Warning: Spoilers for The Infinity Watch #1There are so many powerful and world-destroying weapons in Wonder Universe, but the Infinity Stones are perhaps the most dangerous. These powerful items can warp reality and resurrect the dead, as well as a host of other effects. One of its only weaknesses was that the stones couldn't be used outside of their home universe, but that's a weakness that Marvel just eliminated.
In THE Infinity Clock #1 by Derek Landy and Ruairí Coleman, Marvel reveals the new status quo for the Infinity Stones. In this story, the newly formed Infinity Watch is attacked by a mysterious group known as Apeiron. This group appears to go from universe to universe, consuming the Infinity Stones and absorbing their power. They are pursued by a man named Avery Zavala: the last of his universe and a Stone Bearer, someone who has been fused with an Infinity Stone.
Most would assume that Avery wouldn't have access to any of his infinite powers since he's outside of his own universe. But surprisingly, Avery reveals that this weakness only applies to Infinity Stones, not Stone Bearers.
The Infinity Stones can officially be used outside of their universe – in a special case
The Infinity Clock #1 by Derek Landy, Ruairí Coleman, Scott Hanna, Brian Reber, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit
This revelation completely changes everything for the Infinity Stones and how their powers are used. With this weakness removed, the Stone Bearers went from some of the strongest characters in their universe to some of the the strongest characters in the Multiverse. They could enter any universe they wanted and exert the full capacity of their power.
The Infinity Stones have long been some of the the most powerful items in the Marvel Universe. The Council of Reeds is an entire group that often tries to collect the Infinity Stones in each of their respective universes, just to make sure they never fall into anyone else's hands. The Illuminati, a group of superheroes who rule the world from the shadows, also used to hold an Infinity Stone, all to ensure that villains like Thanos would never get the Infinity Stones again. While this plan was an understandable effort, Dr. Strange once went a step further and it appears he removed his weakness by accident.
Tired of the various villains constantly trying to steal from them, Dr. Strange gave the stones the ability to choose their own hosts.
One of the most important moments in the history of the Infinity Stones was when Dr. Strange managed to grant them sentience. Tired of the various villains constantly trying to steal from them, Dr. Strange gave the stones the ability to choose their own hosts, causing the stones to attach themselves to several different people throughout the Marvel Universe, preventing the stones from being used as weapons because they are now linked to individuals. But the true ramifications of this choice are yet to be discovered. Even the Stone Bearers themselves believed that their powers were limited to their home universe, which has been proven false.
Infinity Watch is more powerful than ever thanks to the removal of this weakness
Infinity Wars #5 by Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Martin and Cory Petit
Multiversal travel is a big plot element in superhero comics. It's not uncommon for a hero, no matter how small they seem, to end up in a different universe at some point. This is why the Infinity Watch being able to carry its powers with it across universes is so important. Without this quirk, they would be one of Marvel's most useless superhero teamseffective only in its own universe. If there were some massive multiversal threat, unless it reached Earth-616, the Infinity Watch would have no chance of helping. But thanks to this new revelation, they could face any threat – anywhere.
It is currently it's unclear what other limitations the Stone Bearers haveif there is. Originally, the Infinity Stones definitely had a limit to their power. Captain America discovered this when he accidentally destroyed them. If a Stone Bearer exerts too much power, will it also be destroyed? That question currently has no answer, but considering that the multiverse's weakness has disappeared, it's possible that this weakness has also disappeared, making Infinity Watch one of the most powerful teams in Marvel continuity, even above the Avengers.
Even Thanos didn't stand a chance against the Infinity Clock
Anything could happen next with the Infinity Stones
The Infinity Stones have undergone many lore changes over the years. They were revealed to be part of the first being in the universe, so new ones were created by the Celestials to facilitate the destruction of all universes. Now, they have had their biggest change in recent history as they have lost the only weaknesses that contained their power in a universe. The revelations are unlikely to stop there, and fans should definitely get ready to see what new changes happen next and how the new Infinity Stones tradition will affect the whole Wonder Universe.
Infinity Clock #1 is now available from Marvel Comics!