Following his apparent death, Marvel has officially confirmed Thanos’ return, with the iconic villain now boasting an increased level of power in excess of most of Marvel’s gods.

Debuting in 1972, Thanos is one of Marvel’s most iconic villains and the focus of 1991’s The Infinity Gauntlet, today considered one of Marvel’s definitive stories. More recently, the character has become a household name thanks to his depiction in the MCU by Josh Brolin.

For much of that time, Thanos has drawn power from the most potent artifacts of the Marvel Universe, from the Cosmic Cube to the Infinity Stones to the Warlock’s Eye. Now, as he returns from death, he boasts an incredibly powerful new upgrade.

Thanos Returns for Historic Rematch with Knull

In this week’s Knull #4 – from Al Ewing, Tom Waltz, Juanan Ramírez, Erick Arciniega and Clayton Cowles – the King in Black unlocks a whole new set of powers. Having had his control over darkness stolen by the Asgardian goddess Hela, Knull sets out to control the light instead.

After journeying to the edge of reality, he’s successful, seizing control of all forms of light, “from a single flint spark to the supernova I created to herald my rebirth.” However, as Knull celebrates, Thanos’ Sanctuary ship approaches.

Noticing the glowing villain, Thanos states, “It appears he’s had an upgrade. Fine… So have I.”

Why Thanos Is Trying to Destroy Knull

In previous issues of Knull, Hela asked Thanos to pursue Knull and prevent him gaining godlike power. The two clashed in Knull #3, where – after a brutal beating at Thanos’ hands – Knull snatched victory at the last second.

While Knull had lost his total control of darkness, he still had the ability to occupy any void or area without light. To defeat Thanos, he manifested inside him, bursting out and leaving the Mad Titan’s seemingly dead body prone on the floor.

However, now Thanos is back, and the most recent issue shows small surgical robots seemingly reassembling his chest. Thanos should have died, but he’s been immortal in the past because Death has rejected him, and that could once more be the case, since the two recently had a vicious clash.

Of course, it could also be a result of the new “upgrade” that Thanos has harnessed for this rematch. But what exactly is that upgrade?

What Are Thanos’ New Powers?

The issue itself doesn’t explicitly reveal the nature of Thanos’ new upgrade, and the summary for the following issue isn’t much more helpful, reading:

LET THERE BE LIGHT! Knull has conquered the Lightforce Dimension and left his dastardly eternal mark in SUPERNOVA fashion! But wait! An enemy he thought he’d eliminated with extreme prejudice is back for more… and he comes UPGRADED for battle this time! Meanwhile, the newly crowned Queen in Black, HELA OF ASGARD, is beginning to question her strategy against Knull – is it time to activate Plan B? This is it! The bombastic grand finale! Who will fall? Who will rise? Who will CLAIM THE LIGHT?! Whatever happens, the Marvel Universe will never be the same!

However, it’s possible for fans to make an educated guess. First, Thanos is shown wearing golden armor, similar to the previous God of Light who battled and almost killed Knull. This may connect him to the Enigma Force, granting him cosmic control over matter and the ability to manifest an army of light-based duplicates.

At the same time, Thanos is pursuing Knull on Hela’s behalf, and the goddess currently wields control over both death and darkness. She’s also the new master of the universe’s symbiotes, so fans shouldn’t be surprised to see a Venomized Thanos charge into battle next issue – potentially even commanding a symbiote/undead legion.

Who’s Going to Win Thanos vs Knull?

Fans already know Marvel is heading towards the Queen in Black event and that Knull will be a major player, so he has to walk away from this fight, and almost certainly with his new powers intact. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll beat Thanos.

Thanos is one of the greatest strategists in the galaxy, and his bond with Hela isn’t particularly strong. If he becomes convinced that he has something to gain from Knull’s ascendancy, he may step aside and let it happen. Of course, this being comics, the one thing we know for sure is that before that happens, we’ll get an epic clash between Thanos and the godlike Knull.

Knull #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.