Thanos (2003 series) #1

Thanos is sitting deep in thought in the ruins of the planet Rigel-3 when a creature swoops down from space to attack him. But it's driven off by a blast from Adam Warlock who's also just arrived. The Titan thanks him and Adam tells him it was a harmless creature probably attracted by Thanos' powerful energy signature. The Titan guesses that Adam was concerned that he might kill it, correctly because he hates being disturbed in contemplation - even by an ally. The Titan asks if he has ever killed a world. Adam says no, but he did destroy a reality once. Thanos explains that this homeworld of the Rigellians was destroyed by 1 of his doppelgangers (Thanosi) and Mangog (in Thor Annual 2000). The Rigellians have now established a new Rigel-3 (but presumably no longer the 3rd planet of the star Rigel).

The Titan temporarily abandons this topic to remind Adam (and us) of his history. The Eternals were created by the Celestials, and the Titans were an offshoot that went to live inside Titan, moon of Saturn. They were led by Alars/Mentor and his wife Sui-San who had 2 sons Thanos and Eros, but Thanos was born with the Deviant Syndrome which gave him his non-human appearance. Lady Death appeared to him as his imaginary friend in his teens, and she introduced him to the dark arts. Mentor exiled him from Titan for his experiments on Titanians in which some died. After a century he returned and bombed the moon, destroying the city and killing most inhabitants including his mother (but Mentor and Eros were away at the time). Then he returned to conquering and killing to win the love of Death. The Cosmic Cube brought him into conflict with Captain Marvel and the Avengers, and then the Infinity Gems pitted him against the whole Marvel universe. But after that Infinity Gauntlet event he realised that Death  would never truly love him and he abandoned his infatuation with her and his conquering ways to live a simple life. However he was forced back into action to combat Warlock's evil and good sides (Magus in Infinity War and Goddess in Infinity Crusade).

And he now says that to protect himself from his old enemies he once more sought ultimate power in the Heart Of The Universe which made him the supreme being of reality. But he then destroyed the universe in a fit of pique, and he realised that to restore it he would have to renounce his new power. Adam found him while he was considering what to do, but he'd already decided and he resurrected the universe leaving no memory of its destruction and he faded into obscurity.

But now he's going to make the 1st move in his new life. Adam says he was with Gamora looking after Atleza (see the end of the Infinity Abyss mini-series) when something compelled him to come here. It turns out they're both heading for New Rigel-3 and then Titan offers Warlock a lift in his huge Sanctuary spaceship. Adam is suspicious about Thanos' intentions so he accepts. The Titan claims to mean no harm to the Rigellians but refuses to say what he *is* going to do.

During the preceding events a small panel appeared on early page layouts containing a black rectangle, and each occurrence was larger than the 1 before. They then evolved into multiple black rectangles along the bottom of the pages. Now glowing slitted eyes appear in them.

As Sanctuary approaches the planet the Rigellians send out defensive forces. Thanos tells Warlock that if he *wanted* to attack the planet he could have done so without ever coming within sensor range. Adam concedes this to be true and the Titan claims to be here for redemption. His ship's forcefields easily hold off the attack and he claims to have arrived too quickly for the Rigellians to employ their major defence tactic - teleporting their whole planet elsewhere (a tactic which doesn't seem to have availed them when the Thanosi and Mangog attacked). Then he teleports himself and Adam down to the Grand Commissioner's royal palace. Unmanned drones attack the Titan but he easily deals with them. Then real troops arrive and Warlock says he won't stand by to see them slaughtered. But Thanos survives their gunfire and says he surrenders. He admits his crimes against them and doesn't expect forgiveness. But he has come to make amends and asks how he may serve them.

The eyes in the black boxes have opened and a voice says "So it begins".