As fans anxiously await the release of the latest installment in Marvel Studios’ Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War, one question has been popping up all over the internet and in the minds of viewers: what exactly are the Infinity Stones? Ahead of the April 27, 2018, release of the film, dive into the rich history surrounding the six Infinity Stones and discover why the mad Titan Thanos is willing to tear the universe apart to get them. 

Originally known as the Soul Gems or Reality Gems, before being labeled the Infinity Gems by Thanos, these consist of six precious stones. Hereafter the Infinity Gems will be referred to as the Infinity Stones, since that is how they appear in the MCU. The Mind, Soul, Space, Power, Time, and Reality Stones are considered to be among the most powerful artifacts in existence. Whosoever claims these immensely capable stones and uses them in unison, will gain omnipotence and omniscience. In layman’s terms, collecting all of the gems will give the wielder complete control over the entire universe – which pretty much sums up why an ambitious villain would seek to collect them.

The comic origin behind the Infinity Stones begins before the beginning of time itself. Eons ago, the entity Nemesis was the only sentient being in the entire universe. Utterly alone, this powerful being attempted to create life forms, but due to their evil nature was later forced to destroy these flawed creations. Rather than endure the eternal solitude a moment longer, Nemesis chose to commit suicide. A power of that magnitude is not easily destroyed and as such the remnants of Nemesis dispersed and forged into the six Infinity Stones.  

Within the MCU, the origin behind these stones was explained in Guardians of the Galaxy by the mysterious Collector. “Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots...Infinity Stones,” he said. The “six singularities” refers to the Cosmic Entities – Death, Entropy, Infinity, and Eternity. In both the comic universe and MCU, the Infinity Stones are tied to different aspects of the universe and possess unique capabilities.

The Soul Stone was the first to be seen in continuity, debuting in Marvel Premiere #1 in 1972. This stone, appearing orange in nature, allows the user to steal, control, manipulate, and alter living and dead souls. Arguably the most dangerous, this stone can collect souls in perpetual limbo and opens access to an idyllic pocket universe. In the comics, the Soul Stone is most commonly seen in conjunction with the superhero Adam Warlock. At full potential, the Soul Stone would grant the user control over all life in the universe, living and dead. It is the only stone that has not debuted within the MCU, as of yet.  

During Marvel Team-Up #55 in 1977, both the Power and Time Stones were unveiled. The purple Power Stone, grants the user the ability to manipulate all forms of energy, enhance their physical strength and durability and duplicate most any known physical superpower. It also serves as a “boost” to enhance the effects of the other five stones. This stone appeared in the form of the Orb in Guardians of the Galaxy and fueled an attempted dance off between the Guardians and Ronan the Accuser. By the end of the film, the stone was in the possession of the intergalactic police known as Nova Corps.

The green Time Stone, allows the wielder to see into both the past and future, stop, slow down, speed up or reverse the flow of time, time travel, and change the past or future. It also possesses the ability to age or de-age beings, and trap people or entire universes in unending loops of time. This is the most recent stone to appear in the MCU, premiering in 2016’s Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange discovered the time-manipulating stone in the Eye of Agamotto, which he used to trap the cosmic villain Dormammu in an endless loop until he relented.

By the end of 1977, in Avengers Annual #7, the rest of the Infinity Stones had been uncovered. The blue Space Stone enables the user to exist in any location, move objects anywhere throughout reality, warp or rearrange space, teleport themselves and others to any place imaginable, increase their speed, as well as alter the distance between objects contrary to the laws of physics. In the MCU, this stone is contained in the Tesseract and first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger used by Red Skull. It was later seen in The Avengers, under Loki’s control, and more recently in Thor: Ragnarok – presumably now in Loki’s possession. 

Second only to the Soul Stone, the red Reality Stone is one of the more powerful stones. This stone empowers the user to fulfill their every wish, even if those wishes are contradictory to scientific laws. Wielding this stone makes things that were once impossible, possible, and can be used to create alternate realities. Combining the Reality Stone with the others allows the user to alter reality on a universal scale. In the MCU, the Reality Stone made up the red-tinted Aether in Thor: The Dark World. At the end of the film, it was given to the Collector for safekeeping. 

Finally, the yellow Mind Stone bestows or enhances the users metal and psionic abilities. It also allows access to the thoughts and dreams of others, and influence over matter and energy via telekinesis. In conjunction with the Power Stone, the Mind Stone can access all minds in existence simultaneously and enable extensive psychokinetic power. This stone was the power source behind Loki’s mind-controlling scepter in The Avengers, but following the events of The Avengers: Age of Ultron the stone currently resides in the forehead of Vision. 

In the comic universe, Thanos was gifted the Infinity Gauntlet by the Cosmic Entity and his one true love, Mistress Death. This cosmic artifact grants the wearer complete mastery over the six Infinity Stones. Thanos is desperate to collect the six stones in order to impress Death and finally earn her love. Despite everything he has done in her name, including destroying whole universes with a snap, Death was never impressed. Talk about high-maintenance. Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin, has made brief cameos within the MCU, mostly appearing in mid-credit/post-credit scenes. Now, Avengers: Infinity War will mark his first full cinematic appearance. 

The latest trailer for Avengers: Infinity War teased Thanos’ sinister plans when Guardians’ Gamora said “The entire time I knew him, he only ever had one goal: to wipe out half the universe. If he gets all the Infinity Stones, he can do that with a snap of his fingers.” Whether or not Thanos will get to deliver that world-ending snap or not remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, the Infinity Stones are a power beyond anything the universe has ever seen. Certainly not something you would want in the hands of a power hungry Titan with no regard for anyone or anything. 

After 10 years and 18 feature films, Thanos will finally step out of the MCU’s galactic shadows in order to collect all six Infinity Stones. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Tom Hiddleston, among others.