How do I sound like Thanos when I write?
This is really a dumb question but as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have watched Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame so many times. One of the most interesting things that popped out were Thanos's quotes. His quotes have gained so much popularity in the MCU fandom that an entire subreddit (r/ thanosdidnothingwrong) was originally made for MCU fans to make memes out of his lines. Thanos's statements are not only used in the context of the MCU; they are like general, "philosophical" quotes that memes have seem to have used in almost any situation.
I might just be blinded by the recent popularity of the MCU (due to Endgame) and thus Thanos's consequent popularity ( since he is the biggest villain the MCU had so far), but to me, his lines seem so powerful in conveying a message and yet hey are not even very sophisticated.
For example,
"I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless. It’s frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same."
"Going to bed hungry? Scrounging for scraps? Your planet was on the brink of collapse"
"You could not live with your own failure, and where did that bring you? Back to me... As long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those, that are unable to accept what can be."
"Your politics bore me! Your demeanor is that of a pouty child"
There is just a few of my favorites. If you watched the movies, you can tell that Thanos's writer didn't forcibly slap some large complicated words into his lines; rather, the lines are carefully crafted and straight to the point with no extra filler words.
I am taking an advanced English/writing class where we write a lot of essays. And again, this sounds dumb, but I really wish to convey the same powerful messages like Thanos does. Is there a specific style of words or writing Thanos's screenwriter was using? Is there a different way to format the sentences or use certain diction to make my writing compelling?
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I'd like to add to Thing-um-a-jig's answer.
The written "voice" of a character has at least three components.
The character's lexicon. This is the unique way a person/character uses words. This is what Thing-um-a-jig is talking about.
The character's sound. This is narrative description that gives the reader an idea of what the character's voice sounds like. Is it gravelly? musical? flat? hoarse? or any of a thousand other words. Thanos might sound "booming," but it also is (to me, anyway) a baritone sound with rich depth, like it was spoken in a Cathedral.
The character's basic mood. This is separate from the immediate emotion of the scene. Is your character naturally angry? happy? cheerful? sardonic? Thanos has remarkable self-confidence, combined with an odd amount of compassion. He believes what he's doing is right, but understands the pain it causes. While many fans might disagree, I suggest his basic mood is humble. Like the character's sound, this is something you need to provide in narrative description. However, to give you an idea of the difference, the basic mood could be thought of as something that affects others. In other words, a character may sound like they constantly inhale helium, but their basic mood may make you nervous. Very, very nervous. In the case of Thanos, I would feel a sense of awe standing in his presence, but unless I'm challenging him, I would feel at ease, almost at peace (even while getting zapped by his cohorts, who never seem to be on the half-who-need-to-die list).
Unfortunately, writing a character is quite a bit more complex than this. Those three are the basics, but they are consistently modified scene-to-scene to accommodate how the character reacts to different stimulus. If I recall correctly, George Lucas had entire folders describing the principle characters in Star Wars, and the script/story had to be written according to the descriptions (aka "rules") found therein. In short, he wrote books to produce the foundation for writing the book he actually wanted to write.
Developing a complete character voice is an important part of writing fiction. Doing it well takes practice, like any other skill. But in your case, let's start with the basics: lexicon, sound, and basic mood.
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As you say, they are philosophical; and they seem powerful because they seem true and momentous.
I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same.
He is explaining the futility of fearing failure; at least from somebody that firmly believes in destiny. Do what you must, if you fail you fail.
"Going to bed hungry? Scrounging for scraps? Your planet was on the brink of collapse."
Sounds like evidence (in the form of concrete examples) followed by a conclusion, succinctly stated.
Of course it is idiotic logic; people have been going to bed hungry and scrounging for scraps for 200,000 years, without our planet being on the brink of collapse. Hardship and pain and grief are what motivates us to avoid them in the future, they are the fuel of progress, for 200,000 years they have been more predictive of humanity's advancements than of their collapse. We're still here, bigger than ever, more comfortable and safer than ever.
"As long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those, that are unable to accept what can be."
In this case, perhaps resonates with the current world case, in which racism, bigotry, misogyny and religious conflict (the old world) still struggles to fight a future without those things. Thanos may have a darker vision than that, but the statement cuts both way.
"Your politics bore me! Your demeanor is that of a pouty child"
I think this is not "philosophical" at all, it is just a succinct dismissal and put-down of an argument.
Screenwriting is very much the art of being succinct, packing a great deal of meaning into a few words of dialogue.
All of these examples sound like something a person could say in conversation without being interrupted; the death knell for a screenwriter is having an opponent on screen just waiting while somebody makes a speech.
Smart and daunting villains are often driven by philosophies that excuse the harm they are doing as they pursue some goal. Thanos has clearly thought about what he is doing, and has excuses for his behavior.
I recognize these as good lines, but I don't find them particularly profound; more megalomaniacal and poorly reasoned. Your infatuation may be personal.
In your own writing, if you want to emulate this, you need to work on being succinct, getting your philosophy (or your villain's) condensed into standalone lines you can state in a single breath. Or roughly under 10 seconds.
Take your favorite lines, and stopwatch yourself speaking them, as delivered. Make sure you don't run out of breath, and see how long they actually are. That will give you a metric for acceptable lengths, then figure out how to say what you want and reach that goal. Without cheating by going over, or speaking faster. When getting across any idea, the fewer words it takes, the more punch it will have. I think what you are looking for is punch.
(I don't do it here, in my answers, because it is hard work! But I have done it, particularly in ads, for radio and TV, where (like film) you have a very strict time budget and must get concepts across in a few seconds, and even in print ads, where you have a strict space budget with zero leeway.)
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Thanos is a narcissist of the highest order.
He speaks in such a commanding way because he believes unwaveringly that his every idea is superior to that of any other being. He twists every action, every event, every failure or victory or random coincidence into evidence that he is right. Because that's what narcissists do!
It sounds to me that you want to convey yourself with the incredible confidence of someone who can't conceive of the idea that they may be wrong. So now you have an idea of where to start. Write your paper as if you were the sole authority on all things. I would urge caution if you go that route. It may give you a powerful voice, but academics don't always appreciate people who never admit that they may have made a mistake (Thanos would never admit that!)
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