The Black Order have been adapted from the comics into several other forms of media, such as animated television series and video games. The group (renamed the "Children of Thanos") made their live-action debut in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmAvengers: Infinity War (2018). Alternate versions of the Children of Thanos later appeared in the filmAvengers: Endgame (2019) and the animatedDisney+ seriesWhat If...? (2021 & 2024).
The Black Order is a group of ruthless aliens who serveThanos. They help Thanos raze worlds from which they demand tribute. When Corvus Glaive sends one of their Outriders to find a new world to raze, theOutrider targets Earth.[1]
The Black Order arrive on Earth in search of theInfinity Gems, which are under the control of theIlluminati.[2] Each member of the Order targets a member of the Illuminati, with varying degrees of success. During their search for the Gems, Ebony Maw finds Thanos' sonThane, whom Thanos wishes to kill.[3]
During a battle with theAvengers, Black Dwarf and Supergiant are killed, while Ebony Maw betrays Thanos and frees Thane. Thane traps Thanos, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight in an amber construct which leaves them in a state of "living death".[4]
While Thanos is imprisoned in the Triskelion, a mysterious cloaked figure offers to help him obtain theMjolnir ofEarth-1610. To ensure success, Thanos forms a second incarnation of the Black Order with Proxima Midnight andBlack Swan. He sends them to theCollector's ship to obtain Mjolnir, but they are defeated byThor andBeta Ray Bill. Upon returning to Thanos, the cloaked figure reveals herself to beHela and kills Swan and Midnight. She tells Thanos that she needs his help to reclaim her rulership ofHel and offers to grant him the death he has long been seeking in exchange.[5]
AfterGamora kills and beheads Thanos,[6] Hela and the Black Order steal his corpse to resurrect him.[7] After getting Thanos' head fromAnnihilus, the Black Order go toEros, who is revealed to be housing Thanos' consciousness.[8]
After the restructuring of themultiverse and Thanos' disappearance, Corvus Glaive creates a new incarnation of the Black Order as part of his plan to create his own empire. Using a moon called the Black Quadrant that belonged to Thanos, Glaive and the Black Order begin conquering different planets. When Thanos returns, Glaive commits suicide rather than be killed by him.[9]
During the "No Surrender" arc, theChallenger reforms the Black Order, with Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, and Supergiant being resurrected.[10] They are later approached by theGrandmaster, who has an offer for them.[11]
Black Dwarf - A member of the Black Order who has super-strength, enhanced density, and impenetrable skin. He is the brother of Corvus Glaive. He is killed byRonan the Accuser,[12] but later resurrected by Challenger.
Corvus Glaive - Thanos' most favored general and husband of Proxima Midnight, who has enhanced strength, speed, durability, and endurance and uses a glaive which can cut through anything and renders him immortal.[9][13]
Ebony Maw - A member of the Black Order who has genius-level intellect, and specializes in persuasion. He utilizes a teleportation device and force field generator.
Proxima Midnight - A member of the Black Order. She is a master hand-to-hand combatant, has super-strength, and is highly impervious to injury. Her lance transforms into unavoidable toxic light beams. She is killed byHela.[5]
Supergiant - A member of the Black Order with telepathic abilities. She is killed byLockjaw,[4] but later returns as a psychic energy being.
The Black Order appears inGuardians of the Galaxy, with Kari Wahlgren, David Kaye, and Hynden Walch reprising their roles as Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Supergiant respectively while Ebony Maw is voiced byJames Urbaniak and Black Dwarf byJesse Burch.[14][15][16][17][18] In the episodes "Lyin' Eyes" and "Free Bird", Maw, Midnight, and Dwarf leave the group to join theUniversal Believers.
The Black Order, barring Supergiant and alternatively referred to as the "Children of Thanos", appear in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, with Ebony Maw voiced and motion-captured byTom Vaughan-Lawlor; Black Dwarf (renamed Cull Obsidian) voiced and motion-captured byTerry Notary; Proxima Midnight voiced and facial-captured byCarrie Coon, with motion capture primarily provided byMonique Ganderton;[19] and Corvus Glaive voiced and motion-captured byMichael James Shaw.[20]
InAvengers: Infinity War, the Black Order attack the refugee ship carryingThor and other Asgardians and are instructed to retrieve theInfinity Stones. Maw and Obsidian are sent toNew York City to take theTime Stone, coming into conflict withTony Stark,Stephen Strange, andWong, and laterPeter Parker. Maw captures Strange and takes him aboard his spaceship, while Parker and Stark board it and create a hole which sucks Maw into space. Wong sends Obsidian through a portal toAntarctica. To retrieve theMind Stone, Midnight and Glaive go toScotland and ambushVision andWanda Maximoff beforeSteve Rogers,Natasha Romanoff, andSam Wilson fight them off. At the Battle of Wakanda, Glaive infiltrates the Wakandan medical center and attacksShuri. He is killed by Vision later in the battle. Maximoff kills Midnight by telekinetically pulling her into a Thresher.Bruce Banner, in Hulkbuster armor, fights Obsidian and kills him by ejecting him into the Wakandan forcefield.
An alternate timeline variant of the Black Order appear inAvengers: Endgame. While battling the Avengers, Obsidian is killed byScott Lang and Glaive byOkoye while Stark kills Maw and Midnight using the Infinity Stones.
Alternate universe variants of the Children of Thanos appear inWhat If...?, with Coon and Vaughan-Lawlor reprising their roles as Midnight and Maw while Glaive is voiced byFred Tatasciore and Obsidian has no dialogue.[21][22][14][15][16]
^abcd"Proxima Midnight Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedAugust 11, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^abcd"Corvus Glaive Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedAugust 11, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^abcd"Ebony Maw Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedAugust 11, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^abc"Black Dwarf / Cull Obsidian Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedAugust 11, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^ab"Supergiant Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedAugust 11, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
