Powers of the MCU's Six Infinity Stones

The first Infinity Stone appeared in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, although no one knew it at the time. Back then, fans had no idea what Marvel's master plan was for the overarching plan of its cinematic universe, and before Earth's Mightiest Heroes would first come together on-screen in The Avengers, we weren't concerned with the looming threat of a Mad Titan, scouring the cosmos in search of gems of unimaginable power. As the tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanded, we learned more and more about the Infinity Stones, through the next Avengers movie, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange.

The Stones were slowly and methodically introduced in various movies, but now the battle for control of them is about to begin in Avengers: Infinity War. However, considering it's been seven years since the first gem came into play in a Marvel movie, you could be forgiven for not remembering every detail about the cosmic gems, and what each one can do. Here, we offer a refresher course on all things Infinity Stones, so that you can head into Avengers: Infinity War knowing everything you can about the objects of Thanos' desire.

The Space Stone

The Space Stone first appeared in possession of the Red Skull, though even the nazi supervillain had no idea about the artifact's true power. The Skull used the Tesseract (aka the Cosmic Cube), to give him an advantage in Germany's attempt to win World War II. With the help of Arnim Zola, the Skull was able to siphon off the sizzling energy of the cube to power weapons and engines of war. However the true potential of the Cube would later be revealed, when we would learn that it was able to open a doorway to the other side of the universe, a power Loki used to bring an alien army to Earth in 2012's The Avengers.

Once mastered, the Infinity Stone will give its wielder the power to teleport anywhere in the universe, from Earth to Saturn's moon Titan, and back again. from one corner of the universe to the other. Simply put, once Thanos gets his hands on the Space Stone, there won't be a planet out of his reach.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='What%20the%20Reality%2C%20Power%20%26%20Mind%20Stones%20Can%20Do']

The Reality Stone

The red Reality Stone debuted in Thor: The Dark World as the power source the evil Dark Elf Malekith sought. Although we weren't certain exactly how he planned on accomplishing his goal, we knew Malekith wanted to use the cosmic weapon known as the Aether to plunge the entire universe back into darkness. The crimson stone at the heart of the Aether would be used to create constructs that hovered somewhere between water, air and stone. It could be used into concentrated attacks, and it could also be used to storm all nine realms of the cosmos.

Although Thor managed to stop Malekith, we did get to witness the immense power of the Reality Stone. Once mastered, it can alter reality itself, its abilities theoretically limited only by its wielder's imagination. Malekith wanted to use it to extinguish light in the universe, but it can also be used to change and re-shape anything whomever holds it sets their sights on.

The Power Stone

In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, every character we met was after the Orb, but no one knew what was so special about it -- that is, until they came to realize the true power the Orb held. The purple Power Stone is perhaps the most dangerous and volatile out of all six Infinity Stones. It's so unstable, so raw, it can't even be held by living creatures. As soon as it makes contact with organic matter, the stone proceeds to burn it to a crisp. We saw it used to annihilate an entire planet, and we saw how, when wielded on an object like Ronan The Accuser's hammer, the stone can be aimed and weaponized.

As a being part-Celestial, and therefor not purely made of flesh and blood, Peter Quill was able to hold the Stone longer than most, which means that it might answer to beings of higher power. Whether Thanos is such a being remains to be seen, but it might not matter. With the Power Stone housed on his golden gauntlet, the Mad Titan will likely be able to unlock all the power of the purple gem.

The Mind Stone

The Mind Stone first appeared in 2012's The Avengers as the power source of Loki's scepter. The weapon was given to the Asgardian by Thanos, in the hopes that Loki would secure the Earthbound Tesseract (and second Infinity Stone) all while managing to take over Earth. With this scepter, Loki was able to take control of the minds of others, like Eris Selvig and Clint Barton (Hawkeye), essentially turning them into obedient drone soldiers. Furthermore, when the scepter later found itself in the possession of Baron Strucker, the villain used the energy of the stone to create Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, giving them both superpowers.

Eventually, the yellow stone inside the scepter would be revealed by Ultron, who embedded the gem inside the Vision's head with the goal of making the android sentient and all-powerful. However, Vision was instead given life by Thor, and he proved to be a force for good -- one who can even shoot a powerful laser from the Infinity Stone on his forehead.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='The%20Time%20Stone%27s%20Abilities%2C%20and%20What%20We%20Believe%20the%20Soul%20Stone%20Can%20Do']

The Time Stone

In 2016's Doctor Strange, the titular hero pushed his magical prowess further and further by attempting to harness the forbidden magics held within the Eye of Agamotto. Once opened, it was revealed that the eye housed the green Time Stone. With the magical artifact in his possession, Strange was able to turn time backwards and forwards while living outside of it, and he could also create time loops that could go on forever. Thanks to the Time Stone, Doctor Strange was able to save an obliterated Hong Kong by returning it to a state of pristine condition.

Of course, playing with the space/time continuum in such a way had potentially devastating effects, which means Strange has certain limits when it comes to playing with time. Once broken free of the shackles of magic however, once the Time Stone is taken out of the Eye of Agamotto and mastered by Thanos, there might be no limits to its manipulation of time.

The Soul Stone

Five down, one to go! The Soul Stone is the only Infinity Stone that hasn't manifested itself in the MCU. As it continues to remain a secret, fans have begun to theorize on its whereabouts. Many believe the Soul Stone is actually located in Wakanda, that it lies buried at the heart of the Vibranium meteor that crashed into the Earth thousands of years ago. The theory also posits that it is this Stone's presence that allows the King of Wakanda to access the country's ancestral plane, where the souls of deceased people can be found.

However, there was no confirmation of that in the Black Panther film. The theory makes sense, and it would explain a few things, but it's also possible that this is nothing but a misdirect. Therefore, as it stands, we don't know where the Soul Stone is or what it can actually do. In the comics, it's able to house the spirits of the deceased, and it can even bring the dead back to life. If its powers in the MCU are even remotely similar, the Soul Stone has the potential to be extremely powerful and instrumental in the battle to come.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston, and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 27.