With only a precious few days left until the Mad Titan Thanos arrives on Earth, it seems
like a good time to cover the State of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before half of it
is destroyed.
Let’s start with SHIELD.
Now, the organization has been in disarray since the full extent of Hydra’s conspiracy
and infiltration of the group was revealed.
After a near complete collapse, attempts were made to reform the organization but these
have been challenged by rival factions competing to be recognized as the sole legitimate incarnation.
The remaining loyal SHIELD members have been busy dealing with threats posed by the Inhumans,
the alien Kree, and the ever present danger of Hydra.
While it once possessed an armada of Helicarriers that would have come in quite handy to deal
with Thanos’s army, it’s been reduced to just one and whether it is still operational
after its emergency deployment in the Battle of Sokovia remains unknown.
It seems highly unlikely that SHIELD will be capable of being a major player
moving forward and they have ceded many of their responsibilities to the Avengers.
Unfortunately, the Avengers have officially disbanded after a rift formed in the group
between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.
Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff are now in hiding, Bruce Banner
has departed the planet entirely and Thor is busy with Asgardian affairs.
Only Tony Stark and Vision, imbued with the cosmic power of the Mind Stone, remain.
Of course, who's to say that Earth’s mightiest heroes might set aside their differences,
ally with other super-human individuals and reunite in the face of a threat to all existence,
but what are the chances of that?
Of course, the Avengers aren’t the only group on Earth dedicated to protecting the
planet from the dangers of the universe.
The Masters of the Mystic Arts, and their foremost sorcerer Doctor Strange probably
have the most experience out of anyone with dealing with tremendous cosmic forces, having
previously bargained with Dormammu over the fate of the Earth.
Their greatest resource is the Time Stone, currently possessed by Doctor Strange which
would be a powerful weapon unless Thanos manages to take it somehow.
Which leads us to the other Infinity Stones scattered across the galaxy.
The Power Stone, recovered from Ronan the Accuser is now in the hands of the Nova Corp
on Xandar.
Given that the Nova Corp often engage in needlessly complex maneuvers to surrounded and contain
an enemy rather than just shoot it, I am dubious of their ability to prevent anyone, let alone
Thanos from seizing the Power Stone should they try.
The same goes for the Collector, who holds the Reality Stone in his vast collection.
While the Collector has learned a great deal about the secrets of the universe, he lacks
the ability to protect such knowledge and the evidence suggests that should Thanos confront
him, he won’t last long.
The Space Stone, which first elevated humanity’s knowledge of the Universe is once again in
the hands of the Asgardian Loki.
Speaking of Asgard, much of its army was slaughtered by the Goddess of Death Hela while Asgard
itself was destroyed by the demon Surtur.
Loki, alongside Thor and the remainder of the Asgardian population are now refugees
aboard a starship stolen from the Grandmaster of Sakar.
Asgard’s Empire, once the peacekeeper of the Nine Realms, is no more, and really the
timing couldn’t be worse.
Which leaves only the mysterious Soul Stone as unaccounted for.
Precious little is known of its power but it is believed by the Masters of the Mystic
Arts to be the greatest threat of them all.
Some believe the stone is being contained within Wakanda, while others think Thanos
might already have it, recovered from his home planet of Titan.
Wherever the last stone is, it’s possible Thanos won’t even need it to defeat his
major opposition.
With SHIELD, Asgard and even the Avengers all in ruins or preoccupied elsewhere, there
doesn't seem to be a whole of organized resistance for Thanos to worry about.
Of course, that’s just covering the major players, the universe is a pretty big place with
plenty to overlook.
Is it possible that the Guardians of the Galaxy are the key to all this?
Or maybe that kid from Queens who can stick to walls and has his own “guy in the chair”
with a headset telling him where to go?
What about the tic tac sized guy?
Is it possible he went back to Baskin Robbins or alternatively, the quantum realm?
And while we’re on the subject, has anyone seen Legolas?
We’ll have to wait just a little longer to find out, but if you’d like to join us
in mindlessly speculating, let us know your thoughts in
the comments!
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