Marvel: Josh Brolin To Channel Marlon Brando In Avengers Thanos Performance

Josh Brolin has given his first interview since being announced as the man who will bring Marvel Studios supervillain Thanos to the big screen.

Brolin made his first brief appearance as The Mad Titan in current box office king Guardians of the Galaxy, but there's still plenty more to come from the maniacal goliath and the Infinity Stones he's so keen to collect.

Speaking to IGN, Brolin mentioned the inspirations he's taking on board for the character.

"As expected," reads IGN's story, "The actor is using the comics as his primary reference point as he crafts the character, but says that he's also thinking about Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando's character in Apocalypse Now) as a source of inspiration."

The interview sadly doesn't include quotes from Brolin about his Brando inspiration, but it's a no less interesting idea, and it's good to know Brolin is thinking outside the source material when it comes to making what could be a truly great movie villain.

He did however have a lot to say about pretty much everything else. Brolin spoke of how he got the role, what impressed him about Marvel, comparisons to the Emperor in Star Wars and getting to act alongside Robert Downey Jr.

The 46-year-old Oscar-nominee also spoke about an important plot point in his forthcoming storyline. Thanos, as has been established in Thor: The Dark World and now Guardians of the Galaxy, is after the Infinity Stones, which together will give him power over all existence.

Thanos does so – in the classic comic story Infinity Gauntlet – to impress the physical embodiment of Death, who is represented as a woman. His infatuation with her was hinted at the end of Avengers Assemble in 2012.

"His relationship with Death, who is actually the woman, I love that," Brolin said. "You can take Sin City [in which Brolin plays a man obsessed with a dark-hearted woman] and pump it full of steroids, and then you have Thanos. I like that he's motivated by that - not just motivated by destruction or death or this or that. He's motivated by a very identifiable, human trait."

Brolin also revealed that he only has "an idea" of Thanos' complete arc within what Marvel have planned for their film universe, but that's okay given that Brolin has a few years before he takes a starring role.

"I know what one appearance is going to be for sure. There's one or two that I don't know," he said, hinting that he'll be playing Thanos in at least two future movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy is in cinemas now. The Avengers, who Thanos will eventually face off against, return in Age of Ultron on 24 April 2015.