Marvel fans got to see just how powerful the Infinity Gauntlet can be when Thanos used it in Avengers: Infinity War to wipe out half of all life across the universe with a simple snap of his fingers. In Avengers: Endgame, Earth's Mightiest Heroes assembled their own version of the cosmic weapon, and Tony Stark tragically sacrificed his own life to operate it and save all of reality.
The Infinity Gauntlet has been one of Marvel Comics' most dangerous tools since its first appearance back in 1990's Silver Surfer Vol. 3 #44, and its complicated history is known only to the most dedicated comic book fans. Several heroes and villains have used it for a variety of purposes, and its proven far more difficult to destroy than the films implied, making it a lasting threat that should never be underestimated or forgotten.
Marvel Cinematic Universe audiences may think they know everything there is to know about the Mad Titan's all-powerful weapon, but here are 20 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About The Infinity Gauntlet.
20 THE FIRST "GAUNTLET" WAS JUST THANOS' GLOVE
In the MCU, Thanos forced Etri, the King of the Dwarves, to make him a gauntlet capable of harnessing the power of the six Infinity Stones. Against his will, Etri forged the Infinity Gauntlet, allowing the Mad Titan to combine the might of the legendary cosmic singularities all at once.
The first Infinity Gauntlet wasn't quite that impressive in the comics. Thanos simply placed the gems onto his yellow glove.
19 THE INFINITY STONES WERE ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS "SOUL GEMS"
We know now that the Infinity Stones can control Power, Time, Space, Reality, Mind and Soul, but when they were first introduced in Marvel Comics, no one had any idea of their usefulness. They were simply known as Soul Gems, and even their owners were in the dark regarding what they could do.
It wasn't until Thanos gazed into the Infinity Well, years after their introduction, that the Gems' true nature and potential was finally revealed.
18 THE ELDERS OF THE UNIVERSE GUARDED THE STONES, NOT THE AVENGERS
In order to get the Mind Stone from Vision and the Time Stone from Doctor Strange, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thanos and his minions had to first defeat Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
The Avengers weren't actually involved in the Mad Titan's quest to complete the Infinity Gauntlet in the comics, though. All of the Stones were in the hands of the Elders of the Universe, and they didn't put up nearly as much of a fight as the heroes of the MCU did.
17 THANOS DIDN'T ASSEMBLE THE GAUNTLET TO CREATE BALANCE
While the MCU's Thanos was undeniably a villain, his intentions were slightly understandable. He wanted to wipe out half of all life in an attempt to create balance, so other planets wouldn't suffer from the same tragic fates as his home planet of Titan did due to overpopulation and a lack of resources.
There was nothing noble about Thanos' snap in the comics. It was just his way of trying to impress his crush, Mistress Death.
16 THE FIRST HERO TO TRY TO ASSEMBLE A GAUNTLET WASN'T AN AVENGER
In Endgame, the Avengers who survived Thanos' snap worked together to bring the six Infinity Stones from the past into the present so they could make their own Infinity Gauntlet. In the comics, the hero who first tried to gather the Stones wasn't actually an Avenger—it was Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four.
Mister Fantastic and other members of Marvel's Illuminati collected the gems in the hopes of using the Gauntlet to wipe the dangerous Infinity Stones out of existence. Unfortunately, Richards discovered this was one of the few things the Infinity Gauntlet can't do.
15 NOT EVEN THE GAUNTLET CAN DESTROY THE INFINITY STONES
When Mister Fantastic tried using the Infinity Gauntlet to destroy all of the Infinity Stones inside of it, nothing happened. The Gauntlet failed to work, because such a feat was impossible. There was simply no way to completely guarantee that the gems wouldn't pose a threat at some point in the future.
That wasn't the case in the MCU, because Thanos somehow managed to use his Gauntlet to remove temptation and destroy all of the Infinity Stones.
14 THERE IS MORE THAN ONE INFINITY GAUNTLET
The Avengers cleverly used time travel to make their own Infinity Gauntlet made up of time-displaced Infinity Stones, but that might not have actually been necessary. In the comics, there are actually multiple Infinity Gauntlets.
On Earth-1610, one of many Earths in the Marvel multiverse, there are two Infinity Gauntlets. In the Ultimates reality, Hulk actually donned both Gauntlets at once.
13 THERE ARE ALSO MORE THAN SIX INFINITY STONES
There are only six Infinity Stones in the MCU, but in the comics, it's possible to acquire a seventh—the Ego Gem. This weapon was introduced in the crossover with Marvel's Avengers and Malibu's Ultraforce, and contains the consciousness of the omnipotent being Nemesis.
In Marvel's Ultimate universe, there are actually eight Infinity Stones. The nature of the two additional Stones hasn't been made clear, but they forced the creation of both a left and right-handed Gauntlet, each of which contain four Stones.
12 THE GAUNTLET WAS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS IN NEBULA'S HANDS
When the Avengers fought against Thanos in the latest Avengers films, Nebula was an ally in their war against the Mad Titan. In the comics, she wasn't quite so heroic. At one point, she managed to steal the Gauntlet off of Thanos and tried to use it to take over the entire universe.
Earth's Mightiest Heroes then actually teamed up with Thanos to take Nebula down, as her thirst of power might have made her do something even worse than wipe out half of all existence with the Infinity Gauntlet.
11 IRON MAN WAS THE FIRST AVENGER TO USE THE GAUNTLET
When the Avengers finally completed their Infinity Gauntlet in Endgame, the gamma radiation it contained prompted Bruce Banner to volunteer to wield it and bring back all of those who Thanos snapped into dust five years prior. In the comics, Tony Stark was actually the first Avenger to use the Gauntlet.
A villain known as The Hood threatened all of existence, so Iron Man put on the Infinity Gauntlet and used it to neutralize this dangerous threat. Luckily, his heroic act in the comics didn't end in Stark's death like it did in the films.
10 THE GAUNTLET DOESN'T FATALLY INJURE MORTAL USERS
According to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only a being of immense power has the ability to wield even a single Infinity Stone. Using the Gauntlet nearly cost Thanos and Hulk their lives, and when Tony Stark used it and snapped his fingers to wipe out the Mad Titan's forces, he perished minutes later.
In the comics, using the Infinity Gauntlet isn't fatal whatsoever. Several heroes have been able to operate it without hurting themselves. So Tony Stark's MCU death was as unnecessary as it was tragic.
9 CAP USED THE GAUNTLET TO SAVE EARTH
When multiple Earths from across the Marvel multiverse threatened to crash into each other in the comics, the Captain America of the main Marvel universe put on the Infinity Gauntlet in an attempt to save his own Earth.
He was very briefly tempted by the Gauntlet's immense power, but he proceeded to successfully use the weapon to push away the other planets and save billions of lives.
8 IN ONE UNIVERSE, THE GAUNTLET IS ACTUALLY A MITTEN
One of Marvel's many alternate universes is Earth-9047, otherwise known as The Humorverse. In this reality, the Infinity Gauntlet is actually the Infinity Mitten, and the villain Thermos uses it to wipe out half of the"Marble" Universe.
Snapping with the Infinity Mitten is definitely more difficult, because like most kitchen mittens, it has no finger separations.
7 SOME BEINGS ARE ACTUALLY MORE POWERFUL THAN THE GAUNTLET
It's hard to imagine a being more powerful than the Infinity Gauntlet, since the cosmic weapon can control Mind, Soul, Space, Time, Reality and Power. However, several Marvel characters can do the same thing, without relying on a fancy glove.
Odin and his Odinforce can basically do everything the Gauntlet can do. Eternity is existence's last line of defense, the Beyonder has a near-limitless capacity for shaping everything around him, and the Phoenix Force has proven to be completely indestructible. They are just a few entities that can rival the Infinity Gauntlet.
6 IT AMPLIFIES ITS WEARER'S ANGER
In the comics, Thanos assembled the Infinity Gauntlet so he could terminate countless lives across the universe in tribute to his love, Mistress Death. When she wasn't appropriately impressed by his grand gesture, Thanos was completely outraged. The Gauntlet amplified his anger and emitted a burst of energy containing a mere 2% of its power, but that was enough to wreck havoc throughout the cosmos.
During this devastating energy blast, the US' west coast and Japan sank underwater and the Rainbow Bridge was destroyed, separating Asgard from the other realms.
5 BLACK PANTHER ACTUALLY USED IT
During the final battle scene at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the heroes' Infinity Gauntlet was passed off to the Black Panther because T'Challa's enhanced agility helped him effortlessly navigate around Thanos' minions. He never tried to put the Gauntlet on and use it, but in the comics, the King of Wakanda was one of the weapon's many wielders.
When Doctor Doom became a tyrannical god in 2015's Secret Wars, Stephen Strange helped T'Challa assemble a Gauntlet which Black Panther then used to help take the all-powerful super-villain down.
4 HULK BECAME A NEARLY UNSTOPPABLE VILLAIN WITH THE GAUNTLET
When the Hulk strapped on the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Endgame, he didn't appear to be tempted to use its power for his own means. He simply snapped his fingers to bring back those who Thanos turned into dust, and never used the weapon again.
In Marvel's Ultimates comics, Hulk donned both of that universe's Infinity Gauntlets and his rage and thirst for power turned him into a nearly-indestructible antagonist.
3 LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS MADE THEIR OWN GAUNTLET
Marvel fans who think that only insanely powerful villains like Thanos or crafty heroes like the Avengers can assemble an Infinity Gauntlet are wrong. A miniature Gauntlet was once made out of Lockjaw's collar, briefly giving the Inhumans' lovable pup unlimited power.
Lockjaw decided to teleport all over the Marvel universe to assemble the Infinity Stones, and with the help of his fellow Pet Avengers, he pulled the seemingly-impossible feat off.
2 USERS HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT THEY WISH FOR
Thanos, Hulk and Iron Man got the exact results they were hoping for with the Infinity Gauntlet in the MCU, but that's not always the case in the comics. The Gauntlet is incapable of determining its wearer's intentions, so users have to be very careful what they wish for.
Green Goblin learned this the hard way when he used the Gauntlet to make his father disappear. He did this in a moment of anger after his father failed to be impressed by his unlimited power, but in doing so, Osborn accidentally erased himself out of existence as well.
1 THE INFINITY GAUNTLET ISN'T EXCLUSIVE TO MARVEL
One thing that many comic fans get wrong about the Infinity Gauntlet is the belief that its exclusive to the Marvel Universe. When the Justice League and the Avengers met in a 2003 Marvel/DC crossover event, the all-powerful weapon was acquired by Darkseid, one of DC's greatest villains.
Luckily for the heroes, the Infinity Gauntlet only has power in its original universe. So while it briefly existed in the DC Universe, it had no power whatsoever in Darkseid's hands.