Infinity Gauntlet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Infinity Gauntlet is among the most powerful artifacts in the Marvel Universe. The Gauntlet consists of the six Infinity Gems mounted on a gold glove. Each Infinity Gem grants its bearer complete mastery over one aspect of the Universe:
With possession of all six Infinity Gems, the bearer would have complete omnipotence over the Universe, though not necessarily the omniscience required to effectively wield that power. Later comics added the existence of a seventh gem called the Ego Gem. Only one being, the omnipotent Living Tribunal, have ever been shown as more than a match for the Gauntlet's power having twice stopped the gems from working in unison and even reversing an action that Adam Warlock performed as "God." However, Adam Warlock once speculated that if Eternity had ever managed to gain the Infinity Gauntlet, then "...his attitude towards the Living Tribunal might change."
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[edit] The Thanos Quest
The Thanos Quest is a two-issue limited series, written by Jim Starlin, containing the first appearance of the Infinity Gauntlet. In the Thanos Quest, Thanos stole the six Infinity Gems from the Elders of the Universe that guarded the gems. At the end of the story, Thanos assembled the Gems into the Infinity Gauntlet, becoming the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe.
[edit] The Infinity Gauntlet limited series
The Infinity Gauntlet is a six-issue limited series, written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Perez and Ron Lim, and published by Marvel Comics group in 1991. In the series, Thanos uses his new power to kill half of the living beings in the Universe in an attempt to please Death. In response, many of the most powerful superheroes unite to battle Thanos for control over the Gauntlet and the Universe. Fortunately, Thanos is finally defeated by Adam Warlock, and Warlock himself becomes temporary wielder of the Gauntlet and its power. In the aftermath, the Living Tribunal decides that the Infinity Gauntlet is too powerful an item in the hands of Adam Warlock, who is clearly not of a sound mind (due to his decision to expel both Good and Evil from his being in order to become a "perfect" God) and unable to handle the powers granted by the Infinity Gauntlet: he acts violently against the court of the Living Tribunal, behaving unfit for one in his station. Therefore, the Living Tribunal uses their powers to make the gems unable to function together, preventing anyone from achieving omnipotence by possessing all of the Gems, and the Infinity Gems are once again separated and given to six different bearers, forming the new Infinity Watch. (It is revealed within the pages of the series Warlock and the Infinity Watch that the Living Tribunal has command of even more power than the wielder of the Infinity Gauntlet; he reverses one of Adam Warlock's godly outbursts with but a thought; earlier, in The Infinity Gauntlet, the Tribunal implied that the only reason that he didn't interfere with Thanos' possession of the Gauntlet was because Thanos didn't seek to upset the Universal Balance.)
The Infinity Gauntlet series was interwoven into the normal Marvel universe in a massive crossover and the resulting catastrophes had massive ramifications on the Marvel universe as a whole, with the events of the series being directly continued in the ongoing series Warlock and the Infinity Watch and the limited series/crossover event The Infinity War. Events in The Infinity Gauntlet also affected other ongoing Marvel series at the time, including Silver Surfer vol. 3 issues 54-59, and The Avengers vol. 1.
- What If...? appearances:
- "What If Thanos Changed Galactus Into A Human Being?" (What If...? #34)
- "What If The Silver Surfer Had The Infinity Gauntlet?" (What If...? #49);
- "What If The Impossible Man Gained The Infinity Gauntlet?" (What If...? #104)
[edit] Marvel Super Heroes
Capcom, in 1995 released a fighting game (a follow-up to X-Men: Children of the Atom) based loosely on the events of the Infinity Gauntlet storyline titled Marvel Super Heroes, with a variety of heroes and villains battling each other for control of the Infinity Gems. All six gems were featured in the game and could be collected and used during a match. Thanos, the last boss, wields the Infinity Gauntlet during the final battle, with Doctor Doom appearing as his sub-boss.
The playable characters were: Blackheart, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Juggernaut, Magneto, Psylocke, Shuma-Gorath, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Anita (Darkstalkers). Thanos and Doom are unlockable later. Thanos had constant access to the six gems for his finishing moves, which involved effects unique to the character.
Upon beating Thanos you were treated to that character's ending which showed what he/she did after gaining the power of the Gauntlet. Notable ones include Magneto creating Avalon, Shuma-Gorath destroying the universe, and Adam Warlock making an appearance in Juggernaut's ending.
Capcom also released a side-scrolling platformer for the SNES which was based on the Infinity Gauntlet storyline known as Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems. This game shared the same gameplay as X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse, and like in that game only five characters are playable, all of them heroes: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Hulk and Iron Man.
[edit] Trading Card Games
The infinity Gauntlet has appeared in two Trading Card Games that Marvel has released to date. The first was Overpower which was released in the middle of 1995 by Fleer. The gameplay of Overpower required each player to pick a set of 7 'mission cards.' One of the missions included in the game was The Infinity Gauntlet. In September 2006, Upper Deck Entertainment released the Heralds of Galactus expansion set for its VS System TCG. This set, the 11th expansion since Marvel Origins was released in april 2004, includes cards themed around the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. Teams included in this set are: The Heralds of Galactus, Inhumans, Kree, the Infinity Watch and re-features of the Doom and the Skrull teams. The Infinity Gauntlet is a featured equipment card in the game and was the first of 2 equipment cards to have a printed cost greater than 2.
