Infinity Gems
| Infinity Gems | |
|---|---|
 Thanos with the six main Infinity Gems, from The Thanos Quest #1 (September 1990). Art by Ron Lim, John Beatty and Tom Vincent. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Soul Gem: Marvel Premiere #1 (April 1972); Mind Gem: Captain Marvel #41 (Nov. 1975); Power & Time Gems: Marvel Team-Up #55 (Mar. 1977); All six Gems: Avengers Annual #7 (1977). In the Infinity Gauntlet: The Silver Surfer Vol. 3 #44 (Dec. 1990); Ego Gem: Eliminator #3 (July 1995) Death Stone: The Infinity Gauntlet Vol. 2 #5 (Nov. 2015) |
| In story information | |
| Type | Jewels |
| Element of stories featuring | Adam Warlock Thanos |
The Infinity Gems (originally referred to as Soul Gems and later as Infinity Stones) are six fictional gems appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, named after and embodying various aspects of existence. The gems can grant whoever wields them various powers in accordance to the aspect of existence they represent, and have the potential of turning the wielder into a god-like being when the main six (Mind, Power, Reality, Soul, Space, and Time) are held together. Thus, they are among the most powerful and sought-after items in the Marvel Universe; playing important roles in several storylines, in which they were wielded by characters such as Thanos and Adam Warlock. Some of these stories depict additional Infinity Gems or similar objects. Although the Infinity Gems altogether give their user omnipotence, the Gems only function in the universe they belong to and not in alternate realities.
The Infinity Gems have appeared in several media adaptations outside of comics, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise, where they are called the Infinity Stones and have their colors altered. These changes were later adapted into the comics. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Cosmic Cube is depicted as the Tesseract, a container for the Space Stone; the two artifacts are unrelated in the comics.
Publication history
[edit]The first appearance of an Infinity Gem occurred in 1972 in Marvel Premiere #1. It was originally called a "Soul Gem". In 1976, a second "Soul Gem" appeared in a Captain Marvel story, which established that there were six Soul Gems, each with different powers. One year later, two more "Soul Gems" were introduced in a Warlock crossover involving Spider-Man. The main six Gems appeared when Thanos attempted to use them to extinguish every star in the universe. In a 1988 storyline in Silver Surfer vol. 3, the Elders of the Universe tried to use six of the "Soul Gems" to steal the energy of the world-eating entity Galactus.[1]
In the 1990 limited series The Thanos Quest, Thanos refers to the entire main set as "Infinity Gems" for the first time. In this storyline, he steals most of the Gems for the second time and reveals the Gems to be the remains of an omnipotent being. In the miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos uses the Gems to become nearly omnipotent and kills half the universe's population as a gift to his love, the cosmic embodiment of Death. Though Thanos easily repels an attack by Earth's heroes and other cosmic entities, the Gauntlet is eventually stolen from him by Nebula, who undoes the last 24 hours, including his mass killings. Adam Warlock recovers the Gauntlet and, by order of the Living Tribunal, divides the Gems among a group he calls the Infinity Watch, consisting of himself, Gamora, Pip the Troll, Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon, and Thanos. The group's adventures in defending the Gems appear in the series Warlock and the Infinity Watch (1992–1995).[1]
As a result of the Incursions, the multiverse is destroyed. However, Doctor Doom combines fragments of several alternate realities into Battleworld. Doctor Strange gathers the Infinity Gems realities into a new Infinity Gauntlet, which he leaves hidden until the surviving heroes of Earth-616 return. The Gauntlet is claimed by Black Panther, who uses it to keep Doom occupied until Mister Fantastic can disrupt his power source.[citation needed]
After the multiverse is recreated, the Infinity Gems become known as the Infinity Stones and have altered powers. The Stones are shown to have a pocket universe existing within each of them. Loki discovers that the Stones originated from the primordial universe where the Celestials reside, guarding a deposit of countless Infinity Stones which they infuse with cosmic energy and disperse across the multiverse. Adam Warlock later uses the Soul Stone to grant the other Stones sentience and let them choose their own wielders.[2]
Cosmic Cube
[edit]The Cosmic Cube is the name of several containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although the first version, introduced in Tales of Suspense #79 (July 1966) and created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, originated on Earth as a weapon built by Advanced Idea Mechanics, most are of alien origins. The incarnations of the Cube are suffused with reality-warping energy originating from the realm of the Beyonders. After a sufficient but undefined period of time, the Cube gains sentience while retaining its reality-warping powers.
In the storyline Avengers: Standoff!, Maria Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D. use pieces of a Cosmic Cube to create Kobik, a near-omnipotent child. With Kobik's help, S.H.I.E.L.D. brainwashes supervillains into becoming mild-mannered civilians, who are imprisoned in a gated community called Pleasant Hill. When the villains rebel, Kobik decides to rejuvenate Steve Rogers, then reduced to an old man due to the breakdown of his Super-Soldier serum. Due to the Red Skull's influence over the Cube from which Kobik was made, she unknowingly replaces Rogers with a covert Hydra loyalist version of him. This results in the real Rogers' consciousness becoming trapped within the Cube until he finds Kobik and encourages her to set things right.[3]
Description
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Each Gem is shaped like a small oval and is named after, and represents, a different characteristic of existence.[citation needed] Possessing any single Gem grants control over the aspect of existence the Gem represents. If a user is able to tap into the full potential of a Gem, the user gains complete control over a Gem's aspect of existence.[citation needed] In continuity following the Marvel Legacy initiative, the Infinity Gems are known as the Infinity Stones and have had their colors altered to match the Infinity Stones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thanos created an additional gem, the Death Stone, after imprisoning Death within it.
The seven Infinity Stones include:
| Name | Color | Abilities | Pocket universe (2018–present) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original (1972–2016) |
Marvel Legacy (2017–present) | |||
| Mind | Blue | Yellow | Allows the user to enhance their mental and psionic abilities and access the thoughts and dreams of other beings. At full potential, backed by the Power Gem, the Mind Gem can access all minds in existence simultaneously. | The Mindscape: Allows the user to bring anything they imagine or dream of to life. Overseen by the Sleepwalkers. |
| Power | Red | Purple | Allows the user to access and manipulate all forms of energy and powers; enabling them to enhance their physical strength and durability, augment existing abilities, and boost the effects of the other five Gems. At full potential, the Power Gem grants nigh-omnipotence. | The Arena: Resembles a colosseum where heroes fight each other in a contest of might. Ruled by Dynamus, the embodiment of the Power Cosmic. |
| Reality | Yellow | Red | Allows the user to fulfill their wishes, even if the wish is in direct contradiction with scientific laws, and do things that would normally be impossible. At full potential, when backed by the other five Gems, the Reality Gem can alter reality on a universal scale. | World Pool: Used to access alternate realities which are portrayed as an endless comic book collection. Overseen by Archivus, the chronicler of the Multiverse. |
| Soul | Green | Orange | Allows the user to steal, control, manipulate, and alter living and dead souls; as well as animate the motionless. The Soul Gem also acts as a gateway to an idyllic pocket universe. At full potential, when backed by the Power Gem, the Soul Gem grants control over all life in the universe. | Soul World: The final resting place for all lost spirits. Overseen by the Soul-Eater Devondra. |
| Space | Purple | Blue | Allows the user to exist in any location; move any object anywhere throughout reality; warp or rearrange space; teleport themselves and others; increase their speed, and alter the distance between objects contrary to the laws of physics. At full potential, when backed by the Power Gem, the Space Gem grants nigh-omnipresence. | The Vast: An endless expanse of empty existence. Its ruler is unknown. |
| Time | Orange | Green | Allows the user to see into the past and the future; stop, slow down, speed up or reverse the flow of time; travel through time; change the past and the future; age and de-age beings, and trap people or entire universes in unending loops of time. At full potential, when backed by the Power Gem, the Time Gem grants nigh-omniscience and total control over the past, present, and future. | Ellipsis: Manipulates the flow of time for anyone within it. Its ruler is unknown. |
| Death | - | Black | An artificial stone that Thanos created after imprisoning Death. It can emit dark energy that is fatal over time. | |
Additional Gems have appeared in crossover media and alternate universes outside the Marvel Universe.
| Name | Color | Powers and capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Ego | White | The Ego Gem contains the consciousness of the cosmic entity Nemesis and recreates her when united with the other six Gems. The Ego Gem is found in the Ultraverse when Loki attempts to steal the other six Gems. |
| Death | Yellow | In The Infinity Gauntlet (2015), Anwen Bakian creates the Death Stone using the Reality Stone and uses it to kill Thanos; it is later recreated by Thanos, before binding itself to Phil Coulson. |
| Continuity | Black | The Continuity Stone appears in Deadpool, and enables total control over Marvel's continuity. |
Other versions
[edit]Council of Reeds
[edit]The Reed Richards of Earth-616, in an attempt to "solve everything", meets with a council of his alternate universe counterparts. Three of the alternate Reeds use versions of the Infinity Gauntlet, which is revealed to only work in its universe of origin.[4]
Contest of Champions
[edit]In the Contest of Champions miniseries, an alternate version of Tony Stark uses the Reality Gem to win the superhero civil war and affect the outcome of a presidential election. When Stark tries to use the Gem on Battleworld, he is killed by the Maestro.[5]
Heroes Reborn (2021)
[edit]In an alternate reality depicted in the Heroes Reborn miniseries, the Infinity Gems are in the possession of Thanos, who has them placed in his Infinity Rings.[6]
New Avengers
[edit]In the "Incursion" storyline, the Avengers travel to a parallel Earth where a pastiche of the Justice League have replaced the Avengers, who died in a previous cataclysm. The Gems are square planes of "forever glass" which are assembled into the "Wishing Cube", a composite of the concepts of the Infinity Gems and the Cosmic Cube.[7]
Ultimate Marvel
[edit]The Infinity Gems and the Infinity Gauntlet appear in the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Mind Gem is used by Modi (Thor's son) to control both Director Flumm and Cassie Lang, but they are stopped by the Ultimates.[8] The Power Gem is revealed to be in the possession of former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sayuri Kyota, while a second Infinity Gauntlet is recovered by Thor and Susan Storm.[9] Kang the Conqueror allies with the Hulk, Reed Richards, and Quicksilver as part of a plan to steal the two Gauntlets, which results in the destruction of the Triskelion. Quicksilver recovers two additional Gems, allowing the villains to teleport away.[10] Richards is later able to recover another of the Gems, which is found lodged in Tony Stark's brain. He informs Stark that the Infinity Gems are needed to save the world from a coming cataclysm that will destroy the entire universe.[11] After brainwashing Johnny Storm and forcing him to travel to the Earth's core, the Dark Ultimates recover the final gem,[12] but are defeated by the Ultimates. The gems shatter, rendering the Gauntlets useless.[13]
What If?
[edit]In a reality where Doctor Doom retained the power of the Beyonder, Doom acquired the Infinity Gems from the Elders of the Universe and used them to defeat the Celestials in a 407-year-long war before finally forsaking his power.[14]
In an alternate reality where the original Fantastic Four died, a new Fantastic Four – consisting of Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider – is formed. With Iron Man replacing Ghost Rider, they are the only heroes available to fight Thanos when he initially assembles the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos still easily defeats the team until Wolverine cuts off Thanos's left arm, taking the Gauntlet with it. With Thanos powerless, Spider-Man uses the gauntlet to undo the events of Thanos's godhood.[15]
In other media
[edit] | This section needs more citations. (April 2020) |
Television
[edit]- The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems, and an original weapon called the "Infinity Sword" appear in The Super Hero Squad Show.