With the release of Marvel’s Infinity war film nearing, fans are hoping to see a grand culmination of the phase 3 era of the Marvel universe that will finally witness the full might of the famed Infinity Stones unleashed.
Thanos, being the primary antagonist is likely to wield all Infinity Stones using the infinity gauntlet which has made a few appearances itself; In Thor, Thor: Ragnarok and in the post credits scene of Age of Ultron. So what are the infinity stones and why are they so crucial to the MCU storyline.
FIRST COMIC APPEARANCE:
The first appearance of an Infinity Stones in the comics was during the introduction of the character now universally known as Adam Warlock. He was sent on a mission by the High Evolutionary, equipped with weapon that was called the Soul-Jewel. In further issues, it was renamed as the Soul-Gem.
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It was later revealed that the Soul Gem was in fact one among a collection of six gems. As is with the case with comic books of any kind, there are a multitude of writers involved. An idea is usually introduced by one, flesh out by another, expanded by a third and so on.
MOVIE APPEARANCE:
The first time we were introduced to the term Infinity Stones was in Guardians of the Galaxy; the box office smash that took critics and audiences by storm. “The Collector” is the character who provides possibly the best explanation for what the infinity stones actually are. He claims they are remnants of a time before creation itself; six singularities that were shaped into powerful gems, each possessing a unique power that is not of this world.
POWER STONE:
The Power Stone is the gem we are introduced to in that film and as we see that even the most powerful beings cannot hold it for more than a few seconds while others are decimated immediately. The Guardians are able to share its power, ultimately, to defeat Ronan which raised a lot of questions about Peter’s heritage and why he was able to contain its power.
SPACE STONE:
While we were not aware of it at first, the Tesseract first introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger was also housing an infinity stone, called the Space Stone. Loki was able to use that to create a portal/wormhole to Earth and summon the Chitauri through it. One cannot help but think Loki could have done a lot more with such a powerful gem.
REALITY STONE:
We might not be too fond of the Dark world seeing as it was the least compelling Marvel film to date but it did introduce an important gem: The Aether. Technically it isn’t a stone but more of a fluid substance.
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MIND STONE:
As we found out in Age of Ultron, Loki’s scepter contained another stone as well, known as the mind stone which thanks to Stark’s stupidity led to the creation of Ultron and a whole lot of destruction. It also proves how inept Loki is at world domination. Two infinity stones and he couldn’t even take New York. Currently embedded onto Vision’s forehead, Thanos is bound to rip it off, sooner or later.
TIME STONE:
Contained inside the Eye of Agamotto, Doctor Strange was able to use it to force a powerful, universe-engulfing entity like Dormammu to retreat. It is perhaps the most powerful stone of all.
SOUL STONE:
The Soul Stone is the only one remaining yet to make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint.