Chapter 1: Thanos' Quest Begins

Somewhere in deep space was the planet of Xandar, capital of the Nova Empire. Its citizens wnet about carrying out everyday tasks, but unbeknownst to them, it would be the last time any of them did anything on the planet.

Above Xandar's atmosphere was the Sanctuary II, the warship of the Mad Titan, Thanos. The armour-clad figure strode down the halls of his ship, the golden but empty Infinity Gauntlet on his left arm. The gauntlet, however, had the ability to locate the six Infinity Stones, the first of which was on Xandar. He stopped and turned to his second in command, Corvus Glaive. "Prepare your forces for a full-scale invasion of Xandar."

Corvus bowed his head in obedience. "Yes, father."

Thanos grinned as the bays of the Sanctuary II opened, releasing many Outrider Dropships on the planet. The Outriders pillaged the planet, to the horror of Nova Prime, who turned to one of her advisors. "Contact the Guardians of the Galaxy. Tell them Thanos is attacking!"

Somewhere else in the city, two Nova Corps guarded the vault housing the Orb, which contained the Power Stone. Suddenly, they were knocked back as Thanos entered the room, his bulky and robust form towering over the guards. The titan stepped on them as he approached the vault, crushing their throats. Thanos tore open the vault with his bare hands, grinning as he took the Orb and ripped it open to reveal the purple Power Stone within.

"Finally," he chuckled. "I will succeed where Ronan failed, and destroy Xandar!"

He placed the stone in his gauntlet and turned around to see more Nova Corps, their weapons pointed at him. Thanos smirked as he slammed his gloved left hand into the ground, annihilating all life on the planet. Buildings shattered, crumbling to dust as Xandar suc***bed to the power of an Infinity Stone. Many Outriders were also left dead, bu Thanos was not concerned, for they were nothing but tools to him.

*Hours later*

The Guardians of the Galaxy arrived on Xandar, but they were too late. They were horrified at the destruction, as Star-Lord picked up a Nova Corps helmet and kept it as a reminder of what he interpreted as a failure. The Guardians followed the Sanctuary II in their much smaller ship, the Benatar.

On board the Sanctuary II, he examined the Infinity Gauntlet, clenching a fist with a sly grin across his face.

Avengers: Infinity War

Later, while traveling through space, the Sanctuary II came across a small ship, the Ark. It housed the Asgardian population, led by Thor, son of Odin. He and his brother Loki looked up in terror to see Thanos' ship. Loki was beyond scared, for he had failed Thanos six years earlier. "He's here."

Thor looked to his brother in confusion. "Who?"

Loki did not make eye contact with him. "Thanos."

Then, they heard the sounds of screams, and rushed out of their quarters. Four alien beings were slaughtering the Asgardians. Heimdall fought against Corvus Glaive, only for Thanos' general to knock the Bifrost Sword out of his hand and fatally stab him.

"Heimdall!" Thor shouted, leaping towards them. However, a purple energy blast knocked him back as the Mad Titan stepped through the smoke. Thor charged at Thanos, who merely dodged with ease and disoriented him. Thanos removed his helmet as the Black Order, the four aliens, surrounded Loki.

"Brother!" Thor shouted to Loki.

Loki shouted at Thanos. "Thanos! I have what you want! I'll turn it over, and you'll spare my brother!"

Thanos' gaze moved over to the God of Mischief. "Give me the Tesseract, boy."

Loki revealed the Tesseract as Thanos stepped on top of Thor, releasing a scream of agony from the God of Thunder. Removing the gauntlet, the Mad Titan took the cube and crushed it in his hand, revealing the blue Space Stone. Putting the gauntlet back on, he placed the Space Stone in the knuckle slot of his middle finger. "A fine addition to my collection."

Thanos then grabbed Thor's head in his right hand. "Now, watch as your brother dies."

Proxima Midnight raised her spear and thrust it through Loki's abdomen, as Thor screamed, his eyes closed. He couldn't bare to watch the only family he had left perish. Loki's body dropped to the floor as Thanos squeezed Thor's head hard enough to knock him unconscious. Suddenly, he was tackled by the Hulk, who had approached after hearing the noise. The Mad Titan grunted in frustration as he used the Space Stone to teleport the green goliath to Earth. He then turned to his four children. "Return to the ship."

Once all five of them returned to the Sanctuary II, Thanos used the Power Stone to annihilate the Ark. The ship exploded, killing any Asgardian citizen who wasn't killed in the attack. He then gave orders to his children. "Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, you will go to Edinburgh and retrieve the Mind Stone. Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, you will head to New York to take the Time Stone."

The Black Order bowed their heads. "Yes, father."

As they prepared for their missions, Thanos prepared to travel to Knowhere.