The following contains major spoilers for Superman #4, on sale now from DC Comics.
DC and Marvel have been known to take inspiration from one another over the years. Speedsters inspired one another, Darkseid and Thanos are big bad carbon copies, and Swamp Thing and Man-Thing share more than their less-than-detailed suffixes. Nonetheless, the two comic book powerhouses have their own established mythology and MacGuffins, so it certainly sticks out when one copies the other, in contemporary comics, especially with a plot device that has already garnered some media attention.
Of all the objects in the massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps none are better-known than the Infinity Gauntlet, worn by Thanos throughout Avengers: Infinity War. The gem-studded glove is very much a part of Thanos and his characterization, so in Superman #4 (by Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell and Nick Dragotta), when a glove powered by a rainbow of gemstones makes an appearance, it’s well worth looking into the two devices and seeing what, exactly, they have in common.
DC’s Infinity Gauntlet Remains a Mystery
After a career as a supervillain, Silver Banshee is on the road to rehabilitation when the main antagonists of Superman’s 2023 run, Doctor Pharm and Mr. Graft, appear at her apartment. After a very short introduction to the mechanics of the glove, it isn’t seen again. Though this doesn’t give readers much to go on, it does provide some interesting insights into the creation, especially given the nature of the person who is wielding it.
For one, the glove runs off of multiple types of Kryptonite which have been fashioned into claws. These apparently have various effects on other, non-Kryptonian metahumans. Though the exact rationale is not known, the gauntlet appears responsible for sending Silver Banshee on a rampage through the streets of Metropolis. It’s certainly not a one-for-one transfer from Marvel’s gauntlet, but the resemblance is more than passing.
Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet is a Lot Like DC’s
It’s important to note that the powers of the glove introduced in Superman #4 will doubtlessly be less extensive than the true Infinity Gauntlet. In Marvel continuity, the stones combined to give Thanos godlike powers necessitating the combined efforts of Marvel’s heroes led by the massive powerhouse, Adam Warlock. Though Thanos’ unlimited power and universe-spanning Genocide are more grand than will likely come from DC’s version, a conflict between heroes and villains is highly likely. If it can make a recovering villain go on a rampage, there is no telling what it will do in the conflicted and fragile Metropolis in Superman #4.
It’s difficult to say much about what will ultimately happen, but this run has proven to be full of twists for the Man of Steel. What’s more, with a villain worse than Lex Luthor on the loose with multiple types of Kryptonite and no qualms about using them, Superman may be in for the fight of his life.