Lots of attention has been paid to Thanos, the mastermind villain who's finally stepping out from the shadows in Avengers: Infinity War. The writers and directors have gone as far as to say that Thanos is the main character of the movie, but that doesn't mean he's the only bad guy in the picture. When Thanos finally begins to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Infinity War, he won't be doing it alone. Even galactic tyrants need to delegate, and Thanos' Black Order is there to serve. The group is still fairly new, having only been introduced in the comics a few years ago, but they've made enough impact to join the MCU's biggest movie to date.
Introduced in Infinity by Jonathan Hickman, the Black Order are Thanos' generals who help take over planets for the Mad Titan and send him tributes. The group originally had five members, but Infinity War will only consist of four: Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, and Ebony Maw. Each has their own unique style and powers, not to mention the single most metal names in comic book history. In Infinity War, they've been retooled as Thanos' "children" i.e. kids like Gamora that he kidnapped after exterminating their entire race. (What a good guy!) It's totally understandable if you have no idea who these guys are, so here's the lowdown on each member of the Black Order before Infinity War hits theaters.
Corvus Glaive
Corvus Glaive is Thanos' right-hand man and leader of the Black Order. He's a master strategist and tactician, and after studying Earth's history of warfare, he was called the greatest general Earth had ever seen. (His wife said that, so, probably biased.) Corvus' weapon is a glaive, which is capable of splitting atoms, meaning it can cut through virtually anything. As long as the glaive remains unbroken, Corvus is essentially unkillable and will recover from absolutely any injury. At one point, after Thanos disappears, Corvus attempts to form his own Black Order and conquer planets. Thanos squashed that ambition when he returned, and Corvus chose to kill himself rather than face punishment. He recently came back to life in the comics, right on time for his blockbuster debut.
Proxima Midnight
Without question the best name ever, Proxima Midnight is one of the deadliest fighters in Thanos' army. She wields a spear that was forged for her by Thanos. It was created from a sun trapped in distorted space-time, acting and operating as a star, supernova, and black hole at once. Once thrown, the spear never misses its target, transforming into a bolt of energy or simply remaining as an object moving at constant velocity. It's unknown if her spear possesses the same power in the movie. Proxima died in the comics, but she was recently brought back to life alongside several members of the original Black Order. She's married to Corvus Glaive, proving that there's someone out there for everyone.
Cull Obsidian
Cull Obsidian is the powerhouse brute of the Black Order, which also makes him the least interesting one. During the Infinity event storyline, Cull leads Thanos' army against Black Panther and Wakanda but greatly underestimates his opponent. He is ultimately forced to retreat, and is soon killed by Ronan the Accuser. Fun fact: Cull Obsidian is actually another name that the Black Order goes by in the comics. This character's original name is Black Dwarf, but Infinity War clearly chose to move in a different direction for obvious reasons. Supergiant, the only original member who didn't make the cut for the movie, was likely a bit too spot on for the name of the super, giant guy.
Ebony Maw
Unlike the other members of the Black Order, Ebony Maw isn't one to get his hands dirty, but he's no less sadistic and cruel. Maw possesses the uncanny ability to persuade anyone to do anything, making him a master manipulator. In the comics, he was pitted against Doctor Strange and turned the powerful sorcerer into an unwitting double agent for the Black Order. The recent trailer for Infinity War seems to suggest a similar event, as it looks like Strange is being tortured by Maw. In the comics, Maw went on to be a mentor of sorts to Thanos' son, Thane, molding him into a threat even worse than his father. Maw is a sneaky villain who you can never really trust doesn't have his own agenda and he could make for the most interesting Black Order member onscreen. If nothing else, he certainly looks the creepiest.
