Thanos disappeared when Iron Man snapped because of the immense power of the Infinity Stones that Iron Man harnessed to defeat Thanos. The key to understanding why Thanos vanished lies in the nature and capabilities of the Infinity Stones that Tony Stark used against the Mad Titan.
The Infinity Stones
The Infinity Stones are six powerful gem-like objects tied to different aspects of the universe. They are:
- The Space Stone (blue) – gives the user mastery over space, allowing teleportation and creation of portals.
- The Mind Stone (yellow) – grants immense knowledge and mental powers like telepathy and mind control.
- The Reality Stone (red) – allows manipulation of matter and energy to alter reality as the user wishes.
- The Power Stone (purple) – amplifies the user’s abilities and grants incredible strength and force manipulation.
- The Time Stone (green) – gives total control over the past, present and future. The user can reverse or accelerate time.
- The Soul Stone (orange) – allows interaction with souls both alive and dead. Has dominion over life and death.
Together, the six Infinity Stones grant their wielder dominance over the entire universe. The Stones are incredibly powerful individually but reach their full potential when used in conjunction.
Thanos’ Original Snap
Prior to the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thanos had collected all six Infinity Stones and mounted them on a gauntlet he created called the Infinity Gauntlet. This allowed him to channel the full power of the Stones to accomplish his goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe with a simple snap of his fingers.
When Thanos first snapped his fingers while wearing a completed Infinity Gauntlet, the tremendous power of the six Stones activated simultaneously, generating a wave of energy that randomly erased 50% of all living creatures across the universe in an instant. This overwhelming display of power was only possible because Thanos properly balanced the use of all six Stones.
Tony Stark’s Snap
Later, in Endgame, Tony Stark managed to steal the Infinity Stones from Thanos and constructed his own gauntlet, allowing him to harness their abilities. When Iron Man snapped his fingers while wearing the Stark Gauntlet, he channeled the forces of all six Stones at once, just as Thanos had done.
However, Tony Stark did not use the Stones to eliminate 50% of life. Instead, he focused their energies on a specific outcome – to erase Thanos and his entire army from existence. This required an extremely targeted and precise use of the Stones’ near-limitless power.
Why Thanos Disappeared
Thanos disappeared because Iron Man successfully channeled the combined force of all six Infinity Stones to will Thanos and his minions out of existence. Some key reasons why Iron Man’s snap made Thanos vanish:
- The Infinity Stones gave Iron Man absolute control over the essence of existence itself, allowing him to alter reality however he chose.
- Iron Man’s intent was clear – eliminate Thanos. The Stones responded to that resolute focus by making Thanos cease to exist.
- Thanos was erased because Tony overpowered him with the very tools that Thanos originally used – the all-powerful Infinity Stones in unison.
- The Stones erased Thanos thoroughly, destroying every aspect of his being to accomplish Iron Man’s purpose.
In short, Iron Man snapped his fingers with the unambiguous intention of eliminating Thanos from reality forever. The combined force of the six all-powerful Infinity Stones granted this intent without fail, wiping Thanos from existence entirely in a burst of energy.
The Aftermath
Iron Man’s monumental snap had enormous consequences:
- Thanos and his entire army were totally erased from existence.
- The adverse effects of Thanos’ original snap across the universe were reversed, restoring order.
- Trillions of lives across thousands of worlds were restored.
- Iron Man himself succumbed to the overwhelming power surge and died shortly after his snap.
- The Infinity Stones were too dangerous to keep, so Captain America returned them to their original timelines to avoid misuse.
With Thanos gone forever, Iron Man’s sacrifice brought back all those erased by the first snap and restored balance. The universe was free of Thanos’ influence thanks to Tony Stark’s heroic act with the Infinity Stones.
Conclusion
Thanos disappeared when Iron Man snapped because Tony Stark successfully harnessed the combined might of all six Infinity Stones to eliminate Thanos from existence entirely. Iron Man focused the Stones’ incredible power to overwrite reality itself and will Thanos out of being. This incredible feat reversed the damage Thanos had inflicted and demonstrated the immense capabilities the Infinity Stones possess when wielded in unison, even for a targeted purpose like erasing a single individual from reality.