Several key Thanos issues remain accessible on the secondary market: Avengers #125 (July 1974) and Iron Man #55 (February 1973, the Mad Titan's first appearance) both show an eBay median of €9 across all grades (54 and 73 listings respectively, June 2026). Silver Surfer #34 (February 1990, Thanos's resurrection) trades at a median of €19 across 55 listings. Significant keys for a character who generated over $4.8 billion at the MCU box office.
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.
| Issue | Significance | eBay data (all grades) | Documented record (high grade) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973) | 1st appearance of Thanos + Drax the Destroyer | Median €9 · 73 listings | $9,600 (CGC 9.8, 2022) |
| Silver Surfer #34 (Feb. 1990) | Thanos resurrected; Starlin/Lim begin; prelude to Infinity Gauntlet | Median €19 · 55 listings | Not publicly documented |
| Avengers #125 (Jul. 1974) | First Thanos appearance in the flagship Avengers title | Median €9 · 54 listings | $2,280 (CGC 9.8, Heritage Jul. 2022) |
| The Infinity Gauntlet #1 (1991) | Definitive Thanos story; direct inspiration for the MCU films | Different series: not available | Web data only |
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.
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Frequently asked questions
In Iron Man #55 (February 1973), which Jim Starlin draws and co-writes with Mike Friedrich, alongside Drax the Destroyer. Thanos is a Bronze Age creation: there is no Silver Age or Golden Age key in his name.
Iron Man #55, Avengers #125 (July 1974), Thanos's first appearance in the Avengers series, and Silver Surfer #34 (February 1990), his resurrection. Medians across all grades remain low, because worn copies and reprints weigh on the mass market.
The films mainly boosted high-grade certified copies, not ungraded or ordinary ones. And Silver Surfer #34 and Avengers #125 stay in the shadow of the first appearance, although their narrative importance is real.
After thirteen years of absence from Marvel continuity, Thanos is resurrected in this issue. Jim Starlin takes the character back for a five-part saga illustrated by Ron Lim, the direct starting point of Thanos Quest #1-2 (1990) and Infinity Gauntlet (1991).
After Iron Man #55, the Thanos War runs through Captain Marvel #25 to #33 (1973-1974), then Avengers #125 (1974) and Warlock #9 to #15 (1975-1976). The character dies in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977) before his resurrection.