death in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977). His resurrection came thirteen years later in Silver Surfer #34 (1990), the direct prologue to The Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 (1991, Starlin/Pérez/Lim) — the storyline that still defines the Mad Titan in popular culture today.

This guide follows one strict rule: every figure comes either from our eBay estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) or from an auction record documented in the specialist press. eBay medians reflect a blend of all grades and all printings — they represent the mass market, not high-grade CGC copies. The Infinity Gauntlet is not covered by our tool: figures for that series come exclusively from documented web sources.

Thanos key issue table (real data, June 2026)

The medians below cover all grades and all printings combined. High-grade CGC copies trade significantly higher: an Iron Man #55 CGC 9.8 reached a documented record of $9,600 in 2022. The Infinity Gauntlet is not in our eBay estimator; only web-sourced market data is available for that series.

Record sources: sellmycomicbooks.com, Heritage Auctions, bleedingcool.com.

Iron Man #55 (1973): the founding key, still entry-level

Published in February 1973, Iron Man #55 is the Bronze Age at its finest: Jim Starlin draws and co-scripts (with Mike Friedrich) the first appearances of both Thanos and Drax the Destroyer in a single issue. There is no earlier appearance — no Silver Age, no Golden Age predecessor. Our eBay estimator returns a median of €9 across 73 listings: that low figure reflects the mass of worn copies, lower-grade runs, and reprints circulating on the European secondary market. The high-grade reality is entirely different. A CGC 9.8 reached $9,600 at a documented sale in 2022; CGC 9.0 copies were trading around $2,000 in the same period according to sellmycomicbooks.com. If you find an ungraded copy in strong condition, the CGC submission upside is considerable.

Silver Surfer #34 (1990): the forgotten return, at €19

After thirteen years absent from Marvel continuity, Thanos is resurrected in Silver Surfer #34 (February 1990). Jim Starlin returns to the character for a five-part arc illustrated by Ron Lim — this is the direct starting point for Thanos Quest #1–2 (1990) and The Infinity Gauntlet (1991). The narrative importance of this issue stands in sharp contrast to its current price: our estimator returns a median of €19 across 55 listings — a reliable volume confirming abundant supply and still very low prices. No high-grade auction record has been publicly documented for this issue, which only underscores its undervalued status for collectors willing to do their own research.

Avengers #125 (1974): Thanos in the flagship title, at €9

Published in July 1974, Avengers #125 is Thanos's first appearance in the main Avengers series — the flagship Marvel title that every collector knows. The arc continues the Thanos War storyline that began in Captain Marvel. A CGC 9.8 copy sold for $2,280 at Heritage Auctions in July 2022, confirming genuine top-end market interest. Our estimator returns a median of €9 across 54 listings: at that price, the average copy is in mid-grade condition, but it remains a legitimate Thanos key on a tight budget. For a collector looking to cover the Bronze Age Thanos run without spending hundreds of euros, Avengers #125 offers one of the best significance-to-price ratios on the market.

Why these keys remain accessible

Two factors explain the gap. First, the MCU films pushed Iron Man #55 into mainstream awareness — but that demand concentrated almost entirely on high-grade CGC copies. Ungraded, worn, or simply average copies have not seen the same price surge. Second, Silver Surfer #34 and Avengers #125 remain in the shadow of the first appearance: Avengers: Infinity War ($2.05 billion worldwide) and Avengers: Endgame ($2.80 billion worldwide) locked collector attention on Iron Man #55 and The Infinity Gauntlet, leaving the intermediate Bronze Age issues at still-reasonable price levels. That blind spot is precisely where the opportunity lies for the attentive collector.