In a new twist to how he wields the Infinity Stones, Thanos introduced a weapon that would give him victory in 2019 Avengers: Endgame. The change comes shortly after Thanos’ creation of the Death Stone – a seventh Infinity Stone that contains the cosmic being sometimes known as Lady Death. Thanos was on a quest to break the Death Stone to his will, leading to an upgrade of his former Infinity Gauntlet.
Fans see the new “Infinity Crown” in The Avengers Annual By Derek Landy and Salvador Larroca. There, Thanos battles the current wielders of the Infinity Stones. While their cosmic artifacts are commanded by operating in proximity, the new Wheelers are all relatively new to their powers, and Thanos methodically takes them down, inserting their stones into a new rudder that gives him their cosmic power.
Similar to the MCU, The Infinity Crown appears to light up the relevant stone when using a given power. However, unlike in the movies, Thanos doesn’t have to close his fist to carry out his will – once the stones are attached, he has access to everything they can do. An empty slot on the front sits waiting for the Death Stone, with Thanos only missing the other Infinity Stones to force his creation to obey him.
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In the MCU, Iron Man and the Avengers finally defeat Thanos in a pitched battle seen in Avengers: End game. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark Grapples with Josh Brolin’s Thanos, using his armor to surreptitiously remove the stones from Thanos’ gauntlet and place them in his own. This last-ditch attempt changes the balance of power, allowing Tony to snap his fingers and instantly defeat Thanos and his entire army. It was a huge cinematic victory, but one that wouldn’t have been possible if Thanos had used his new Infinity Crown.
Earlier in the issue, Thanos explains that the full power of the Infinity Stones is only unlocked once they are made by attaching them to some kind of artifact. However, in the comics, there is no need for this to be a gauntlet. When Galactus took ownership of the stones, he placed them in a ‘focusing crux’, while Thor predicted that he would one day face a version of Thanos who had placed the stones in Mjolnir himself.
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Tonally, while Thanos collects almost all the stones, the Time Stone bearer Overtime is able to force him to surrender. Overtime reveals that – over the course of the “Infinity Watch” arc, which ran through Marvel’s 2024 annual – he has created a paradox that will shatter reality if Thanos chooses to kill him. While Thanos promises to make overtime regret it, he still officially surrenders, returning the stones to their original owners.
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Current Infinity Stone bearers in Marvel Continuity |
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Infinity Stone |
Current Wilderness |
Current powers |
Affiliation |
First appearance |
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Reality rock |
Star (Ripley Ryan) |
Short-range reality manipulation |
Former Thunderbolts member and Captain Marvel enemy |
Captain Marvel #1 By Kelly Thompson & Carmen Carnero |
|
Place stand |
quantum |
Close-range teleportation and portals |
Former bartender for the Assessor and Miles Morales enemy |
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #7 By Saladin Ahmed & Javier Garrón |
|
Mind stone |
Colin Wing |
Telepathic control channeled through sword |
Wonder hero and Avengers ally |
Marvel Premiere #19 By Doug Moench, Larry Hama and Neal Adams |
|
soul rock |
mob (aka ward) |
Can evoke living energy constructs |
Solo operator |
Avengers Annual #1 By Jed MacKay & Travel Foreman |
|
Time stand |
Transition (aka Hector Bautista) |
Manipulation of low power, including pausing events and very short-range time travel |
Solo operator |
Infinity Wars: Infinity #1 By Gerry Duggan & Mark Bagley |
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Power stand |
Prince of Power (aka Other) |
Improved physics and ability to enhance the powers of others |
Galactic mercenaries and Guardians of the Galaxy allies |
Guardians of the Galaxy #3 By Al Ewing & Juan Cabal |
|
Dead stone |
Phil Coulson |
Raised from the dead, other powers not yet known |
Former SHIELD operative who later turned against superheroes – close friend of Nick Fury. |
Battle Scars #6 By Chris Yost, Matt Fraction, Cullen Bunn and Scot Eaton |
with their powers well, The team is the latest incarnation of the Infinity Watch – Traditionally a team led by Adam Warlock, charged with protecting the Infinity Stones from anyone who would use them for their own ends. The Avengers Annual is the first time the entire team has assembled, and Marvel has already announced a spin-off Infinity Watch series following Phil Coulson and Colleen Wing’s attempts to train the neophyte heroes to use their powers effectively. Notably, because the stones are in close proximity but not bound to an artifact, the team will operate just under the maximum power of the cosmic artifacts.
Thanos is a force, but he is also a strategic and scientific genius. It makes perfect sense that he would choose not to replicate a tool that Earth’s heroes have seen before, crafting his Infinity Crown to accommodate the new Death Stone (and seemingly to channel the power of the other stones through it.) The last Try through Thanos To check the death itself, and still due to the new infinity watch, he thankfully failed – although this tactic would have won the day in End game.
The Avengers Annual #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.