Marvel Comics has shown the MCU how to bring the Infinity Stones back. Avengers: Infinity War was the story of the Avengers’ greatest defeat, as Thanos achieved his insane goal of erasing half the life in the universe. As seen in Avengers: Endgame, he subsequently destroyed the Infinity Stones in order to ensure they couldn’t be used to reverse his actions.
According to Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of the last two Avengers blockbusters, the Infinity Stones still exist in the MCU. “Thanos only reduced the stones to the atomic level,” they said in a 2019 Q&A. “The stones are still present in the universe.” It makes sense, given the Ancient One claimed the Infinity Stones govern the flow of time in the universe, so actually destroying them should have had a horrific impact upon the nature of reality itself. But, of course, the Russo brothers’ clarification means Marvel will forever face the temptation of bringing the Infinity Stones back. Is there any way the studio can do that without getting repetitive?
Marvel Comics has provided an answer, with a recent change to the Infinity Stones’ status. 2018’s Infinity Wars event saw the Infinity Stones released into the universe, with each latching on to a living being as a sort of host – meaning the Infinity Stones essentially became people. The precise nature of the relationship is difficult to pin down because each Infinity Stone attached itself to a being who already existed, who retained their own will and individuality. Still, at least one of these characters – Captain Marvel’s rival Star – believes she has literally become the Reality Stone.
The problem with the Infinity Stones is that there’s only so much creators can do with them. They are cosmic MacGuffins; the prizes obtained by quests, the ultimate weapons that must be overcome. More rarely – they are used to illustrate the scale of a threat even greater than them (as in the build-up to Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars event in 2015, when Captain America broke the Infinity Gauntlet in his attempt to use it). By attaching them to people, though, Marvel has created a wealth of new opportunities.
The men and women involved in this story have not chosen this power, but rather have had it thrust upon them. At heart, then, this becomes a story of agency as the individuals struggle to work out what to do with the gifts they have been given. Meanwhile, the rest of the Marvel Universe reacts in shock, disturbed at the potential havoc these beings could cause. Marvel Comics’ latest Infinity Stone idea has subverted the tropes associated with the Infinity Gauntlet, breathing new life into the concept.
When Marvel Studios does bring the Infinity Stones back – and it’s surely only a matter of time, given the potential longevity of the MCU – they would be wise to use them in this way. Such an approach would allow the film studio to avoid a rinse-and-repeat of the Infinity Saga, ensuring their stories continued to be fresh and relevant going forward.
