Josh Brolin as Cable vs. Thanos – Who Stayed Truer to the Comics?
Josh Brolin occupies a rare space in comic book cinema: he’s portrayed not one, but two iconic characters from different franchises — Cable in Deadpool 2 and Thanos across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both characters are pillars in their respective comic book mythologies, with decades of lore and fervent fanbases behind them. But the question is: which of Brolin’s portrayals stayed truer to the source material, honoring the essence of the character fans grew up reading?
Cable: A Soldier Out of Time
Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Rob Liefeld in 1990, Cable is one of the most complex figures in the X-Men pantheon. A grizzled time-traveling warrior, he’s the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey), sent to the future as a child to save him from a techno-organic virus. Cable’s storylines in the comics are sprawling, filled with apocalyptic wars, time loops, and his constant fight against his nemesis Apocalypse. His visual identity is iconic: a cybernetic arm, glowing eye, and an arsenal of oversized weaponry.
Deadpool 2 introduces Cable as a hardened soldier on a mission to assassinate a troubled young mutant, Russell (Firefist), to prevent a dark future. Brolin’s version pares down Cable’s convoluted backstory for a streamlined cinematic version. Gone are the Summers family ties, Apocalypse connections, or overt techno-virus details. Instead, we get a soldier motivated by personal tragedy: his wife and daughter murdered in the future. While this shift grounds Cable in a relatable emotional arc, it trims away much of the character’s rich comic book DNA.
From a design standpoint, though, Cable in Deadpool 2 looks faithful. The metallic arm, scarred face, glowing eye, and massive arsenal all echo his comic appearance. Brolin even nailed the deadpan stoicism and weary cynicism that define Cable’s personality. But the erasure of his comic book lineage arguably strips away one of Marvel’s most tangled, fascinating family trees. Fans got Cable’s attitude and look — but not quite his cosmic complexity.
Thanos: From Courtship of Death to Cosmic Philosopher
On the other side, we have Thanos, “The Mad Titan,” created by Jim Starlin in 1973. In the comics, Thanos is obsessed with Mistress Death, literally wooing the embodiment of death itself. His drive to acquire the Infinity Gauntlet is less about balance or philosophy and more about impressing his dark mistress. The comics paint Thanos as a nihilistic yet oddly tragic figure, constantly undone by his hubris.
The MCU dramatically retools Thanos, played by Brolin across multiple films but crystallized in Infinity War and Endgame. Instead of being a love-struck nihilist, Thanos is reframed as a grim environmental philosopher. His infamous “snap” is motivated by the belief that halving the universe’s population will save it from overconsumption and collapse. This thematic change makes Thanos resonate with modern anxieties about climate change and overpopulation, giving him a twisted but understandable logic. It’s not the comics’ death-romance, but it’s a bold reinterpretation.
Visually, Thanos is a triumph of adaptation. The MCU nails his purple skin, massive frame, armor, and, of course, the Infinity Gauntlet. The CGI combined with Brolin’s motion capture gives us a Thanos who feels imposing yet oddly human in his expressions. He may not be wooing Death, but his demeanor, obsession, and inevitability still echo the character’s essence.
Which Is More Faithful?
When judging strict fidelity, Cable arguably wins in surface-level accuracy — his design, demeanor, and soldierly grit mirror the comics closely. However, the absence of his convoluted origins and family ties makes his adaptation feel like Cable-lite. Thanos, meanwhile, is heavily reinterpreted, but the MCU’s changes didn’t dilute his essence. Instead, they modernized him, making his motivations relevant to contemporary audiences.
If comic faithfulness is the metric, Cable feels more “accurate” in look and attitude. But Thanos, through adaptation, feels more complete. He may not chase Mistress Death, but his menace, grandeur, and thematic weight make him the character most fans now associate with Brolin. In other words: Cable looked the part, but Thanos became the part.
Verdict: Brolin’s Cable captured the aesthetics of the comics but lost much of the lore. Thanos was reinvented, but the reinvention was so effective that it arguably became more definitive than the source. For comic fans, the crown tips slightly toward Thanos, because true adaptation is not just replication — it’s evolution.
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