WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads #4, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
The latest chapter in the Symbiote Spider-Man saga has sent the titular hero hurtling through space, time and even reality itself, all while chasing down an ancient artifact of untold power. While the story so far has already been a fantastical one, things have just taken a wild, cosmic turn. As it turns out, the Norn Stone that kicked off Spider-Man's journey through the Crossroads isn't just another mystic Asgardian trinket. In fact, it isn't from Asgard at all, and its Celestial origins could change the Marvel Multiverse in Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads #4, by Peter David, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D'Armata and Joe Sabino.
When Spider-Man first agreed to help Black Cat stop a museum heist, he had no idea it would mean confronting one dimension after another of terrifying new threats. Thanks to Karnilla sending him hurtling into the interdimensional Crossroads the wall-crawler has ended up within a Deviant stronghold alongside a demonic Guilt Hulk. Though the Deviants' initial reaction to the intruders is a violent one, the attack is soon enough called off by Kro upon realizing his uninvited guests have no idea what is going on. Spider-Man and Hulk are both well aware of the Norn Stone which has currently lodged itself within the latter of the two, and they understand its general importance at least in theory, but they genuinely have no clue what it is or where it came from. Luckily enough, Kro is more than happy to explain the shockingly serious situation at hand.
Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads #4, by Peter David, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D'Armata and VC's Joe Sabino, gives a new origin to the Norn Stones that is unlike anything fans could have expected. Over the years since their introduction in 1965's Journey into Mystery #116 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Carl Hubbell, the Norn Stones have always been closely associated with all things Asgardian, specifically Karnilla. Now it has been made clear that hasn't always been the case. As Kro explains, the Norn Stones were originally crafted by the Celestials themselves, with the stone currently embedded in the Hulk acting as the Matrix Stone through which all others can be controlled. For the most part, the Norn Stones have only ever been seen increasing the powers and abilities of their wielder, even though those effects vary from person to person based on the Stones' own apparent whims, but the revelation of their Celestial origin changes things entirely. Crossroads emphasizing the Norn Stones' abilities to traverse dimensions is one thing, but what the Norn Stones are truly capable of has now been called into question in a way that almost ensures there is more to it than that. It's hard to imagine they might be on the same level of power as something like the Infinity Stones, yet there is nothing to confirm that one way or the other as of now. What there is, however, is a Guilt Hulk who has become infinitely intrigued by Kro's story, and who can't wait to push the limits of the Matrix Stone for himself.
As incredible as the Norn Stones might be in terms of Marvel artifacts, there isn't much of a chance that they will make the same leaps that the Infinity Stones did in power and popularity. Symbiote Spider-Man Crossroads has certainly given them a renewed importance in the pages of Marvel Comics, but they have never left as much of an impact as their better-known gemstone counterparts. There is also the fact that for all the waves they made in the comics, it was their turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that made them household names in the wider realm of pop culture. For the Norn Stones to get the MCU treatment isn't exactly out of the question, it is questionable in the first place. Then again, for everything surrounding them in the comics currently, the Norn Stones likely don't need a place in the MCU to leave an impression on fans, especially if they really can punch a hole through the Multiverse.