When the time comes for Thanos to wield the completed Infinity Gauntlet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the might of the Avengers simply won’t be anywhere near enough to stop him.

Add in the Guardians of the Galaxy and even that won’t be enough to prevent the Mad Titan from causing universe-altering destruction with his godlike powers.

Then take into account that Thanos probably won’t be working alone and you’ll come to realise that it’s going to take a huge joint effort from a number of teams, groups and organisations to combat the big-bad of the franchise.

This article will take a look at the different parties that could come together to fight for the same cause over the course of the two Infinity War movies (in 2018 and 2019 respectively) – and indeed in the spin-off media like the television shows – to go up against Thanos. It will also emphasise the potential scale of that battle.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. are still a presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – as proven when the Helicarrier appeared at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron to aid the titular heroes in their fight against the robotic villain – and they will undoubtedly be involved in the battle against Thanos.

Whether any agents appear in the movies or whether they’ll be restricted to television roles, they’ll certainly be impacted by the Mad Titan’s actions – as will the entire universe – and they will undoubtedly act in some way.

Phil Coulson is currently in the process or rebuilding the organisation after it was parasitically infiltrated by HYDRA, but as they continue to grow they will become a more valued asset in the good fight in the MCU.

They may provide backup during the actual battle against the villain or they may simply provide reconnaissance in the same way they did with Loki’s sceptre, but they will definitely be involved in some way.

The Secret Warriors

The Secret Warriors are coming in the next season (season 3) of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This was confirmed when Phil Coulson mentioned preparing Skye for a new project with the codename “Caterpillars” – with Caterpillars being the codename for the Secret Warriors in the comic books.

As of now, the only member of this team is Skye herself – a Marvel Cinematic Universe adaptation of Daisy Johnson AKA Quake – but it is generally believed that the team will be made up mostly of Inhuman characters who appear in the television series (perhaps with them being joined by the likes of Mike Peterson AKA Deathlok).

With that in mind, there may actually be a physical threat to Thanos from the small screen. If Skye perfects her powers, she alone could be used to knock him off balance or counteract any earthquake-type effects that the Mad Titan’s rampage causes.

The Defenders

The Defenders are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The four members will be Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist – all of whom will be getting their own series before they come together for a team series (Daredevil has, of course, already seen his series aired on Netflix with great success).

The team will have a distinct lack of any high-end superpowers, so it’s hard to see how they could be effective against Thanos at his base levels – let alone when he’s wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be of use in the battle against the Mad Titan.

They will certainly be able to help to keep the citizens of New York City safe by providing a presence – but whether they will do this on television or alongside the more powerful and popular heroes in the movies is unknown.

Regardless, a few extra heroic bodies in the battle against Thanos will undoubtedly be welcomed – but sadly, that’s probably all they will represent.

The Nova Corps

The Nova Corps will definitely be involved in the fight against Thanos and they already have a very good reason to be right in the thick of the battle.

That reason is the Orb – the Infinity Stone that was handed over to them for safekeeping at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy – as it is one of the items the Mad Titan will need to get his hands on in order to wield the completed Infinity Gauntlet.

It is strongly expected that, by the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 comes around, the Nova Corps will have used the Orb to create the Nova Force – exponentially increasing their power as an organisation in the process.

Once Thanos obtains the Orb from them (which is something they won’t take lying down, for starters), they will still possess some of its power as a result – and that could be a key factor when it comes to finally taking him down for good.

The Ravagers

The Ravagers might not be key players in the battle against Thanos, but there is every chance that they could be involved in some way.

They proved themselves to be capable allies in the good fight – alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Nova Corps – in the first Guardians movie and they are set to return in future instalments.

While only their leader, Yondu, has demonstrated any notable superpowers (his ability to control his arrow by whistling was impressive, as he killed numerous Sakaaran soldiers effortlessly), they do have a fleet of spacecrafts – known as M-ships – that could be useful in any aerial battles that might occur.

Given their nature – they are essentially space pirates who travel the galaxy looking for ways to make money (or units) – they could come into conflict with the Mad Titan as he seeks to acquire the Infinity Stones. These are items that interest the Ravagers, as they could sell them for a princely sum, and this could easily result in them bearing a grudge against the big-bad of the franchise when he gets to them first.

The Inhumans

The Inhumans movie is the only scheduled Marvel Cinematic Universe offering that will take place after the Infinity War movies – but there’s still every chance that its stars could play a key part against Thanos.

Set for a July 2019 release – two months after the second Infinity War movie – Inhumans will focus on the likes of Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak and Gorgon. Although the concept of the Inhumans has already been introduced in television’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it will be the movies that introduce the major characters from the race in the comic book s.

To casual movie-goers, the Inhumans will be relatively obscure characters – but what better way to popularise them before their own movie is released than by having them emerge from the shadows to aid in the battle against the Mad Titan?

Black Bolt possesses a destructive hypersonic voice, Medusa has super-strength prehensile hair, Karnak can sense the weak points in opponents and Gorgon can generate seismic shockwaves – and that’s just for starters – all of which could be useful in battle.

Asgard

Asgard has been the place most strongly associated with the Infinity Stones to date in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An Infinity Gauntlet was seen stored there in the first Thor movie (whether or not it was a fake copy is unknown), the Tesseract was stored there after the first Avengers movie and the Aether was there during the events of Thor: The Dark World before being handed over to the Collector.

Odin knows how powerful they are – he explained about them in Thor: The Dark World and didn’t want two of them to be together in the same place – so he will be keen to prevent Thanos from wielding them (assuming the Allfather is still alive) during the Infinity War movies.

Whoever is lording over Asgard come the time of the Infinity War movies – possibly Thor after the events of Thor: Ragnarok – will undoubtedly prepare the Asgardian army for war (which will, of course, include the likes of Sif and the Warriors Three).

If Odin is still around, audiences might actually see him get serious in battle for the first time – goodness knows the Odin Force would be a welcome help against the Mad Titan with the Infinity Gauntlet.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Of course the Guardians of the Galaxy will be key players in the battle against Thanos in the Infinity War movies – it absolutely goes without saying.

Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon and Groot all proved to be extremely popular in their 2014 movie and they will undoubtedly be back to stand up to the Mad Titan.

They’re all too aware of the power of the Infinity Stones, after their encounter with the Orb, and Gamora and Drax already have in-built reasons to want to take Thanos down.

They have plenty of physical might in the form of Drax and Groot and in Rocket Raccoon they have a character who could build some advanced technology to help to combat the villain.

Of course, they might have new recruits and allies by the time the Infinity War occurs – the likes of Adam Warlock, Cosmo, Angela, Mantis and/or Major Victory, for example – and that can only be a good thing.

The Avengers

The Avengers are the flagship heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and the Infinity War movies are called Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 and 2 – so it’s blindingly obvious that they’re going to be the main opposition to Thanos when he’s wielding the Infinity Gauntlet.

The MCU has been building towards a confrontation between the heroes and the Mad Titan since the latter first appeared in the mid-credits scene of the first Avengers movie – and it’s going to be epic when it happens.

Of course, the team’s roster has changed since then and it’s about to be split even more so in Captain America: Civil War, but expect them to come back together for the ultimate battle.

Part 1 will probably see a divided Avengers with some new members – Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel, for example – before Part 2 sees the return of the “originals” to aid in taking Thanos down.

With Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, Vision, Scarlet Witch, possibly even Quicksilver (hey, he could be brought back) and the aforementioned newcomers, the Avengers will provide the brains, brawn, magic and much more to counter the Mad Titan.

A New Team Or Group

With five movies (Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, an untitled Spider-Man movie and Thor: Ragnarok) and several ongoing television shows still to happen before the first Infinity War movie, there is plenty of time to introduce yet more teams who could help in the battle against Thanos.

Exactly who these teams might be is completely open to debate, but could we see some of the following: The Annihilators? The Illuminati? S.W.O.R.D.?

This is one for you you guys to discuss in the comments section.

Finally, could there be a surprise ally for the heroic groups in the Infinity War? Let’s move on to the final page…

Outsider Shot: HYDRA / Other Villainous Groups

When all’s said and done, Thanos will be on a mission to take over/destroy the universe in the Infinity War movies. Heroes are obviously not the only characters living in the universe, so could there be some help from an unlikely source in the form of HYDRA?

There has actually been some talk of HYDRA being in cahoots with Thanos, but that seems unlikely – their goals are very different to the Mad Titan’s – and the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might look to their villainous counterparts to aid them in the battle against the big-bad of the franchise.

Nobody knows more about the Tesseract or the Mind Stone – two of the Infinity Stones Thanos will be utilising – than HYDRA. Heck, they may even have some weapons stored away based on those two items – and what better way to counter Thanos than with weapons based on the items he is wielding?

There are plenty of other villains currently existing in the MCU – and many more still to come – so don’t be surprised to see some assisting the heroes in their cosmic battle. After all, the likes of Doctor Doom and Nebula stood against him when he was wielding the Infinity Gauntlet in the comic books.

What do you think? Will all of these teams and organisations help in the fight against Thanos? Which others might get involved? Have your say below.