Able to channel the power of the Infinity Stones and give a single user complete control over them, the Infinity Gauntlet has been the desire of many in the Marvel Universe. Thanos' quest to destroy the entire universe through the Gauntlet's might was narrowly stopped by Adam Warlock, who himself took possession of the Stones.
When placed on trial by the very beings who had supported him in the conflict, Adam Warlock is tasked with dividing the Infinity Stones among others he deems fit to protect their incredible powers, giving birth to the Infinity Watch.
Adam Warlock
Artificially created by Enclave scientists in their mountain stronghold known as the Beehive, Adam Warlock was the group's best attempt at creating the perfect human. Upon his escape from the Beehive, without a name or any life experience whatsoever, Adam Warlock would come into conflict with Thor and retreat into a cocoon after being beaten nearly to death by the God of Thunder. The High Evolutionary would find and rename Adam Warlock, as well as guiding his development up to a point. His adventures would see him become Counter-Earth's first superhero before returning to the primary Marvel Universe and becoming embroiled in interstellar epics. He stayed in possession of the Soul Gem, with which he already had a special connection, while acting as the leader of the Infinity Watch.
Drax
Once the happy family man known as Arthur Douglas, Drax the Destroyer's origins lie with Thanos' own cruelty. When Thanos killed Arthur along with his family, the Mad Titan's own father enlisted the aid of Kronos to place Arthur's consciousness inside of an artificial body the two created together, giving birth to a living weapon designed specifically to kill Thanos at any cost. As a member of the Infinity Watch, Drax was tasked with keeping the Power Gem safe, which he did by accidentally ingesting it.
Gamora
Gamora grew up under the care of Thanos after she was left the sole survivor of her people, all slaughtered by a mad church who worshipped the Magus. Surprisingly, she developed a close connection to Adam Warlock even knowing that the Magus was a version of him from the future, and their bond played a large part in him leaving the Time Gem in her possession. While she never intended to use the abilities that she had at her disposal, she would occasionally experience visions of the future as long as she was the guardian of the powerful artifact.
Maxam
Hailing from a future where the Magus had conquered the universe entirely, Maxam was chosen to travel backward in time and slay Adam Warlock before he could ever emerge from his cocoon. Unfortunately, the trip caused him to suffer from severe amnesia, and when he washed up on the shores of Infinity Watch's home base, they took him in as one of their own. Gamora was never trusting of Maxam, and when she quit the team, he took possession of the Time Gem. This repaired his fractured memories, leading Maxam to attack Warlock in a bid to complete his original mission. After Moondragon provided the illusion that he had successfully assassinated the future Magus, Maxam returned to his own timeline.
Moondragon
Heather, the daughter of Arthur Douglas, was discovered by Thanos' father, Mentor, after the Mad Titan killed the rest of her family. From that point on, she would be raised by monks on Mentor and Thanos' homeworld of Titan, unlocking her latent mental abilities and coming into her own as a powerful psychic. When Thanos destroyed the monastery where she had grown up, Heather, now known as Moondragon, escaped to Earth where she would help guide the Avengers in their first encounter with Thanos. As a member of the Infinity Watch, Moondragon was made guardian of the Mind Gem.
Pip the Troll
Born into nobility on the alien world of Laxidazia, Pip Gofern woke up from a long night of drinking with trolls to discover that he had been transformed into one himself, causing him to be exiled as a degenerate among his people. When the Magus came to his planet, an order to execute all trolls was given, and Pip found himself drawn into a daring escape alongside Adam Warlock. During his time with Infinity Watch, Pip was tasked with guarding the Space Gem.
Thanos
Thanos' Deviant Syndrome drove his mother to try and kill him the first time she laid eyes on her own child. In his youth, Thanos became a serial killer, slaughtering innocents in a vain attempt to find an answer to his own condition, including his own mother. Undoubtedly one of the cruelest and ambitious figures in the Marvel Universe, Thanos sought to use the Infinity Gauntlet to end all life in the universe in the pursuit of Death herself. When Adam Warlock chose a guardian for the Reality Gem, he chose Thanos, who had become disillusioned with the Gauntlet's power after having wielded it, and knew the Stone he'd been given was impossible to control on its own.