The Infinity Gauntlet is one of the most powerful objects in the Marvel Comics universe. It wasn’t well-known to mainstream audiences who don’t read the comic books until last year when Thanos donned it in Avengers: Infinity War and used it to wreak havoc on the world and see through his evil plans.
But all moviegoers really know right now is that it’s powerful enough to decimate half of the life in existence. There’s a lot of mythology behind the Infinity Gauntlet to brush up on before seeing Avengers: Endgame. So, here are 10 Questions About The Infinity Gauntlet, Answered.
Is the Infinity Gauntlet broken in the MCU?
After Thanos snapped his fingers at the end of Avengers: Infinity War and wiped out half of all life in the universe, the Infinity Gauntlet was shown to have been warped and damaged. Some fans have taken this to mean that the Gauntlet is broken within the MCU timeline, and therefore can’t be used during the plot of Avengers: Endgame.
However, the Gauntlet is not completely destroyed. This is shown when Thanos – whose arm was also badly scarred – uses it to teleport away right after the snap. It’ll still be usable; it just won’t be as powerful as it once was.
What is the Infinity Gauntlet made of?
In the MCU’s version of events, the Infinity Gauntlet was constructed by the dwarves of Nidavellir, who are known to use a material called Uru to create their weapons. They were also responsible for making both of Thor’s weapons, Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, and they were both made with Uru.
So, one can put two and two together to figure out that the Gauntlet is probably made of Uru, too. Uru is a metal ore that can only be found on Nidavellir, which is one of the Nine Worlds. It comes in two different forms: “metallic gold” and “badly wrought iron.”
Does the Infinity Gauntlet have any powers without the Infinity Stones?
We’ve seen what the Infinity Gauntlet is capable of when the Infinity Stones have been inserted into all the knuckles, but does it have any powers of its own without the Stones? The answer is no, it doesn’t.
It was designed to be fitted with the Infinity Stones and channel the power of the Stones and withstand, to a certain extent, the tremendous destruction that can be created by the Stones. However, the Gauntlet itself doesn’t have any powers. If it doesn’t have the Infinity Stones in the knuckles, then it might as well just be a regular gauntlet without a capital G.
Could anyone besides Thanos wield the Infinity Gauntlet?
Part of the key to bringing back the dead characters and defeating Thanos in Avengers: Endgame could be someone else wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. But is anyone in the MCU besides the Mad Titan himself capable of wielding it? The answer is yes, because in the comics, it’s been wielded by pretty much everyone in the MCU: Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Nebula.
Adam Warlock, whose appearance was teased in the credits of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and who might finally be making his MCU debut in Endgame, could also wield the Gauntlet – but it’s not yet clear if he’ll be a good guy or a bad guy in the movies.
Can the Infinity Gauntlet be used in other universes?
The Marvel universe is filled with parallel realities. Captain Marvel’s pet Flerken, Goose, is capable of holding entire universes in its stomach (these are called “pocket dimensions”). In fact, for all we know, that’s where everyone went when Thanos snapped his fingers and turned to dust – a parallel universe that he himself had created to reduce overpopulation in either one. That’s just one theory.
Anyway, the Infinity Gauntlet is not usable in any other universes apart from the one it was created in (i.e. Earth-616’s Gauntlet can only be used in the Earth-616 reality). So, a Gauntlet cannot be used to destroy another Gauntlet – or itself.
How did the Infinity Gauntlet choose who got turned to dust?
At first, this seems like a silly question, because it suggests that the Gauntlet is conscious. But in Doctor Strange, the title character is told that the Time Stone “chose” him, and if one of the Infinity Stones is conscious, then it stands to reason that the rest of them are – and when they’re in the Gauntlet, that kind of gives the Gauntlet a consciousness, too.
However, there doesn’t seem to have been a rigorous selection process to see who got turned to dust at the end of Infinity War. Thanos himself said that part of his plan involved eradicating half of all life completely at random, so the Stones just put their genocide in shuffle mode.
Is the Infinity Gauntlet magnetic?
Some fans have been wondering about the Infinity Gauntlet’s possible magnetism. It’s made of metal, so is it magnetic? If it is, it could be manipulated by Magneto, or Tony Stark would’ve been able to build a giant magnet capable of removing the Gauntlet from Thanos’ hand if he had more than ten minutes between the threat of Thanos’ invasion and the arrival of his army.
However, even if Tony had enough time to put together a big magnet, there’s no guarantee that one of Earth’s magnets would’ve had an effect on the alien metal the Gauntlet is made from.
Can the Infinity Gauntlet create matter?
The Infinity Gauntlet on its own cannot create matter. In fact, the Infinity Gauntlet on its own can barely do anything. You can hit someone over the head with it and that’s about it. However, if the Gauntlet has all six Infinity Stones in it, then it’s capable of much more – including the creation of matter.
Whoever wears the Infinity Gauntlet, if it has all six Infinity Stones in it, will become omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (ever-present). In other words, if you have the Infinity Gauntlet and all six Infinity Stones, you will become a god, and that’s what makes Thanos the Avengers’ ultimate foe.
How powerful is the Infinity Gauntlet?
It is believed that the Infinity Gauntlet is as powerful as Mjolnir, Thor’s magical hammer, since they were both created from dying stars. Thor’s new weapon, his axe Stormbreaker, is also this powerful, although Thor missed Thanos’ head – and his hand, which was wielding the Infinity Gauntlet – when he attacked him with Stormbreaker and he remained alive, albeit with a sore shoulder.
Point is, both Mjolnir and the Infinity Gauntlet grant whoever possesses them the abilities of a god. Thor is a god, so he already had those abilities, as we saw in Thor: Ragnarok, but Thanos didn’t, necessitating a powerful object.
Can the Infinity Gauntlet be destroyed?
We’ve seen that the Infinity Gauntlet can be damaged, but can it actually be destroyed? In the Avengers: Endgame trailer, Thanos is still wearing it – and it even seems to be fused to his hand, like he’s unable to take it off.
The Gauntlet has been destroyed a number of times in the comics, including in one of the “What If…?” hypothetical storylines that are currently being adapted for the Disney+ streaming service, but the rules of the Gauntlet – which aren’t really set in stone anyway – are different in the comics than in the MCU, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
- The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26
