A couple of characters have been recast from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)including his own Thanosthat was not played by Josh Brolin when he first appeared in The Avengers (2012).
As he recalls a report published on the website of screen rantthe presence of the Mad Titan in the MCU originated in a mid-credits scene in the aforementioned Avengers tape and, from that moment, many projects in the universe began to build their stories around the Infinity Stones, the Infinity Gauntlet and Thanos’ quest to collect them.
However, he didn’t become the actual villain in a Marvel Studios movie until Avengers: Infinity War, which saw him collect all six Gems and wipe out half the life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. Josh Brolin played Thanos in his main appearances, but the Thanos seen in The Avengers was very different just like his original actor, Damion Poitier.
Why did Marvel recast Thanos?
In The Avengers mid-credits scene, the Other (Chthon the Elder God) tells Thanos that to defy humans is to court death. The Mad Titan turns to him and smiles menacingly, exactly the image below these lines.
Thanos didn’t speak until his cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, but James Gunn’s MCU debut also featured a very different Titan. Poitier played Thanos in The Avengers, but from Guardians it was Josh Brolin who played the villain through motion capture.
Unlike other cases within the MCU, the recasting of Thanos had nothing to do with conflicts with the actor or his schedules, but it was a creative decision. When director Joss Whedon decided to cast the villain in The Avengers’ mid-credits scene, no one had been cast in the role, so Poitier stepped up.
As Thanos’ arc evolved, so did his physical appearance, and Marvel Studios had plenty of time to find the perfect actor for the role, Brolin. Curiously, Poitier stayed in the MCU for one more movie: Captain America: Civil War, where he played one of Crossbones’ mercenaries.. Probably no one knew this and the one who knew did not remember.