The Infinity Gauntlet. A glove that holds the six Infinity Stones and allows the wearer control over six different parts of the universe. To be specific, they get complete control over Time, Space, Mind, Soul, Reality and Power. It essentially lets the user do whatever they like, and it proves difficult to stop them once they become a godlike being. Thanos assembled the Gauntlet and wreaked havoc on the universe. But why? To impress a girl. Granted, that girl was the living embodiment of Death, but still. There are far better reasons to assemble weapons of mass destruction.
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Over the years, Marvel have treated us to a number of different heroes wielding the Infinity Gauntlet across What If? and various Avengers storylines. But what about the characters we haven’t seen near the Gauntlet or even inside Marvel at all? We’ve decided to delve into DC Comics’ list of heroes and villains to see who would use the Infinity Gauntlet and how. It’s a complete sandbox, allowing free reign of the universe relating to specific characters and events that could’ve been shaped differently had the Infinity Gauntlet come into play. Here’s 15 DC characters who would use the Infinity Gauntlet better than Thanos.
15 LEX LUTHOR
Yes, we just mentioned that Luthor could take over the world if he worked with someone who had the Gauntlet, but we’re going to be a little optimistic here. During DC Rebirth, Luthor actually becomes a hero, whilst wearing a suit of battle armor. If the new heroic version of the character used the Gauntlet, chances are the world be in a better state.
His heightened intellect combined with unlimited power could have some great consequences for the world. He’d be able to build homes and schools for those who needed it, stop world hunger and bring about world peace within a single day. Or, he could just revert back to his villainous ways and kill Superman with a click of his fingers. Go figure.
14 BATMAN
Because of course Bruce Wayne had to be on this list. He’s already a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist -- every universe needs at least one. And with Batman at the forefront of the “Metal” event coming very soon, there are definitely some ways that Batman could use the Infinity Gauntlet right about now. With the emergence of the Dark Multiverse in DC’s latest big event -- we have to wonder how it’s all come about.
Again, this is wishful thinking but hear us out: The Infinity Gauntlet. One of the Batmen from the multiverse (the Amalgam Universe maybe?) uses it to bring the Dark Multiverse into the main DC continuity, bringing along a group of formidable, villainous Batmen. If you then add that the Infinity Gauntlet could’ve been forged out of Nth metal, then it fits in nicely. Shame it’ll never happen.
13 HAL JORDAN
One of the most famous Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan has wielded tremendous power before and took on the name Parallax. Presuming that Jordan received the Infinity Gauntlet after his mental instability as a villain, there’s a few things that Hal would correct in his life. He’d undoubtedly stop Mongul from wiping out Coast City, in turn saving friends and family from death and never going down that evil road.
It would have a complete change of direction for the hero, meaning he wouldn’t make any of the grave mistakes like murdering the Guardians, Kilowog and Sinestro. Plus, a Green Lantern armed with the Infinity Gauntlet whilst patrolling the galaxy would mean protection from thousands of threats. Although after a while, the Guardians would likely want to lock the Gauntlet away so the power didn’t corrupt Jordan or anyone else.
12 OZYMANDIAS
Yes, we do mean Ozymandias from Watchmen. He’s the smartest man on the planet and engineers a plan to bring about world peace. But give him the Infinity Gauntlet, and the possibilities could be endless. And now that we’re in a world where DC have incorporated Watchmen into their main continuity -- we’ve had an idea.
What if the Infinity Gauntlet allowed Ozymandias and Doctor Manhattan to cross over from their universe into the main Marvel continuity and bring along the Justice League? After all, if this is an event that allows them to cross universes, why not cross over into a different publisher? It’s a very large stretch of the imagination, but it would work brilliantly. Picture an exchange between Ozymandias, Doctor Manhattan and Thanos -- it would be incredible.
11 THE JOKER
This could be chaotic, entertaining and probably deadly. The Clown Prince of Crime is already a formidable villain that has carved his name across the DC Universe with his reign of death and destruction. Let’s be honest, the first thing The Joker would do is cause as much pain as possible for Batman. He’d probably murder then resurrect his friends and family over and over until it drove Bruce mad.
We’ve already seen what The Joker could do with omnipotent powers -- as he steals powers from Mr. Mxyzptlk (an imp from the 5th Dimension) and remakes the Earth in his image during “Emperor Joker”. Although during that story, it’s revealed that The Joker simply can’t bring himself to kill Batman. They’re two sides of the same coin and are destined to fight forever.
10 SUPERGIRL
The cousin of Kal-El would likely use the Infinity Gauntlet in a similar way to Superman, ensuring the Earth’s safety and stopping various threats. But given that she’s slightly younger and in her perspective, closer to Krypton after being in stasis, chances are that she would resurrect Krypton. Or rewind time and stop the planet from ever exploding.
This could have terrible consequences for the galaxy if so, causing a similar event to "Flashpoint". If Superman never landed on Earth, what kind of devastating events would take place without the Man of Steel to stop them from happening? Or perhaps it would bring Earth prosperity if Krypton sent scientists and explorers that far and formed a bond with our world. Regardless of the outcome, Supergirl holding the Infinity Gauntlet would definitely change the continuity of the DC Universe in a big way.
9 DOCTOR FATE
If Nabu, aka Doctor Fate got his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet, that would mean the Lords of Order would have control over the entirety of space and time. This could either be a very good thing for the DC Universe or extremely bad. Just look at their role during Injustice 2. The Lords of Order deemed humanity as too destructive, and only created chaos. They make Doctor Fate help Brainiac in his schemes to gain control of Earth.
If they’ll help a villain like Brainiac, who knows what else they would do if they had even more power at their disposal? Whilst some of their decisions might work well in the long run, humanity probably wouldn’t last long. They could roll back time and stop humanity from even having a chance at survival.
8 DICK GRAYSON
Since Nightwing lost his parents at a young age, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dick Grayson resurrected his family when controlling the Gauntlet. Although it would lead him away from his role as a vigilante for a little while, it’s likely he would pick up the gauntlet and his suit again to right the wrongs of Bludhaven and Gotham. The power could put him at odds with Batman, as it would essentially give Nightwing the abilities of a God.
But since Dick usually has a level head when approaching superheroics, he’d be able to show Batman all the good that the Gauntlet could do. It would likely be one of the best scenarios to come out of the Infinity Gauntlet in the DC Universe. Dick Grayson would be able to clean up the world of supervillainy and disaster without making too many grave mistakes.
7 THE FLASH
The Scarlet Speedster has his fair share of world changing storylines and events -- one of the most famous being “Flashpoint”. When Barry stopped his mother from being murdered, he changed the timeline, which had devastating effects for the entire world as it’s plunged into a superheroic war. But, if Barry had the Infinity Gauntlet he’d be able to rewrite history. He’d be able to have his family back, but still remain a superhero.
The only problem he has then is keeping them safe. But since the Infinity Gauntlet is a source of unlimited power, protecting his loved ones wouldn’t be too difficult. The Speed Force powers matched with the Gauntlet would make The Flash an intimidating opponent for many villains. It’s likely that many would retire or simply not even attempt to commit crimes.
6 BLACK ADAM
Teth-Adam is known in the DC Universe as the ruler of Khandaq, and is seen by many as an anti-hero instead of a villain. He possesses the same powers as Shazam, but is more willing to use violence as a deterrent to protect his country and his people. Giving the Infinity Gauntlet to Black Adam would probably turn him from anti-hero into complete dictator.
If there was a metahuman that could unite hundreds of supervillains to overthrow the Justice League, it would be Black Adam. During Forever Evil, we saw him work with Lex Luthor and Black Manta -- perhaps Adam wearing the Infinity Gauntlet could unite the three into a formidable team against their enemies. Although that probably doesn’t give the rest of the world a great chance.
5 SUPERMAN
That’s right, the Kryptonian would do a far better job of wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. Given that he’s already one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, handing him the powers of the Gauntlet would ramp up his abilities exponentially. However, that may not be good thing for the rest of us. Since the Gauntlet would heighten Supes’ view of the universe and everything wrong with it -- he might decide that it’s up to him to clear it of all that’s wrong.
Superman wielding the Gauntlet might end up looking like an Injustice type scenario, where the Kryptonian ended up taking over Earth under his dictatorship. Plus, picture a golden version of his suit that incorporated the Infinity Gauntlet into it and Clark would look incredibly intimidating.
4 ORION
The immortal son of Darkseid has proven to be heroic on countless occasions, and many of his adventures come from fighting his father. But hand him the Infinity Gauntlet, and he suddenly has the potential to save billions of lives within an instant. He very clearly hates Darkseid, and if he’s in control of the Infinity Gauntlet, he’d be able to rewrite time, space and matter in a very unique way.
Perhaps, in a way that kept Orion alive and as he is, but wipes Darkseid from existence. He’s a constant threat to the universe. And since he’s immortal, the only logical way to kill him would be to bring something from another universe to wipe him from existence completely. Something that Orion would no doubt happily do, given the amount of times they’ve fought against each other.
3 BRAINIAC
Oh, Brainiac. He can sometimes be a little misunderstood can’t he? All he wants to do is to gain all the knowledge in the universe. And occasionally miniaturize cities and planets to add into his collection. No harm done. Much. Slap the Infinity Gauntlet to his hand however, and Brainiac’s powers would be heightened to an incredible level. And after his already god-like transformation at the end of “Convergence”, Brainiac would probably be able to transcend time and space.
His collection could hold entire timelines, universes and multiverses perfectly preserved in his skull ship. You can criticize Brainiac for being a supervillain, but you have to admit, the green-skinned alien has a consistent goal. This might not go down so well with the inhabitants of the universe though.
2 DOCTOR MANHATTAN
As we mentioned with Ozymandias, giving the Watchmen characters the Infinity Gauntlet could lead into DC Rebirth. But think of the ending of the Watchmen series. Doctor Manhattan leaves Earth to go create some life of his own. What better way of doing that than utilizing all the different stones in the Gauntlet? He talks a lot about time so much during the comics (and the movie), that he would be the perfect master of time.
He could create infinite worlds to play with each stone and create life that matched each ability. The Infinity Gauntlet is a sandbox that Doctor Manhattan could explore and experiment with to his heart’s content. Plus, creating life rather than taking it away -- that definitely tops Thanos’ reign of destruction across the universe.
1 DARKSEID
Of course Darkseid tops our list! If Thanos is the wearer of the Infinity Gauntlet in the Marvel Universe, then logic stands that Darkseid should be the one to wear it in DC’s continuity. But realistically, let’s compare the two. Does Thanos have his own gigantic planet that is impressively always on fire and has an army ready and willing to fight for him wherever and whenever?
Plus, Thanos is actually a rip-off from Darkseid. This isn’t a Marvel v DC argument, but Darkseid is definitely more deserving. Plus, Thanos just wants death. Darkseid actually wants to stay alive so he can conquer the entire universe whilst eliminating free will. That’s quite a large aspiration -- one that an Infinity Gauntlet could help with in a big way.
Are there any other DC characters you'd like to see with the Infinity Gauntlet? Let us know in the comments!