Infinity Stones

Six singularities pre-dating the Big Bang, each controlling a fundamental aspect of existence.

The Infinity Stones are fictional artifacts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), based on the Infinity Gems of Marvel Comics. Representing six essential aspects of existence—Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, and Soul—they are reputed to embody control over these fundamental forces. Originally described as remnants of six singularities existing before the Big Bang, they were compressed into Stones by cosmic entities after the universe began. Throughout the MCU multimedia titles, these critical artifacts drive major storylines, from the rise of Hydra in World War II to Thanos's quest to wipe out half of all life in 2018.

Quick Facts

Source

Marvel Cinematic Universe

First

Thor

Date

(2011)

Based on

Infinity Gems, Marvel Comics

Adapted by

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Genre

Superhero fiction

Owner

Thanos
Bruce Banner
Tony Stark, Stephen Strange

Lore & Background

The fictional history of these items spans multiple timelines within the Earth-616 universe and alternate realities. In 2014, the Collector explained their origin as compressed singularities from before the Big Bang. By 2018, Wong and Stephen Strange clarified that each Stone embodies a specific aspect: Space (housed in the Tesseract), Mind (in Loki's scepter), Reality (the Aether), Power (inside an Orb), Time (within the Eye of Agamotto), and Soul (located on Vormir).

While most Stones debuted in films leading up to Avengers: Infinity War (2018), their powers were utilized by figures like Red Skull, Loki, Ronan the Accuser, and Doctor Strange. Despite being destroyed by Thanos after his second use of the Gauntlet, they appear in the Multiverse Saga through flashbacks in WandaVision, alternate universes in Loki and What If...?, and an alternate timeline in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) where the Illuminati defeated Thanos.

Reader's Guide

Space Stone: housed in the Tesseract. The Red Skull used it to power Hydra's weaponry in 1942 and Loki used it to open portals; Captain Marvel reveals that it gave Carol Danvers her powers. The Tesseract was recovered from the Arctic Ocean by Howard Stark and was at one point swallowed by the Flerken Goose. Mind Stone: first held in a scepter lent to Loki, then used by Baron Strucker in experiments on people, including Pietro and Wanda Maximoff; it ends up embedded in Vision's forehead.

Reality Stone: appears as the Aether, with which Malekith tried to return the universe to its pre-Big Bang state; it infected Jane Foster in 2013 before being entrusted to the Collector. Power Stone: hidden in an Orb on Morag. Ronan the Accuser sought it for Thanos and then betrayed him to try to destroy Xandar; the Guardians of the Galaxy defeated him and entrusted the Stone to the Nova Corps. Time Stone: housed in the Eye of Agamotto, which Stephen Strange found in 2016 and used to trap Dormammu in a time loop.

Soul Stone: the last to appear, collected by Thanos on Vormir after he sacrificed Gamora. The Power Stone destroys most mortals on contact; Peter Quill's half-Celestial physiology let him withstand it alone for a brief time before the other Guardians joined him.

Did You Know?

Thanos used the Stones again after his initial snap to destroy them completely.
Steve Rogers returned each Stone to the exact moments in time from which they were collected.
The Power Stone's energy was so intense that only Peter Quill's half-Celestial physiology allowed him to withstand it briefly before the Guardians shared the burden.
Scientific studies focusing on the control of matter relating to the Stones have been conducted mostly since the release of Infinity War.