Clint Eastwood's admiration for Gene Hackman's Little Bill in Unforgiven has the same logic behind Thanos' popularity among Marvel fans.
Heartbreak Ridge Your ass is mine
Clint Eastwood brought Westerns back to the mainstream after Dances with Wolves, with his Best Picture-winning directorial Unforgiven. Starring and directing the Western, Eastwood also had an ensemble cast of brilliant supporting actors, with one in the form of Gene Hackman giving an Oscar-winning performance.
Hackman's Little Bill has been regarded as one of the greatest villains in Hollywood history and his ruthlessness while being a protector has been appreciated. Eastwood's reasons for admiring Little Bill give fans of Marvel's Thanos validation as the Mad Titan seemed to have similar ideologies.
Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven is considered one of the greatest films of the past few decades. The actor received his first Oscar for the film that placed him in a genre he helped redefine as a leading man in the Dollars trilogy. The film also had an ensemble cast including Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris.
