Everyone in the MCU has been fighting over the Infinity Stones for years now, even if
movie audiences didn't always realize it.
But what exactly are all these glowy rocks, and how were all the Infinity Stones finally
brought together?
Here's how Thanos, the Mad Titan got all six Infinity Stones on his pretty purple fingers.
The origins of the Infinity Stones
Pretty much everyone in the MCU - from Peter Quill to Cull Obsidian - has tried to get
their hands on an Infinity Stone at one time or another.
But with everybody searching for these magical rocks, we should probably ask: where did the
Infinity Stones come from?
Well, Marvel revealed the Stones' backstory in Guardians of the Galaxy, when the ragtag
sci-fi heroes visit an eccentric antiquer called the Collector, played by Benicio del
Toro.
As the Collector explains to Star-Lord and his crew, before the creation of the universe,
there were six singularities.
Then, after the Big Bang exploded everything into existence:
"...the remnants of these systems were formed into concentrated ingots: Infinity Stones."
As a result, these gems are incredibly powerful, with each one controlling an element of the
universe: power, space, reality, time, the soul, and the mind.
And unless you're some sort of celestial being, you can't touch these stones with your bare
hand - not for very long anyway.
That's why Infinity Stones tend to show up inside orbs, scepters, glowing blue cubes...
or a shiny gold glove.
The origin of the Infinity Gauntlet
Thanos is one of the few beings we've seen who's actually touched an Infinity Stone with
his bare hands.
But even the Mad Titan isn't strong enough to wield all six gems on his own.
So in order to carry out his plans of decimation, Thanos needed a hand - a giant golden hand.
Known as the Infinity Gauntlet, this glove allows Thanos to harness the power of all
the stones.
But where did this ferocious yet fashionable weapon come from?
Well, in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos pays a visit to Nidavellir, a realm populated by
oversized dwarves.
These otherworldly beings use the heart of a dying neutron star to forge powerful weapons,
like Thor's hammer Mjolnir.
When Thanos arrived, he forced the dwarves to make him the gauntlet, and once he got
the glove, he murdered everyone in Nidavellir except for King Eitri, played by Peter Dinklage.
Of course, it's not like Eitri got away unscathed, as Thanos took the dwarf's hands in hopes
he'd never forge a weapon as powerful as the gauntlet.
And from there, Thanos set out to round up the stones, all while looking incredibly sharp.
The Power Stone isn't messing around
When Thanos first arrives in Avengers: Infinity War, the Mad Titan already has the Power Stone
ready to go.
So what's the story behind this purple gem?
Well, the Power Stone does exactly what its name promises: It gives the user incredible
power.
In fact, long ago, the Power Stone was used by a Celestial to wipe out entire civilizations.
And while other ambitious beings tried to harness its energy, they were disintegrated
quickly after coming into contact with the stone.
In other words, unless you're this guy…
"I have the power!"
...you don't want to mess with the Power Stone.
Eventually, the Power Stone was placed inside a metal Orb and hidden away on the desolate
planet of Morag.
When Thanos learned about its location, he sent Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer
to retrieve it.
Eventually, the Guardians of the Galaxy handed the stone over to the Nova Corps, an intergalactic
police force on the planet Xandar for safe-keeping.
But when there's a genocidal warlord running around, nothing is safe for long.
In Infinity War, we learn that Thanos and his army have devastated Xandar, and after
murdering everyone in his path, Thanos retrieved the Power Stone, making it the first gem added
to his gauntlet.
So when he finally shows up with that purple gem, he's ready to smash Hulks and kill gods.
The Space Stone takes a dive
Technically the first Infinity Stone to appear in the MCU, the Space Stone can manipulate
space and let users teleport across the universe.
It was originally housed inside a cube known as the Tesseract.
Long before the Marvel movies begin, the Tesseract belonged to Odin.
For some reason, the Norse god thought it was a good idea to bring this insanely dangerous
rock down to Earth, and his human worshipers hid the stone inside a Norwegian church, hoping
it would never fall into evil hands.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens in Captain America: The First Avenger.
During World War II, the Red Skull rolls into town and captures the Tesseract, hoping to
create powerful weapons using the Cube's energy.
Fortunately for humanity, Steve Rogers shows up to save the day.
In the film's final battle - one that takes place in a Hydra warplane - Red Skull foolishly
touches the Tesseract, which opens up a portal and sends him hurtling into space.
The cube then burns a hole through the plane, and falls into the Arctic Ocean below.
Of course, the Space Stone wouldn't stay submerged for very long.
The Space Stone is put to marvel-ous use
After the climactic events of Captain America: The First Avenger, the Tesseract was discovered
beneath the ocean waves by millionaire inventor Howard Stark.
From there, the cube made its way to S.H.I.E.L.D., where in the 1990s, an undercover Kree scientist
named Mar-Vell used the Space Stone to create a light-speed engine.
She hoped the engine could help a persecuted alien race known as the Skrulls escape their
tormentors - her own people - and find a new home, but her plan didn't exactly pan out.
The Tesseract was stored aboard an invisible space station for years afterward, finally
being recovered by Carol Danvers and Nick Fury during the events of Captain Marvel.
From there, the cube was back in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands… for a little while, at least.
The Space Stone and the god of mischief
In the post-credits scene of Thor, we see Nick Fury and Dr. Erik Selvig admiring the
Tesseract and talking about its "unlimited power."
Unfortunately, they're not the only ones in the room.
Loki, the god of mischief, is hidden in the room too, and he's got his eye on the glowing
blue cube.
As part of a deal with Thanos, Loki agreed to retrieve the Space Stone from S.H.I.E.L.D.
and give it to the Mad Titan in exchange for an alien army to help him invade Earth.
Thanos went a step further and gave Loki an additional Infinity Stone, the Mind Stone,
to help subjugate Earth.
More on that in a bit.
Needless to say, neither Loki nor Thanos accounted for the combined might of the Avengers.
As a result, he's cuffed and carted off to an Asgardian prison.
Thor also takes the Space Stone back to Asgard where it's stored away in Odin's treasure
room.
But things take a sad turn in Thor: Ragnarok when a now-freed Loki gets a bad case of light
fingers.
This proves to be a fateful decision for Loki.
As he, Thor, and the rest of Asgard abandons their destroyed homeland, they're attacked
by Thanos' warship.
Soon, Loki is forced to hand over the Tesseract, giving Thanos the power to easily teleport
across the cosmos, and it's such a powerful scene that even Loki gets a little choked
up.
[Note: This is only the second-worst snap Thanos does in Avengers: Infinity War]
The Reality Stone is really terrifying
One of the scariest stones in Thanos' gauntlet, the Reality Stone is a ruby-red gem that can
alter the fabric of the universe itself.
If you want to turn a wasted planet into a green paradise, you can.
If you want to turn Drax the Destroyer into building blocks, you can do that, too.
And bad guys have been trying to use the red stone for evil purposes since ancient times.
In Thor: The Dark World, we learn the Dark Elves wanted to plunge the universe into eternal
night.
And to do that, they needed the Reality Stone - specifically, a liquified version of the
stone called the Aether.
Fortunately, way back in the day, King Bor - Odin's dad - defeated the elves.
And when the creatures came back for round two, Thor hammers things out and captures
the Reality Stone, canceling their dark plans.
However, the Asgardians were worried about housing the Reality Stone next to the Space
Stone, so they handed it over to the Collector for safekeeping on Knowhere.
Sure, the Collector was a shady dude who wanted the stones for his own purposes, but none
of that mattered once Thanos showed up and burned Knowhere to the ground.
Now, with the Reality Stone in his possession, Thanos can shape the world exactly as he sees
fit.
The Soul Stone is mysterious and magnificent
The most mysterious of the Infinity Stones, the Soul Stone, has only appeared in one Marvel
movie so far: Avengers: Infinity War.
After a little bit of old-fashioned torture, Thanos learns the Soul Stone is hidden on
the misty planet of Vormir.
With his adopted daughter forcibly in tow, Thanos arrives on Vormir to discover a ghosty
Red Skull guarding the gem.
He explains there's only one way to get the Soul Stone: to sacrifice what you love the
most.
And for Thanos, that means tossing Gamora off the side of a cliff.
After trading her life for the stone, he's one rock closer to completing his collection.
So what does the Soul Stone do?
Well, obviously, it manipulates souls, or as directors Anthony and Joe Russo put it,
"the essence of who you are."
In the comics, it can trap spirits in a weird dimension called the Soul World, and it's
possible that everyone Thanos killed in the Decimation is locked in a cinematic version
of this little universe.
We also saw the Soul Stone in action when Thanos was battling Dr. Strange on Titan.
When the sorcerer split up into like a hundred Stranges, Thanos used the Stone to reveal
the true sorcerer.
And according to the Russo brothers, Thanos used the Soul Stone to "speak to his dead
daughter," meaning he's got an "ability to resurrect, or conjure the spiritual representation
of people who are dead."
So while its powers are still a bit ambiguous, the Soul Stone is so freaky because it gives
Thanos power over death itself.
The Time Stone is very strange
The Time Stone gives users the power to manipulate the past, present, and future.
Basically, it's a time machine inside a necklace known as the Eye of Agamotto.
In Doctor Strange, surgeon-turned-sorcerer Stephen Strange learns how to manipulate time
with the Eye and uses it to defeat the interdimensional demon Dormammu.
Strange then becomes the protector of the stone, so when Thanos' children show up to
run an errand for daddy, it's Strange's time to shine.
Eventually, the good doctor and several other heroes arrive on the desolate world of Titan
where they eventually battle Thanos for control of the stone, and that's when things take
a very strange turn.
Using the Time Stone, Strange looks into the future and perceives all possible outcomes
for their battle with Thanos... and there's only one in 14 million outcomes where the
Avengers win.
Believe it or not, that scenario requires Strange to hand over the green gem to Thanos,
so when the Mad Titan is about to murder Tony Stark, Strange forks it over… with only
a cryptic explanation as to why.
"Why would you do that?"
"We're in the endgame now."
Here's hoping Strange's mystery plan makes a little more sense when Endgame rolls around.
The Mind Stone shows up on Earth
Back in the first Avengers film, Loki shows up with a fancy scepter that lets him control
minds, a power granted by the yellow Mind Stone lodged inside its blade.
As we all know, Loki is defeated by the end of that film, and the scepter is kept by S.H.I.E.L.D.
for further study, in the hopes that their scientists can unlock its mind-controlling
mysteries.
Unfortunately, as we find out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the spy agency had been
infiltrated by Hydra agents, and they use the spear to create superpowered beings to
fight the Avengers, namely Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
Their incredible abilities come courtesy of the gem - however, they're not the only once
and future Avengers to owe their powers to the Mind Stone.
The Mind Stone is all about the Vision
In Age of Ultron, the evil robot was brought to life by the Mind Stone, and unfortunately
for humanity, Ultron is a big fan of extinction events.
He's also really into building himself stronger bodies to house his artificial consciousness,
and his ultimate creation is this super sleek body made of vibranium.
When Ultron unleashes the Mind Stone from the scepter and slaps it on the new body's
forehead, he hopes to give his future self powers beyond belief.
Fortunately, the Avengers ruin Ultron's makeover.
With the help of Thor's lightning, they bring his new creation to life.
Known as the Vision, this Avenger is a nearly omnipotent being inextricably linked to the
Mind Stone, so when Thanos shows up in Infinity War, Vision offers to sacrifice himself.
If he destroys the stone, he'll die, but it will also ruin Thanos' genocidal plans.
Eventually, Vision's girlfriend the Scarlet Witch is forced to pull the trigger.
Since her powers come courtesy of the Mind Stone, only she can destroy the gem lodged
in Vision's forehead.
But despite their noble effort, the Mad Titan has the Time Stone by this point and simply
rewinds time and yoinks the Mind Stone from Vision's skull, leaving the android crumpled
on the ground.
Where are the stones now?
So what happened to the Infinity Stones after the Decimation?
Well, that fateful snap definitely left Thanos and his glove looking a little worse for wear.
On the Avengers: Infinity War commentary, director Joe Russo explained the effect the
Decimation had on the villain:
"The power that it takes to use all six stones is significant and clearly damaged the gauntlet
and damaged Thanos permanently."
Still, despite the glove being badly burned, the stones all seem to be intact, and Thanos
uses the Space Stone to portal out of Wakanda.
So evidently, the gems are still working, and they will most definitely play a part
in the upcoming battle.
In the promotional materials for Endgame, it's clear that Thanos is still wearing that
gauntlet while off playing farmer.
And even though the Mad Titan's arm has been burned to a crisp, there's no doubt the stones
will make things infinitely more difficult for the Avengers when they face off with the
genocidal warlord for the final time.
Don't be fooled!
Keeping track of the Infinity Stones can be confusing, especially since there are so many
glowing blue objects in the MCU.
When the Mind Stone - which is yellow - appears in Loki's scepter, it gives off a blue hue.
The Tesseract, obviously, is a glowing blue cube.
On top of that, there's the Casket of Ancient Winters, yet another blue cube that appears
in 2011's Thor.
But don't be confused, Marvel fans.
The Casket of Ancient Winters has nothing to do with the Tesseract or the Infinity Gauntlet.
So even though it's a glowing blue cube, the Casket has nothing to do with the Space Stone.
Still, it's a pretty cool cube.
Speaking of confusing props, back in 2011, Marvel was still figuring out where to take
their franchise.
They hadn't settled on the Infinity War storyline, and they didn't even know Thanos would be
a major player until Joss Whedon decided to toss him into The Avengers.
So when it came time to release Thor, the folks at Marvel weren't thinking about the
long-term ramifications of one little Easter egg.
During Thor's aborted coronation, some Frost Giants attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient
Winters from Odin's treasure room.
And during this scene, eagle-eyed fans will notice an Infinity Gauntlet - complete with
all six stones on display in Odin's vault.
But how could Thanos be hunting for all the Infinity Stones if Odin already had the full
set?
Obviously, it's just meant to be a fun Easter egg, but once the franchise started down the
Infinity War path, Marvel had to figure out what to do with their little gag-gone-wrong.
Eventually Thor: Ragnarok fixes this error in the best - and most hilarious - way possible,
when Hela the goddess of death storms into Odin's treasure room:
"Fake!"
But that's not the only Infinity Gauntlet confusion we've seen in the MCU.
So what about that Age of Ultron scene?
After the credits are done rolling in Age of Ultron, Thanos storms onto the screen and
makes a declaration:
"Fine, I'll do it myself."
However, in this scene, he already has his Infinity Gauntlet, which doesn't line up with
the MCU timeline.
Let's dive in:
"Nerd alert!"
Age of Ultron was released in 2015, and we see that Thanos has his glove ready to go.
But when Infinity War came out three years later, it seems like the Mad Titan had just
recently forced Eitri to forge the gauntlet.
So what's going on here?
Well, the writers of Infinity War… have absolutely no clue.
Speaking with Slashfilm, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely admit the Age of Ultron
scene has them baffled in terms of the timeline.
The Russo brothers, however, have tried to retcon the situation.
Speaking with ComicBook.com, the directors explained the Infinity Gauntlet we see in
Age of Ultron is the same one from Infinity War.
Said Joe Russo:
"I think that it would be connected to Eitri.
I think that clearly he is the one who forged the gauntlet and Thanos had the gauntlet at
that point in time.
It's been a while since any of the Asgardians have interacted with Eitri and his people."
In other words, Eitri's been hanging out alone in space with no hands for years.
And that sucks for him.
Now, sure, the Russo's explanation might not work out perfectly if you look too closely
at all the details.
But in a franchise that's beautifully spanned over 20 films, we're fine with explaining
away a continuity error or two.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about Avengers Endgame are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.