The Infinity Gems

• Core Identity: The Infinity Gems are six immensely powerful artifacts of cosmic origin, each representing a fundamental aspect of existence, which grant their wielder complete mastery over that aspect.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: The Gems, known as the Infinity Stones in the MCU, are not merely tools but are the physical embodiment of the universe's core pillars: Space, Mind, Soul, Reality, Power, and Time. Possessing even one grants god-like abilities, while wielding all six in unison via a device like the Infinity Gauntlet confers absolute omnipotence and omniscience over reality.
• Primary Impact: They are the ultimate MacGuffins of the Marvel cosmos, serving as the central catalyst for some of its most universe-altering conflicts. Their pursuit by beings like Thanos and their stewardship by groups like the Illuminati have led to cataclysmic wars, the erasure and restoration of half of all life, and the very destruction and rebirth of the multiverse.
• Key Incarnations: The most significant difference lies in their names and coloration. In the Earth-616 comics, they are the Infinity Gems with a specific color scheme (e.g., Soul is green, Power is red). In the MCU, they are the Infinity Stones, with a revised color scheme (e.g., Soul is orange, Power is purple) that has since been adopted by the comics for synergy.

The artifacts that would become the Infinity Gems were introduced gradually and without a grand, overarching plan. The first to appear was the Soul Gem, which debuted alongside its most famous wielder, Adam Warlock, in Marvel Premiere #1 (April 1972). Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane, this gem was a key component of Warlock's early stories. Over the next several years, other “Soul Gems” appeared in various Marvel titles. The concept was unified and expanded upon by writer and artist Jim Starlin, a pivotal architect of Marvel's cosmic lore. In a storyline culminating in Avengers Annual #7 (1977), the villain Thanos gathered all six gems for the first time in a plot to extinguish the stars. It was here they were depicted as a collective set of immense power. However, the term “Infinity Gems” was not coined until Starlin returned to the concept for his 1990 miniseries, The Thanos Quest. This story established their definitive names, colors (at the time), and specific domains of power, cementing them as the ultimate prizes in the Marvel Universe. This led directly into the 1991 blockbuster event, The Infinity Gauntlet, which elevated the Gems from a powerful cosmic plot device to iconic artifacts recognized by comic fans everywhere.

The true origin of the Infinity Gems is a matter of cosmic legend, with conflicting accounts befitting their primordial nature.

The most widely accepted origin story in the prime comic continuity is one of cosmic suicide and rebirth. Long before the current reality, there existed a lonely, omnipotent cosmic being known as Nemesis. Consumed by an unbearable solitude, this entity eventually chose to end its own existence. From the cataclysmic end of this being, its divine essence shattered and eventually reformed into the six Infinity Gems, with a forgotten seventh gem, the Ego Gem, containing the faint echo of Nemesis's consciousness. Each Gem inherited a facet of Nemesis's absolute power over existence. They were scattered across the nascent universe, destined to be sought by those who craved their power. This origin was established in the crossover series Avengers/Ultraforce (1995). For many years, this was the definitive account. However, more recent narratives have sometimes simplified this, aligning closer to the MCU's origin by describing the Gems as remnants of six singularities that existed prior to the Big Bang, condensed into their current forms as the universe expanded. While both origins exist in canon, the Nemesis story remains the more detailed and dramatic explanation for their sentient-like qualities.

The origin of the Infinity Stones in the MCU is more direct and was explicitly detailed in the films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). As explained by The Collector and later by Wong, the Stones predate the universe itself. Before creation, there was nothing. Then, the Big Bang erupted, creating the universe and birthing six elemental crystals from the primordial singularities that existed before it. These six singularities were: Space, Mind, Soul, Reality, Power, and Time. Shortly after the universe began, ancient and powerful cosmic_entities like the Celestials harnessed the immense energy of these crystals, forging them into the ingots now known as the Infinity Stones. This origin story streamlines the comic's lore for a cinematic audience, removing the Nemesis entity and establishing the Stones as fundamental, almost naturalistic, components of the MCU's cosmology. Their power is so immense that they can only be wielded by beings of incredible strength or through a containment device like the Infinity Gauntlet. As stated by Wong, the Stones act as a cosmic balancing act, with each one controlling an “essential aspect of existence.”

The six Infinity Gems (or Stones) are the core of the set, each governing a fundamental aspect of the universe. Their powers are both specific and boundless; a master of a Gem can use it in subtle ways or to warp the fabric of reality on a cosmic scale. A key point of divergence between the comics and the MCU is their coloration.

• Color: Green
• Powers and Abilities: The Soul Gem is arguably the most dangerous and sentient of the Gems. It possesses a hunger for life-force and contains a pocket dimension known as the Soulworld.
• Soul Manipulation: It can attack, manipulate, and absorb the souls of living beings. The user can steal a being's powers, memories, and spirit, leaving them a soulless husk.
• Soulworld: It serves as a gateway to a pocket universe of idyllic tranquility. The Gem can trap souls within this realm, where they exist in a state of peace. Adam Warlock often used this as a merciful alternative to outright destroying his foes.
• Revealing Truth: The Gem can be used to peer into a being's soul, revealing their true nature, motivations, and secrets.
• Life/Death Control: At its peak, it can control all life in the universe and even resurrect the dead by retrieving their souls from the afterlife.
• Notable Wielders: Adam Warlock (its most famous user), The Gardener, In-Betweener, Thanos, Doctor Strange, Gamora.

• Color: Orange
• Containment/Location: Hidden on the planet Vormir, protected by a curse that requires the ultimate sacrifice: the death of a loved one.
• Powers and Abilities: While less explored than other Stones, the MCU's Soul Stone demonstrates similar capabilities.
• Sacrificial Gate: Its primary role in the narrative was as a test. To acquire it, one must sacrifice someone they truly love—an “eye for a soul.” This was a significant deviation from the comics, adding a deep emotional cost to its acquisition.
• Soul Manipulation: Thanos used it to identify the real Doctor Strange amongst his duplicates during their battle on Titan by briefly separating Strange's astral form from his physical body.
• Life/Death Awareness: After the “Snap,” Thanos briefly enters a spiritual plane (implied to be the Soulworld) where he sees a vision of a young Gamora, suggesting the Stone grants a connection to the souls it has claimed.
• Notable Wielders: Thanos, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff (sacrificed for it), Steve Rogers (returned it).

• Color: Red
• Powers and Abilities: The Power Gem is the font of all physical power and energy in the universe. It is one of the more straightforward, yet devastatingly effective, Gems.
• Energy Access: It grants access to all power and energy that has ever or will ever exist.
• Physical Enhancement: It boosts the user's physical strength and durability to infinite levels. Drax once held it and possessed strength rivaling the Hulk.
• Energy Manipulation: It can project devastating energy blasts, create force fields, and manipulate any form of energy.
• Gem Enhancement: Critically, it can be used to amplify the effects of the other five Infinity Gems, boosting their output to a cosmic scale.
• Notable Wielders: The Champion of the Universe, Thor, Drax, Thanos, Reed Richards, Namor.

• Color: Purple
• Containment/Location: Housed within the Orb on the planet Morag; later given to the Nova Corps for safekeeping on Xandar.
• Powers and Abilities: The MCU Power Stone is a weapon of mass destruction, capable of annihilating entire civilizations.
• Destructive Power: Its raw energy is so potent that most mortal beings cannot physically touch it without being disintegrated. A group of powerful individuals (like the Guardians of the Galaxy) could share the energy load to wield it.
• Planetary Destruction: Ronan the Accuser intended to use it to destroy Xandar, and a single touch of the Stone to the planet's surface began a catastrophic chain reaction.
• Energy Blasts: When socketed into a weapon like Ronan's Cosmi-Rod or the Infinity Gauntlet, it can project immensely powerful purple energy blasts.
• Notable Wielders: The Celestials, Ronan the Accuser, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos, Carol Danvers (indirectly absorbed its energy).

• Color: Orange
• Powers and Abilities: The Time Gem grants the user total control over the past, present, and future.
• Time Travel: The wielder can travel to any point in history or the future.
• Temporal Manipulation: It can be used to slow down, speed up, or even stop the flow of time in a localized area or across the entire universe. It can also create time loops.
• Age Control: The user can manipulate the age of any being or object, making them younger or older at will.
• Chrono-Vision: It allows the user to see all possible pasts and futures, though navigating this infinite sea of possibilities requires immense skill.
• Notable Wielders: The Gardener, Gamora, Thanos, Doctor Strange, Namor.

• Color: Green
• Containment/Location: Housed within the Eye of Agamotto, a mystical amulet guarded by the Masters of the Mystic Arts at Kamar-Taj.
• Powers and Abilities: The MCU Time Stone is portrayed as a highly complex and dangerous tool for manipulating causality.
• Localized Time Reversal: Doctor Strange used it to reverse time around a destroyed section of Hong Kong, rebuilding the city and resurrecting its people even as the battle raged.
• Time Loops: He famously trapped the cosmic entity Dormammu in a time loop, forcing Dormammu to bargain for his release.
• Foreseeing Futures: Strange used the Stone to view over 14 million possible futures to find the one scenario where the heroes defeated Thanos.
• Countering Other Stones: On Titan, Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse the Scarlet Witch's destruction of the Mind Stone in Vision's forehead, restoring it just moments after it was shattered.
• Notable Wielders: Agamotto (first Sorcerer Supreme), The Ancient One, Doctor Strange, Thanos.

• Color: Purple
• Powers and Abilities: The Space Gem grants the user total mastery over space, allowing for instantaneous travel and manipulation of spatial dimensions.
• Teleportation: The wielder can exist in all places at once, or teleport themselves, others, or objects anywhere in the universe instantly.
• Spatial Distortion: It allows the user to warp, bend, or rearrange space at will. This could be used to increase the distance between two points, making an enemy's attack never reach, or to fold space to bring distant objects closer.
• Omnipresence: At its full potential, it allows the user to be everywhere in the universe simultaneously.
• Notable Wielders: The Runner, Thanos, Iron Man, Black Bolt.

• Color: Blue
• Containment/Location: Housed within the Tesseract. It was hidden on Earth in Tønsberg, found by HYDRA during WWII, recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D., stolen by Loki, and ultimately kept in Odin's Vault on Asgard.
• Powers and Abilities: The MCU's Space Stone is primarily a gateway and power source.
• Portal Generation: Its most common use is to open wormholes or portals to any point in the universe, as seen when Loki used it to bring the Chitauri army to New York.
• Energy Source: HYDRA weaponized the Tesseract's energy to power their advanced weaponry. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. attempted to study it for similar clean energy purposes.
• Teleportation: Thanos used it extensively in his Gauntlet to instantly warp across the galaxy, from Knowhere to Vormir to Titan and finally to Wakanda.
• Notable Wielders: Odin, Red Skull, Carol Danvers (indirectly), Loki, Thanos.

• Color: Yellow
• Powers and Abilities: The Reality Gem is the most powerful and dangerous of the Gems, granting the user the ability to alter reality to their whim.
• Wish Fulfillment: It can make any thought or desire a reality, no matter how outlandish.
• Reality Warping: The wielder can ignore and rewrite the laws of physics, logic, and nature. They can create entire universes from scratch or erase existing ones.
• Unstable Power: It is the most difficult Gem to control. Using it without the other Gems to ground it can lead to catastrophic consequences, as the altered reality could collapse on itself. Thanos stated that it cannot be used to create a universal change that is self-sustaining without the support of the other Gems.
• Notable Wielders: The Collector, Thanos, Iron Man, Professor X.

• Color: Red
• Containment/Location: Weaponized as a viscous, liquid-like substance called the Aether by the Dark Elves under Malekith. After his defeat, it was given to The Collector for safekeeping.
• Powers and Abilities: The MCU Reality Stone operates by creating complex, convincing illusions or by temporarily altering matter.
• Matter Transmutation: Thanos used it on Knowhere to temporarily transform Drax into a pile of blocks and Mantis into ribbons. He also turned Star-Lord's blaster fire into bubbles. These effects were temporary and reverted once Thanos left.
• Illusion Casting: Thanos used it to create a convincing illusion of a thriving Knowhere to trap the Guardians, and later to show Doctor Strange a vision of Titan before its ecological collapse.
• Weaponization: The Aether could be absorbed by a host, granting them immense power but also slowly killing them. Malekith planned to use it to revert the universe to a state of eternal darkness.
• Notable Wielders: Malekith, Jane Foster (as a host), The Collector, Thanos.

• Color: Blue
• Powers and Abilities: The Mind Gem grants the user limitless psionic abilities, including telepathy and telekinesis.
• Universal Consciousness: It can tap into the collective consciousness of every thinking being in the universe simultaneously.
• Telepathy: It allows the user to read, control, and communicate with any mind.
• Mental Projection: The wielder can project their thoughts, illusions, and astral form across vast distances.
• Latent Power Unleashed: It can unlock the full potential of a being's mind, granting them intelligence and psionic abilities far beyond their natural limits.
• Notable Wielders: The Grandmaster, Thanos, Moondragon, Professor X, Beast.

• Color: Yellow
• Containment/Location: Initially housed in Loki's Scepter, which was a gift from Thanos. It was later used by HYDRA to experiment on the Maximoff twins, and ultimately used by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to create Ultron and later The Vision.
• Powers and Abilities: The MCU Mind Stone is a source of consciousness and sophisticated intelligence.
• Mind Control: As seen with Loki's Scepter, it could corrupt and control the minds of individuals with a simple touch, though strong will or blunt force could break the connection.
• Artificial Intelligence: The Stone's complex consciousness served as the foundation for two sentient androids: the malevolent Ultron and the benevolent Vision.
• Energy Projection: Embedded in Vision's forehead, it could emit powerful energy beams.
• Power Bestowal: Exposure to its energy unlocked and amplified the latent powers within Wanda Maximoff (telekenisis, reality-warping) and Pietro Maximoff (super-speed).
• Notable Wielders: Thanos, Loki, HYDRA, Ultron, The Vision, Wanda Maximoff.

Beyond the core six, other Gems have appeared in Marvel's history, though their canonicity or significance varies.

The true seventh Infinity Gem, the Ego Gem, was revealed during the Avengers/Ultraforce crossover. It contained the last remnant of the cosmic entity Nemesis's consciousness. When the six other Gems were gathered, it allowed Nemesis to be reborn. The Ego Gem does not represent an aspect of reality like the others, but is instead the lynchpin that unifies them into a single, omnipotent consciousness. After Nemesis's defeat, the Ego Gem was separated and cast into the Ultraverse, seemingly lost.

Another gem, the Rhythm Gem, appeared when the Marvel and Malibu Comics' Ultraverse universes crossed over. Possessed by the vampire lord Rune, its exact powers and origins are nebulous and it is not considered part of the canonical Infinity Gem set in the mainstream Marvel Universe. It is largely seen as a relic of a specific crossover event.

This two-issue miniseries by Jim Starlin is the quintessential prelude to Infinity Gauntlet. The story follows a newly resurrected Thanos as he systematically hunts down the Elders of the Universe who currently possess the Infinity Gems. Through a combination of brute force, cunning, and cosmic chess, Thanos defeats the Champion, the Gardener, the Runner, the Collector, the In-Betweener, and the Grandmaster, assembling the six Gems for the first time and providing the definitive explanation of each Gem's unique power.

The seminal Marvel cosmic event. Now possessing the complete Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos becomes functionally omnipotent. To win the affection of the cosmic entity Death, he erases half of all living beings in the universe with a simple snap of his fingers. Earth's remaining heroes and the universe's most powerful cosmic beings unite in a desperate, and ultimately futile, assault against the Mad Titan. The story's climax sees Thanos's own hubris lead to his defeat, with the Gauntlet briefly falling into the hands of his tortured “granddaughter,” Nebula, before it is finally claimed by Adam Warlock, who undoes the damage.

This two-part sequel explores the aftermath of Warlock's godhood. To safeguard the universe, Warlock expels both the good and evil from his being. This act inadvertently creates two new cosmic entities: the Magus (his evil side) and the Goddess (his good side). In Infinity War, the Magus attempts to seize the Infinity Gauntlet for his own dark purposes. In Infinity Crusade, the Goddess uses her influence to enforce a universal “peace” through brainwashing, forcing the heroes to fight against a twisted form of absolute good. Both events delve deeper into the philosophical implications of the Gems' power.

In a major retcon, it was revealed that Tony Stark had gathered a secret cabal of Marvel's greatest minds—the Illuminati (including himself, Professor X, Black Bolt, Namor, Reed Richards, and Doctor Strange)—years ago. They had secretly collected the Infinity Gems to keep them safe. When they attempted to use the Gauntlet to wish the Gems out of existence, it failed, but the Gauntlet itself was shattered. They divided the Gems amongst themselves for safekeeping. Years later, during the “Incursions” storyline, Captain America re-assembles the Gauntlet and successfully uses it to push away an alternate Earth, saving the 616-universe but shattering the Infinity Gems in the process, rendering them inert for years.

In the Ultimate Universe, the concept was slightly different. There were at least eight Infinity Gems, not six, and two separate Infinity Gauntlets were required to wield them all. The Gems were scattered across the globe, with one even being embedded in Tony Stark's brain to treat his tumor. A version of Kang and later the villainous Reed Richards (The Maker) attempted to assemble them.

The Disney+ series Loki provided a stunning new context for the Infinity Stones within the MCU. When Loki is captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization that exists outside of normal time and space, he discovers a desk drawer full of useless Infinity Stones. The TVA agent Casey reveals that they are so common there that some of the staff use them as paperweights. This powerfully demonstrated that the Infinity Stones, while holding ultimate power within a given timeline, are rendered completely inert in the face of a power that controls the timeline itself.

The animated series explored several alternate realities involving the Stones. The most significant was a universe where Ultron successfully uploaded his consciousness into Vision's body, claimed the Mind Stone, and then effortlessly killed Thanos to acquire the other five. This Infinity Ultron became a multiversal threat, destroying his own universe and waging war across countless other realities, showcasing the terrifying potential of the Stones in the hands of a being with no restraint.

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