Infinity Gems

For the film counterpart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seeInfinity Stones.

TheInfinity Gems(originally referred to asSoul Gemsand later asInfinity Stones) are six fictionalgemsappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel 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 agod-like beingwhen 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 theMarvel Universe;playing important roles in several storylines, in which they were wielded by characters such asThanosandAdam Warlock.Some of these stories depict additional Infinity Gems or similar objects. Although, the Infinity Gems altogether give its user nigh-omnipotence, the Gems only function on the universe they belong to and not on alternate realities.

Infinity Gems
Thanoswith the six main Infinity Gems and, fromThe Thanos Quest#1 (September 1990). Art byRon Lim,John BeattyandTom 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:AvengersAnnual #7 (1977). In the Infinity Gauntlet:The Silver SurferVol. 3 #44 (Dec. 1990); Ego Gem:Eliminator#3 (July 1995) Death Stone:The Infinity GauntletVol. 2 #5 (Nov. 2015)
In story information
Type	Jewels
Element of stories featuring	Adam Warlock Thanos

The Gems have appeared in several media adaptations outside of comics, including theMarvel Cinematic Universefilm franchise, where they are calledInfinity Stonesand have their colors altered. These changes were later adapted into the comics.

Publication history

The first appearance of an Infinity Gem occurred in 1972 inMarvel Premiere#1. It was originally called a "Soul Gem".In 1976, a second "Soul Gem" appeared in aCaptain Marvelstory 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 involvingSpider-Man.The main six Gems appeared when the death-obsessed villainThanosattempted to use them to extinguish everystarin the universe.In a 1988 storyline inSilver Surfervol. 3, theElders of the Universetried to use 6 of the "Soul Gems" to steal the energy of the world-eating entityGalactus.

In the 1990 limited seriesThe 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 last remains of an omnipotent being.Thanos then places all six main gems within his left gauntlet.In the miniseriesThe 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 ofDeath.Although he easily repels an attack by Earth's heroes and other cosmic entities includingEternity,the Gauntlet is eventually stolen from him byNebula,who undoes the last 24 hours, including his mass killings. Adam Warlock then recovers the Gauntlet and, by order of theLiving Tribunal,divides the Gems that fit in the gauntlet among a group he calls "theInfinity Watch",consisting of himself, the superheroesGamora,Pip the Troll,Drax the Destroyer,Moondragon,and his former adversary Thanos. The group's adventures in defending the Gems appear in the seriesWarlock and the Infinity Watch(1992–1995).

The 6 main Gems are next gathered by Warlock's evilalter ego,theMagus,in the 1992 limited seriesThe Infinity War,where he is defeated by Warlock and Earth's heroes, including Thanos.In the 1993 limited seriesThe Infinity Crusade,the embodiment of Warlock's goodness, the Goddess, attempts to destroy evil in the universe by destroying free will. The 6 main Gems are then once again retrieved by the Infinity Watch.

Then, 6 of the gems appeared in the crossover between the Marvel universe and theUltraverse,when the vampiric Rune stole the gems from the Infinity Watch.The gems were dispersed in the Ultraverse andLokilooked for them. The reunion of the gems with a seventh gem, the Ego Gem, revealed the existence of the entity Nemesis, that said that she was the conscience of the gems.Nemesis was slain and the gems dispersed again.

In a story arc of theThanosseries (2003–2004),Galactusgathers six of the Gems but accidentally allows an interdimensional entity named Hunger access to theMarveluniverse. Thanos and Galactus banish the entity and the Gems are scattered again with the exception of the Soul Gem, which Thanos retains for its customary custodian Adam Warlock.InNew Avengers: Illuminati,a 2007–2008 limited series, a cabal of Earth's heroes gather the Gems and attempt to wish them out of existence but discover that they must exist as part of the cosmic balance. Instead, the Illuminati divide and hide the Gems.

In a 2010Avengersstoryline, the human criminal known as theHoodsteals several Gems but is defeated by use of the remaining Gems; the Illuminati attempt to hide them again.The Illuminati later wield the 6 main Gems to stop another universe from collapsing into their own but the cost of this however, was the destruction of the gauntlet and all gems minus the Time Gem which simply disappeared.Afterwards, the previously vanished Time Gem appears toCaptain Americaand some of the Avengers and transports them into future realities, shattering time in the process.

As a result of the Incursions, the entire Multiverse is destroyed. However,Doctor Doomcombines fragments of several alternate realities intoBattleworld.Doctor Strangegathers the 6 main Infinity Gems from various realities into a new Infinity Gauntlet, which he leaves hidden until the surviving heroes of Earth-616 return.The Gauntlet is subsequently claimed byT'Challa(theBlack Panther), who uses it to keep theBeyonder-enhanced Doom occupied untilMister Fantasticcan disrupt his power source.

Following the recreation of the Multiverse, the Infinity Gems (now known as the Infinity Stones) are recreated and scattered across the universe, with their colors switched and some taking on uncut ingot forms. InMarvel Legacy#1, the Space Stone (now colored blue) appears on Earth where a Frost Giant working for Loki steals it from aS.H.I.E.L.D.storage facility, however he is intercepted and defeated by a resurrectedWolverine.Star-Lorddiscovers an extra-large Power Stone (now colored purple) being protected by theNova Corps,and an alternate universePeter Quillnamed Starkill has the Reality Stone (now colored red).A future version ofGhost Rideris revealed to possess a shard of the Time Stone (now colored green),while in the present the complete stone restores the ruined planet of Sakaar and is claimed by theSuper-Skrull.The Mind Stone (now colored yellow) is found on Earth in the hands of petty crookTurk Barrett,and the Soul Stone (now colored orange) is mentioned toAdam Warlockto be in the hands of his dark aspect, the Magus;however,Ultronis able to claim it after ambushing and killing him.The Stones are shown to have apocket universeexisting within each of them.Loki would later discover the Stones are originated from the primordial universe where Celestials reside, guarding a deposit of countless Infinity Stones which they infuse with their cosmic energy and deliver to different realities across the Multiverse. Warlock later uses the Soul Stone to grant the other Stones sentience and enable them to choose their own wielders.

Description

Each Gem is shaped like a small ovaland is named after, and represents, a different characteristic of existence.Possessing any single Gem grants the user the ability to exert great 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.The Gems are not immutable.For instance, on two occasions, one or more of the Gems have appeared as deep pink spheres several feet in diameter,while on other occasions, the Gems have appeared in their small oval shape but with different coloring. (e.g. the Soul Gem being colored red when worn by the Gardener).In the Ultraverse, after merging into their original form ofNemesis,the Gems were again separated after a battle with Ultraforce and the Avengers.As part of theMarvel Legacyinitiative, the Infinity Gems (now known as the Infinity Stones), had their colors altered to match the colors of the Infinity Stones from theMarvel Cinematic Universe.An additional Stone was created by Thanos after Death rejected him. The Mad Titan used his powers to subdue her before proceeding to encapsulate the embodiment of Death within a stone. Despite this, death would still persist as long as the stone was intact.

The six Infinity Gems include:

Name	Color		Powers and capabilities	Known users	Pocket universe (2018–present)
	Original (1972–2016)	Marvel Legacy (2017–present)
Mind	Blue	Yellow	Allows the user to enhance their mental andpsionicabilities and access the thoughts and dreams of other beings. At full potential, when backed by the Power Gem, the Mind Gem can access all minds in existence simultaneously. The Mind Gem is also the manifestation of the universal subconscious.	Anthony Edward Stark (Tony Stark);Grandmaster;Thanos; Nebula; Adam Warlock;Moondragon;Magus; Rune; Primevil (Malibu Comics); Galactus;Professor X;Hood;Ms. Marvel;Beast;Turk Barrett;Requiem;Kamala Khan;Loki,Vision;Worldmind;Colleen Wing	The Mindscape:Allows the user to bring anything they imagine or dream of to life. Overseen by theSleepwalkers.
Power	Red	Purple	Allows the user to access and manipulate all forms of energy and/or powers; i.e. enhancing their physical strength and durability; augment any superhuman ability; and boost the effects of the other five Gems. At full potential, the Power Gem grants the user nigh-omnipotence.	Anthony Edward Stark (Tony Stark);Champion of the Universe;Thanos; Nebula; Adam Warlock;Drax the Destroyer;Thor; Magus; Rune;Lord Pumpkin;Galactus;She-Hulk;Titania;Mister Fantastic; The Hood;Red Hulk;Xiambor; Namor; The Juggernaut;Nova Corps;Star-Lord;Requiem;Emma Frost;Loki;Ronan the Accuser;Prince of Power/Apex	The Arena:Resembles a Colosseum where heroes fight each other in a contest of might. Ruled by Dynamus, the living embodiment of the Power Cosmic.
Reality	Yellow	Red	Allows the user to fulfill their wishes, even if the wish is in direct contradiction withscientific laws,and do things that would normally be impossible. At full potential, when backed by the other five Gems, the Reality Gem allows the user to alter reality on a universal scale and also create any type ofalternate realitythe user wishes.	Anthony Edward Stark (Tony Stark);Stranger;Collector;Thanos; Nebula; Adam Warlock; Rune;Night Man;Galactus;Black Bolt;Hood; Iron Man; Black Widow; Vision;Carol Danvers;Requiem;Kang the Conqueror;Loki;Ripley Ryan	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 the user control over all life in the universe.	Anthony Edward Stark (Tony Stark);High Evolutionary;Adam Warlock;Gardener;In-Betweener;Thanos;Nebula;Magus;Doctor Strange;Ultron/Hank Pym;Requiem;Loki;Multitude	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 the user nigh-omnipresence.	Anthony Edward Stark (Tony Stark);Runner;Thanos; Nebula; Adam Warlock;Pip the Troll;Iron Man;Hood;Wolverine;Black Widow;Requiem;Black Bolt;Loki;Quantum	The Vast:An endless expanse of empty existence stretching on into forever. 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;changethe pastandthe 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 the user nigh-omniscienceand total control over the past, present, and future.	Anthony Edward Stark (Tony Stark); Gardener; Thanos; Nebula; Adam Warlock; Gamora;Doctor Strange;Maxam;Magus;Rune;Hardcase;Galactus;Namor;Thor;Mister Fantastic;Iron Man;Lockheed;Black Widow;Kl'rt;Requiem;Ant-Man;Loki;Overtime	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 painful dark energy that gradually kills others.	Thanos;Phil Coulson

Additional Gems have appeared in crossover media and alternate universes outside the Marvel Universe.

Name	Color	Powers and capabilities	Known owners
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 theUltraversewhen the Asgardian godLokiattempts to steal the other six Gems.	Sersi;Nemesis
Death	Yellow	InThe Infinity Gauntlet2015 limited series, released as part of theSecret Warscrossover event, 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 Church ofMephistoleaderPhil Coulson.	Anwen Bakian;Thanos;Phil Coulson
Continuity	Black	The Continuity Stone appears inDeadpool,and enables total control over Marvel's continuity.	Deadpool

Other versions

Council of Reeds

TheReed RichardsofEarth-616,in an attempt to "solve everything", meets with a council ofalternate universeReeds. Three of them wear Infinity Gauntlets, and they learn that the gauntlets only work in their respective universes of origin.

Contest of Champions

In theContest of Championsminiseries, an alternate version of Tony Stark uses the Reality Gem to win thesuperhero civil warand affect the outcome of a presidential election. When he tries to use the Gem on Battleworld, he is killed by theMaestro,who says the Gems do not work in any universe other than their own.

Heroes Reborn(2021)

In an alternate reality depicted in theHeroes Rebornminiseries, the Infinity Gems are in the possession of Thanos, who has them placed in hisInfinity Rings.

New Avengers

During the "Incursion" storyline, the Avengers travel to a parallel Earth where a pastiche of the Justice League have replaced this Earth's Avengers who all died in a previous cataclysm. Here the Gems are all square planes of "forever glass" which are assembled into the "Wishing Cube", a composite of the concepts of the Infinity Gems and theCosmic Cube.

Secret Wars

After various alternate universes are combined into Battleworld, Doctor Strange gathers Infinity Gems from other universes into a new Infinity Gauntlet that works in the area where Doom has built his palace. Strange leaves the Gauntlet hidden until he has access to someone he can trust it with. After his death, the Gauntlet is claimed by T'Challa,who uses it against Doom in the final battle.

A separate section of Battleworld known as New Xandar also has a Gauntlet fought over by multiple factions until the majority of the Stones, except the Reality Stone, were taken by Thanos.Thanos eventually tracks the missing Stone to Nova Corps member Anwen Bakian. When Thanos confronts her to get the Stone, Anwen gives him a duplicate of the Reality Stone she created called the 'Death Stone'. When used along with the other five Stones, the Death Stone corrupts Thanos with black matter and turns him to dust.

Ultimate Marvel

In theUltimate Marveluniverse, an Infinity Gauntlet is seen inProject Pegasus.The Mind Gem (stolen byHydra) is used by Modi (Thor's son) to control bothDirector FlummandCassie Lang,but are stopped by theUltimates.The Power Gem is later revealed to be in the possession of formerS.H.I.E.L.D.agent Sayuri Kyota, while a second Infinity Gauntlet is recovered from anA.I.M.base by Thor andSusan Storm.Kang the Conquerorlater allies himself withthe Hulk,Reed RichardsandQuicksilveras 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.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.After brainwashingJohnny Stormand forcing him to travel to theEarth's core,theDark Ultimatesare able to recover the final gem,but are defeated by the Ultimates. The gems then shatter, rendering the Gauntlets useless.

What If?

In a reality whereDoctor Doomretained the power of theBeyonder,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.

In an alternate reality where the original Fantastic Four died, a new Fantastic Four – consisting of Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider – was formed. With Iron Man replacing Ghost Rider, they were the only heroes available to fight Thanos when he initially assembled the Infinity Gauntlet. Despite Iron Man's use ofNegative Zone-enhancedCelestialarmor, Thanos still easily defeated the team until Wolverine tricked Thanos into erasing Mephisto from existence before cutting off Thanos's left arm, and therefore the Infinity Gauntlet. With Thanos powerless, Spider-Man used the gauntlet to undo the events of Thanos's godhood.

In other media

Television

• The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems, and an original weapon called the "Infinity Sword"appear inThe Super Hero Squad Show.AfterIron ManandDoctor Doomdestroy the Infinity Sword while attempting to claim it, the first season of the series sees the titular squad collecting the sword's fragments, or "Infinity Fractals",before Doctor Doom'sLethal Legioncan. While Doom rebuilds the Infinity Sword, theSilver Surfertells him that it is useless without the Infinity Gauntlet before taking the sword out to space. The second season seesThanosattempting to collect the Infinity Gems for his Infinity Gauntlet until the Silver Surfer, corrupted into the Dark Surfer by the sword, steals the completed gauntlet from him. After the Super Hero Squad defeat the Dark Surfer, the gems and sword are destroyed, sending Infinity Fractals across the universe.
• The Infinity Gauntlet and five of the Infinity Stones appear inAvengers Assemble.This version of the Infinity Gauntlet has slots for five of the stones as the Soul Stone was inAdam Warlock's possession and Thanos feared him.
• The Soul Stone appears inGuardians of the Galaxy.
• The Power Stone appears in theMarvel Future Avengersepisode "Mission Black Market Auction". This version was originally kept withinAsgardbefore it was stolen and taken to a black market on Earth.

Film

The Infinity Stones appear inLego Marvel Super Heroes - Guardians of the Galaxy: The Thanos Threat.Additionally, a seventh Infinity Stone, the redBuild Stone,which grants the power to build virtually anything, appears as well.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Main article:Infinity Stones

The Infinity Gems, renamedInfinity Stones,play important roles in the first three phases of theMarvel Cinematic Universe(MCU), referred to collectively as the "Infinity Saga".The Infinity Stones also make minor appearances in thePhase Fourtelevision seriesLoki,WandaVision,andWhat If...?.

Video games

• The Infinity Gems appear inMarvel Super Heroes.
• The Infinity Gems appear inMarvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems.
• The Power, Soul, Reality, and Space Gems appear inMarvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.
• The Infinity Gems and Infinity Sword appear inMarvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet.Additionally, Loki creates a fake seventh Infinity Gem, the pink "Rhythm Gem", for his and theEnchantress' use.
• The Infinity Stones and Infinity Gauntlet make a cameo appearance in the end ofLego Marvel's Avengers.
• The Infinity Stones and Infinity Gauntlet appear inFortnite Battle Royale.
• The Infinity Stones appear inMarvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.Players can equip one of the Infinity Stones at the start of a battle, which can be used perform an "Infinity Surge" technique at any time or a limited "Infinity Storm" ability that gives the character a temporary power-up; the effects vary by the chosen stone.In the game's story,UltronandSigmause the Space and Reality Stones to fuse themselves into Ultron Sigma and merge the Marvel and Capcom universes into one under their control, leading to the heroes of both universes joining forces to retrieve the remaining Infinity Stones before Ultron Sigma. While Thanos unknowingly cracks the Reality Stone while fighting Ultron Sigma,Xdestroys the hybrid villain before the heroes build a new society.
• The Infinity Stones and a suit of "Infinity Armor",of which the Infinity Gauntlet is a part of, appear inMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.These versions of the Stones and the Armor came into existence at the Heart of Infinity near the center of the universe. Additionally, using them together will make the user unstable and cause them to progressively kill themselves and all life in the universe.

Miscellaneous

• From January to August 2012, Wizkids presented the Infinity Gauntlet program at stores that hostHeroClixtournaments.An Infinity Gauntlet prop was released, followed by a different Gem each month, each of which can be added to the Gauntlet to increase its power. Additionally, the Gems can be displayed on a stand that comes with the Gauntlet or on each Elder that Thanos encountered in the storyThanos Quest.
• Replica Infinity Gauntlets were given out as trophies at Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament 8, a Road toEvotournament held in 2012.

External links

• Infinity Stonesfrom Marvel Cinematic Database