Been throwing this one around for a while but it's probably my favorite match up for Shockwave, and definitely much more fair and thematic than the alternatives. I honestly
really like this one.
IDW Shockwave vs MCU Thanos
Theme: Infinite Regenesis
Connections:
- Both are modern interpretations of their classic characters, and are the massive overarching villains of their respective verses (Shockwave is largely responsible for many big events within IDW, with him being the main villain on several occasions. Thanos is the overarching antagonist of the entire infinity saga)
- The characters they are based upon are both massive purple villains and have been commonly depicted as large threats to the main heroes, with both of their actions having large consequences for the universes (Shockwave in Sunbow G1 was ruler of Cybertron during Megatron's absence, while Shockwave in Marvel G1 is responsible for overarching plot points, with him even being Decepticon leader for some time. Thanos is a major threat to not just the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, but also to the entire universe, with his schemes even forcing cosmic beings to intervene)
- Both are depicted as cool headed, calculating and reserved, with both being capable of always staying one step ahead of the heroes because of their intellect. They are both also shown to be some of the most physically powerful characters in their verses.
- Both of them share the same motivation for their actions. Their races was struggles with a resource problem that threatened to wipe out their entire species (Shockwave predicted that Cybertron would run of energy and created the Regenesis program to remedy this energy crisis, all while the war was driving the Cybertronian race to extinction. Thanos warned his people of their scarcity of resources, a crisis that wiped his species)
- While both have seemingly "benevolent" intentions in the beginning, both have been shown to have always been somewhat shady in the way they do things, though Shockwave wasn't nearly as messed up as Thanos was in the past (Even prior to his empurata surgery, Shockwave had done several shady acts despite his good intentions. Manipulating several individuals to replace Sentinel to become Prime, attempting to create Ore-14 under crystal city and many others. Thanos wanted what was best for his race, but his suggestion to genocide half the populace was massively rejected and he was outcasted for his solutions)
- Their rejection from their societies would ultimately lead to become the villains they are today (The senate would brainwash and mutilate Shockwave through a process called Empurata, turning him into the cold, calculting villain he is now. Titans' exinction would lead to Thanos to belive he was right, and led him on his genocidal goals)
- Both of their predictions would eventually come to fruition, and they both sought to use utilize cosmic energy sources to accomplish their plans (Shockwave initiated the Regenesis programs while Thanos sought the Infinity Stones)
- These energy sources are extremely powerful rock related artifacts, with each of them being able to manipulate a fundamental aspect of reality, and when combined together, both had the power to bend the universe to their will (The Regenesis Ores and the Infinity Gauntlet)
- Their final goals would result in a form of cosmic genocide as the answer to their energy problems (Shockwave would destroy the universe and convert into an infinite fuel source for Cybertron, while Thanos wiped out half of all life in the universe, so that remaining resources would become more widely available for the survivors)
- Said cosmic energy sources do have some significant drawbacks on these villains though, and are somewhat crucial to their defeat (Shockwave's time drive threatened his mental stability due to its clairvoyant powers, while the radiation from the Infinity Stones crippled Thanos when used for too long)
- Both plans would eventually be foiled and reverted by the heroes. And while both were "defeated" they would eventually return via time travel shenanigans (Shockwave would be sent back to Cybertron's distant past, where he attempted to manipulate Cybertron's history, and alternate version of Thanos would come to the main timeline due to Avenger's time travelling shenanigans)
- This leads to one final confrontation between them and the heroes where both villains attempting to tear everything and start anew (Shockwave would attempt to destroy all of Cybertronian society, so that he may remake it from the ground up under his own image and rebuild the Cybertronian empire. Thanos would attempt to retake the gauntlet, knowing that other would attempt to reverse his actions, so that he may remake the universe in his own image)
- Both plans are ultimately foiled by the "archnemesis", of whom of both had some strong connection to (Thanos would be defeated by Iron Man, someone Thanos had respect for being the one to destroy one of his armadas and for being a visionary like he was. Shockwave's doomsday weapon, Unicron, would be destroyed by Optimus Prime, someone Shockwave was once close friends with)
- Both have lead massive armies capable of destroying worlds on multiple occasions (Shockwave has lead several armies of Decepticons, Maximals and Ammonites. Thanos has his own armada he uses to genocide races)
- Both have once had superpowered underlings they have taken under their wing, with both villains having raised them as the mentors of these lost children (When he was a senator, Shockwave used his academy to protect and raise outliers, Cybertronians with super powers. Thanos has his black order, who proclaimed themselves as Thanos' "children")
- Both of their goals, while similar, do ultimately conflict with one another. Shockwave merely cares only for the Cybertronian race, with him viewing other lifeforms and the universe itself as merely fuel to serve Cybertron. Thanos on the other hand believes his actions to be for the benefit for all life in the universe. This logically would lead them both to battle against each other for the fate of the universes.
I think this match up has a lot of potential going for it. Both have similar, yet conflicting goals that would make for a thematic villain vs villain story.
Debate potential: At their base levels, both can be argued to be Continental to maybe Planetary depending on what arguments you believe in, with both scaling around Relativistic to even FTL speed scaling depending on what arguments you also believe in. Both have massive armies that have helped back them up in battle on multiple occasions. Lastly, both the Regenesis Ores and the Infinity Stones can easily be argued to at least Universal in power, with both cosmic powers being able to alter fundamental aspects of reality itself. So ultimately, it's a pretty fair debate on both ends
Animation potential: Like I said, their massive armies and their cosmic power sources could lead to a lot cool spectacles with the use of their powers. I see it as having a lot of similar animation potential to Bowser vs Eggman. And while some may argue the size difference to be awkward, Megatron vs Frieza has shown it can work if you're creative enough.
For my personal opinion. I'd say Shockwave takes the cake on this one? Physically speaking, Shockwave's high ends are more solid than Thanos', and while I believe the Infinity Stones are much more powerful than the Ores, the Ore have far less drawbacks to them in comparison to the Stones, which would give Shockwave a lot less openings that Thanos could exploit.