Culture

Your Guide to the Infinity Stones

Get to know the Marvel Cinematic Universe's glittering MacGuffins: what they are, where they’ve been, and who's got ’em now.

Perhaps you’ve heard there’s a Marvel movie opening this week? And not just any movie— Avengers: Infinity War wraps 10 years' worth of Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero flicks into the first of a two-part battle royale centered on the Infinity Stones, six gems that give their owner the power to destroy any and everything.

MCU big-bad Thanos (he of Josh Brolin's voice and Josh Brolin's CGI chin) has been chasing the relics across the galaxy, and plans to take out about half the universe when he finally get them. But those Infinity Stones can get confusing—so what follows is your snack-sized primer to the rascally little gems.

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    Photo: Marvel
    02

    SPACE STONE

    Last Seen: Odin's vault in *Thor: Ragnarok*\ \ Showing up in *Iron Man*, the "Tesseract" is the first stone to have appeared in the MCU. It’s been used by both SHIELD and HYRDA to make weapons, including the enhanced twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. It makes inter-dimensional travel a snap. (Loki used it to open a spacetime portal in *The Avengers*.) Thor secured it in Odin's vault, but with Loki eyeing it at the end of *Ragnarok*—and Asgard, y'know, *exploding*—it’s likely not there anymore.
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    Photo: Walt Disney/Everett Collection
    03

    REALITY STONE

    Last Seen: With The Collector in *Thor: The Dark World*\ \ The reality stone, A.K.A. Aether in *Thor: The Dark World*, can turn matter into dark matter. It appears as a liquid throughout *Dark World* until the end, when it’s pressed into a stone. Thor’s companions take it to The Collector for safekeeping—they already have the Tesseract, and it would be no bueno to have two in one place.
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    Photo: Walt Disney/Everett Collection
    04

    POWER STONE

    Last Seen: With the Nova Corps in *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1*\ \ The first *GOTG* hinged on Thanos sending his daughter Gamora to collect the orb containing the Power Stone, which Star Lord had happened upon. The bearer of this stone can evaporate an entire planet just by touching the ground, though its power must be harnessed in a weapon (like, say, Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet).
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    Photo: Walt Disney/Everett Collection
    05

    MIND STONE

    Last Seen: In The Vision's forehead in *Captain America: Civil War*\ \ Thanos already had this stone ... until he gave it to Loki in *The Avengers* to power his scepter. In *Avengers: Age of Ultron*, Iron Man used it to create Ultron (oops\!), who in turn used the Mind Stone to create The Vision (whoa\!), who then destroyed Ultron (yay\!). There it remains, giving The Vision his powers of flight, laser beamage, and ability to turn incorporeal at a whim.
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    Photo: Walt Disney/Everett Collection
    06

    TIME STONE

    Last Seen: On a mantle in Kamar-Taj in *Doctor Strange*\ \ This stone can—drumroll, please—alter time. It rests in the Eye of Agamotto, a pendant that Doctor Strange wears and wields to reverse and fast-forward time. Strange also used it to imprison Dormamu in a time loop, thereby annoying the hell out of him until he acquiesced and promised to leave Earth alone forever.
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    Photo: Walt Disney/Everett Collection
    07

    SOUL STONE

    Last Seen: Never\ \ There’s a lot of speculation about this stone—it hasn’t appeared in any of the MCU films. One of the popular theories is that it’s buried somewhere in Wakanda. In the comics, it can be used to control the souls of the living and steal the powers of other beings. If its fullest power is accessed, it can be used to control all life in the Universe. So...yeah. Thanos. Better stop that guy.

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