Infinity Stones

The **Infinity Stones** were six immensely powerful gem-like objects tied to different aspects of the universe, created by Creation. Each of the stones possesses unique capabilities that have been enhanced and altered by various alien civilizations for millennia.

Only beings of immense power can directly wield the Stones, such as Celestials, and the Mad Titan Thanos. Lesser beings would face dire consequences: Johann Schmidt was cursed to Vormir to guard the Soul Stone after touching an active Tesseract, Jane Foster became ill after being exposed to the Aether, Carina exploded when she touched the Power Stone; however, these effects can be reduced if a group is sharing the power among themselves. It is also possible to place an Infinity Stone (or multiple) inside a container to allow the user to wield the Stone's power without suffering the normal repercussions. Examples include the Space Stone inside the Tesseract, the Mind Stone inside the Scepter and later in Vision's forehead, the Power Stone inside the Orb, the Time Stone inside the Eye of Agamotto, the Reality Stone as the Aether, and all of the Infinity Stones housed in the Infinity Gauntlet.

When Thanos successfully collected all of them, he used their phenomenal powers to annihilate half of all living creatures in the universe. He later used the stones' power to reduce them to atoms, as to prevent his work from being undone and to keep himself or anyone else from abusing their power.

Two years later, the Avengers traveled back in time to retrieve the stones from alternate timelines in order to undo Thanos' act of mass genocide. After the Battle of Earth, Captain America returned the stones to their proper place in time to prevent any alternate branch timelines from forming.

## History

### Creation

*"Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots... Infinity Stones."*
―Collector
When Creation occurred, a byproduct of the event created concentrated crystals, and sent the six stones hurtling throughout the universe. Each stone represented a different aspect of the universe (Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, and Soul).

### Weapon of the Celestials

*"These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength. These carriers can use the stone to mow down entire civilizations like wheat in a field. Once, for a moment, a group was able to share the energy amongst themselves, but even they were quickly destroyed by it."*
―Collector
In the distant past, the Power Stone was used by the Celestials as a means of placing judgment upon worlds and their populaces, wiping out entire civilizations by touching its power on the planet's surface. However, the stone was just as dangerous to its handler as it was to the societies against which it was used, as its insufficiently powerful handlers were destroyed by its power.

### First Dark Elf Conflict

*"Sire, the Aether, shall we destroy it?"*
*"If only we could, but its power is too great. Bury it deep. Somewhere no one will ever find it."*
―Einherjar and Bor
Malekith, the king of the Dark Elves sought to use the Aether to revert the universe to its prior state of eternal darkness, recementing his kind as the most dominant race in the universe. They were opposed by the Asgardians under the command of their king, Bor, who fought a protracted war, eventually forcing the Dark Elves to retreat to their home world, Svartalfheim, where the final battle was fought. In one last, desperate move, Malekith dropped the Dark Elf air fleet onto the battlefield, wiping out scores of Asgardians and Dark Elves, including his wife and son. Malekith took advantage of the ensuing chaos to escape on the remaining ship, with his lietenant Algrim and several dozen other warriors, entering a state of hibernation until the time of the next Convergence, when Malekith intended to make another attempt at total conquest.

Believing the Dark Elves completely defeated, Bor was left to decide what was to be done with the Aether. Knowing it was too powerful to be destroyed, his ordered it buried deep enough that it could never be found again. The order was carried out, and the Aether remained untouched for 5,000 years.

### World War II

*"My weapons contain enough destructive power to decimate every hostile capital on Earth. Quite simply, gentlemen, I have harnessed the power of the gods."*
―Johann Schmidt
During World War II, Johann Schmidt became fascinated by tales of ancient mythical powers and decided to locate the Tesseract to discover its true power. In 1942, Schmidt invaded Tønsberg and found the Tesseract in a box hidden behind a sculptured mural of Yggdrasil, the world tree. Schmidt took the Tesseract back to HYDRA Headquarters to be experimented on by Arnim Zola. Schmidt and Zola were able to harness the Tesseract's power to create and fuel their weapons of war.

In March 1945, Schmidt intended to use the Tesseract-powered *Valkyrie* and its flying nuclear bombs to attack the United States of America. However, Schmidt was confronted by Captain America and the Howling Commandos who aimed to stop him. During the battle, Rogers damaged the machine that was using the Tesseract to power the *Valkyrie*. Angered, Schmidt physically handled the Tesseract, burning his hand. As punishment for abusing the power of an Infinity Stone for selfish gain, the Tesseract opened a portal leading to the far-off planet of Vormir and banished Schmidt to remain there.

With Schmidt believed dead, the Tesseract fell while burning through the floors of the *Valkyrie*, causing it to plunge into the sea below. Sometime later, it was recovered by Howard Stark, CEO of Stark Industries and a member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, who was attempting to locate his friend Captain America. Stark had the Tesseract locked away with the SSR where it was kept and studied for the next seventy years.

### Kree-Skrull War

*"Is that it? The core?"*
*"In her notes, she called it the Tesseract."*
―Maria Rambeau and Captain Marvel
Understanding that the Kree brought only misery to the Skrulls during the Kree-Skrull War, the Kree scientist, Mar-Vell, intended to help a group of Skrull refugees led by Talos, to find a new home away from Kree oppression. Mar-Vell impersonated as a human named Dr. Wendy Lawson and worked for the United States Air Force on Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. in order to harness the power of the Tesseract to develop a Light-Speed Engine. The pilots Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau were unknowingly testing the engine in test flights. At the time the Tesseract was stored on Mar-Vell's Laboratory, located in Earth's orbit.

One day, Mar-Vell and Danvers on a test flight of the Light-Speed Engine were attacked by Starforce and shot-down. The two crashed and Mar-Vell revealed herself to Danvers as a Kree and her motives with the engine and urged her to not let the Kree acquire it. Mar-Vell was shot and killed by Starforce commander, Yon-Rogg, who was then about to kill Danvers as well, but she shot the engine and destroyed it, creating an energy explosion. Danvers absorbed the Tesseract's energy during the explosion and gained superhuman abilities. Yon-Rogg then took her as Kree prisoner to Hala, erasing her memories in the process and giving her a blood transfusion.

After six years, when Danvers returned to Earth, she joined forces with Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. and learned the truth about the Kree-Skrull War from Talos after she regained some of her memories. Wanting to assist Talos' people, Danvers and Fury flew to Mar-Vell's laboratory to retrieve the Tesseract. When they found it and the Skrulls, the Starforce arrived and tried to take the Tesseract. Fury fled to Earth with the Skrulls and the Tesseract, which had been swallowed by the Flerken, Goose. Following Danvers' victory over the Kree, she left Earth with the Skrulls, letting Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. keep the Tesseract.

### Chitauri Invasion

*"I've seen worlds you've never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile! I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it..."*
*"Who showed you this power?"*
―Loki and Thor
In 2012, after his defeat at the hands of Thor, Loki came into contact with the alien race known as the Chitauri, and their master, Thanos, who had already been seeking the Tesseract. Loki promised to retrieve it from Earth and give it to Thanos in exchange for his army. Through manipulation of the Tesseract's energy, Thanos teleported Loki to the Tesseract's location at the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility.

Thanos also provided Loki with a Scepter containing the Mind Stone. Once Loki arrived on Earth, he found a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been experimenting with the Tesseract's power. Loki used the power of the Scepter to defeat them all, before putting Clint Barton, Erik Selvig, and several other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents under his complete control, ordering them to kill Nick Fury and steal the Tesseract for him. Selvig continued to experiment on the Tesseract in order to learn how to open a large sustainable portal.

When Loki was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., the Scepter fell into their hands and was experimented on by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. However, the Mind Stone's power proved more subtle and began to infect the Avengers personally, making them more doubtful and causing a large argument between them that only ended when Banner realized that he had been unwittingly made to pick up the Scepter. During the Attack on the Helicarrier, Loki regained the Scepter, which he used to murder Phil Coulson before escaping.

Selvig used the Tesseract and Stark Tower to create a portal above New York City which allowed Loki's army to pour through and attack, beginning the Chitauri Invasion. With hordes of Chitauri and Leviathans charging through the portal, only the Avengers stood in their way. Loki tried and failed to control Iron Man with the Scepter. Eventually, Black Widow was able to close the portal using the Scepter while Iron Man destroyed the Chitauri Command Center with an Atomic Bomb before Loki was captured by the team.

While Loki was taken back to Asgard with Thor to await punishment by their father Odin, the Tesseract was handed over to Thor to be kept away from the World Security Council. Thor and Loki used the cube to teleport themselves back to Asgard before Thor handed it over to Heimdall who used its power to rebuild the Bifrost Bridge, which had been destroyed during the Duel at the Rainbow Bridge, finally allowing Thor and the other Asgardians to be transported across the Nine Realms with ease once again.

### Second Dark Elf Conflict

*"The Asgardians will suffer as we have suffered. I will reclaim the Aether. I will restore our world. And I will put an end to this poisoned universe."*
―Malekith
As the Convergence began across the Nine Realms, Jane Foster accidentally discovered and became infected with the Aether, alerting the Dark Elves to its presence. Malekith waged war against Asgard, who were protecting Foster, to regain the Aether. Eventually Foster came to Svartalfheim where Malekith reclaimed the Aether and absorbed it.

Malekith took the Aether to Earth where he attempted to use its power to convert the entire universe into eternal darkness. Thor also returned to Earth where he confronted the leader of the Dark Elves. Malekith used the Aether to battle Thor across worlds during the Convergence until eventually, they became separated and Malekith unleashed the Aether's power. Thor and Erik Selvig were able to destroy Malekith before he could complete his plans.

The Aether was soon regained by Asgard who decided that it was too dangerous to keep two Infinity Stones so close together, so they kept the Tesseract where it was and decided to relocate the Aether. Eventually, Sif and Volstagg decided to hand the Aether over to Taneleer Tivan, who vowed to keep it safe within the Collector's Museum. However, once the Asgardians left, Tivan revealed his intent to locate the other five stones for his collection.

### HYDRA's Experiments

*"Little orphan Wanda got up close and personal with an Infinity Stone that amplified what, otherwise, would've died on the vine."*
―Agatha Harkness
While the Tesseract was taken to Asgard, the Scepter remained on Earth where it fell into the hands of HYDRA's leader Wolfgang von Strucker. In HYDRA's hands, Strucker and List began experimenting with giving normal humans gifts via the Scepter's power, and, in the process, killing everyone except for Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, who were granted incredible powers to be used for HYDRA's benefit in their war with S.H.I.E.L.D.

### Quest for the Orb

*"Yes, that was our agreement. Bring you the Orb, and you will destroy Xandar for me. However, now that I know it contains an Infinity Stone, I wonder what use I have for you."*
―Ronan the Accuser to Thanos
The Orb was hidden away inside Morag's deep Temple Vault where it was eventually located by Yondu Udonta's Ravagers. Before Udonta could claim it, however, Star-Lord found it and took it for himself, only to be almost immediately confronted by Korath the Pursuer who had been ordered to find it by Ronan the Accuser. During their ensuing confrontation, Star-Lord escaped with the Orb, despite being chased down by Korath's army of Sakaarans and becoming the target of Gamora, who had been sent by Thanos and Ronan to reclaim the Orb. The Nova Corps captured Star-Lord for his crimes and also took the Orb.

Star-Lord and Gamora made a deal, along with Rocket Raccoon, Groot and Drax the Destroyer to join forces to escape the Kyln and sell the Orb to the Collector. The plan worked out and eventually, the group made it to Knowhere where they were greeted by Carina and the Collector, who told them the full story of the Infinity Stones. Just before the Collector could buy the Orb, Carina touched the stone inside, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the Collector's Museum and forced them to escape.

As a result, the Orb was located by Ronan the Accuser, whose forces of Sakaarans led by Nebula managed to overpower Gamora and claim the Orb for themselves. Having learned that the Orb contained the Power Stone, however, Ronan chose not to hand it over to Thanos as he had agreed. Instead, he took its power for himself, planning to use it to destroy Xandar before attacking Thanos himself, while gaining the support of both Nebula and Korath the Pursuer in his plans.

Although Ronan the Accuser attempted to destroy Xandar with the Power Stone's incredible power, he was confronted by the Guardians of the Galaxy who were supported by the Ravagers and the Nova Corps. During the Battle of Xandar, Ronan's ship, the Dark Aster, was destroyed and he himself was killed when Star-Lord took the Power Stone's power. Gamora sealed the Stone back into the Orb and Star-Lord handed it over to the Nova Corps to be locked away for safety.

### Creating a Vision

*"I don't know what this is. Not really. I know it's not of this world, that it powered Loki's staff, gave you your abilities. But its true nature is a mystery and yet it is part of me."*
―Vision and Scarlet Witch
Having been held by Wolfgang von Strucker, the Scepter was eventually found by the Avengers and taken into the custody of Tony Stark, who decided to use it in his experiments to bring life to Ultron, who he planned to use to bring about a peaceful world with the help of Bruce Banner. However, the Mind Stone's power gave Ultron too much wisdom and gave him a vicious and bloodthirsty viewpoint of humanity itself, driving him to the point that he sought to destroy it completely.

During his war with the Avengers, Ultron stole the Scepter and used it, while combining the knowledge and resources of Helen Cho and the vibranium he had taken from Ulysses Klaue, to create a new and powerful body known as the Vision. The being was taken from him when the Avengers stole the Regeneration Cradle during the Battle of Seoul, leading to Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Thor granting the being life with the Mind Stone embedded in its skull.

The Vision viewed Ultron as a danger to Earth and decided to join the Avengers in fighting him. During the Battle of Sokovia, the Vision used the power of the Mind Stone against the overwhelming army of Ultron Sentries and combined its power with Iron Man and Thor's power to overpower and defeat Ultron, who could not match Vision's power. With the war won, Vision decided to join the Avengers and use his remarkable power to aid in the protection of Earth.

### Thor's Vision

*"The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. It's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us."*
―Thor
Thor went to the Water of Sights to see again the disturbing vision that Scarlet Witch had caused him to have during the Battle at the Salvage Yard. Garnering better details, Thor saw the Scepter relieved of its stone, the Aether, the Orb, and the Tesseract all lined up into a row. Thor then went to Avengers Tower and helped to bring Vision to life because he possessed the Mind Stone; Thor understood its relationship to the other Stones and how Vision could help in the final defeat of Ultron. Later, Thor related his knowledge that four of the Infinity Stones had been located.

### A Mystery

*"I wish to understand it. The more I do, the less it controls me. One day... who knows? I may even control it."*
―Vision
As they were talking at the New Avengers Facility, Vision explained to Wanda Maximoff that although he knew where the Mind Stone had come from, he did not know its true nature. He said to her that the more he understood it, the less it controlled him and someday he may control it. Later, during the Rescue of Wanda Maximoff, Maximoff used her powers to control the Mind Stone and push Vision many meters beneath the facility.

The next day, at the end of the Clash of the Avengers, War Machine asked Vision to disable Falcon's wings with the Stone. However, the beam Vision fired accidentally hit War Machine's Arc Reactor, causing him to crash onto the ground. At the hospital where James Rhodes was treated, Tony Stark approached Vision and asked him how it had happened. Vision answered that he had been distracted, which he did not know was possible.

### Attack on the Sanctums

*"Wise choice. You'll wear the Eye of Agamotto in time. Until then, best not to walk the streets with an Infinity Stone."*
―Wong to Doctor Strange
Having been stored within Kamar-Taj for safeguarding, the Eye of Agamotto was eventually discovered by Doctor Strange during his studies. Taking the Eye, Strange experimented with its power by creating a time loop in which he regrew an apple several times until he was discovered by Wong, who warned him to stop due to the risks of using such a powerful item. Strange kept the Eye with him during his battles against Kaecilius and the Zealots, not yet using its power.

When Strange and Karl Mordo traveled to Hong Kong to confront Kaecilius, they discovered that the Sanctum located there had already been destroyed and that Kaecilius and his Zealots were successful in their plan to bring Dormammu and the Dark Dimension to Earth. Strange then used the Eye's power to rebuild the Sanctum by reversing time. However, Kaecilius stopped him, almost allowing Dormammu to come to Earth, so Strange went into the Dark Dimension and used the Eye to trap Dormammu in a time loop.

Each time Doctor Strange was killed by Dormammu, time reversed until just before their confrontation, where Strange kept Dormammu prisoner, albeit at the cost of his suffering. Strange told Dormammu to end his assault and take his zealots with him in exchange for Strange breaking the loop. With the war over, Strange left the Eye in Kamar-Taj with Wong having confidence Strange could wield the Eye without abusing its power once he has mastered its powers. Until then, he cannot wear it in public. Strange would soon bear the title of Master of the Mystic Arts and did eventually earn the right to wear the Eye, as was seen during his meeting with Thor.

### Ragnarök

*"That's not bad."*
―Hela
When Hela was in Odin's Vault, she passed by the Tesseract and noted that it "[wasn't] bad," making it the only relic she was actually even remotely impressed by. Later, as Loki was about to summon up Surtur to cause Ragnarök, he passed by the Tesseract as well and took it so he could warp himself to the Statesman ship with Thor and the rest of the Asgardians before Asgard was obliterated.

### Infinity War

*"When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive."*
―Thanos
The Mad Titan, Thanos, brandished a gauntlet created to harness the power of the Infinity Stones, having decided to personally hunt for the Stones after having lost much of his resources in his failed alliances. Along with his children, the Black Order, he traveled to Xandar, decimating the Nova Corps and Empire to acquire the Power Stone while also massacring half of Xandar's population as part of his goal to wipe out half of the universe.

A week later, he attacked the Asgardian ship, the *Statesman*, killing half the population aboard (which was already dwindling in numbers due to Hela) and beating both Thor and Hulk almost to death. To stop the assault, Loki gave him the Tesseract, which Thanos shattered to reveal the Space Stone inside. Thanos then used the Space Stone to stop an attempted assassination from Loki, whom he killed and left aboard the exploding *Statesman* to continue his mission.

Upon arriving at Knowhere, Thanos confronted the Collector for the Reality Stone and was able to get it from him. Thanos used the Reality Stone to deceive the Guardians of the Galaxy and trick and capture his daughter, Gamora. Upon seeing her sister, Nebula, being tortured by their father, Gamora revealed the hidden location of the Soul Stone.

Together, Thanos and Gamora traveled to Vormir and confronted a wraith form of Red Skull who had been teleported to the planet over 70 years ago after his brief contact with the Tesseract. Red Skull revealed the Soul Stone could only appear after one sacrificed the thing they loved most, claiming it was a trading of souls. A heartbroken Thanos tearfully threw his daughter over the cliff and she fell to her death. After a blinding light, Thanos awoke with the stone in his hand, which he added to the gauntlet.

Meanwhile, Doctor Strange had continued to defend the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto and placed a spell on the necklace to protect it. After a conflict with Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw, Doctor Strange was captured and taken aboard their ship where he was tortured by Maw until he was rescued by Iron Man and Spider-Man. The trio then traveled to Thanos' homeworld, Titan, and met with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

After a lengthy battle with Thanos, in which the power of the Infinity Stones proved crucial for Thanos' victory, the group was defeated and Strange was forced to relinquish the Time Stone to Thanos in order to save Iron Man's life. Thanos then used the gauntlet to teleport to Wakanda where, after being severely injured by Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, Vision and the Mind Stone were located.

At the Battle of Wakanda, Thanos used the Infinity Stones' powers to effortlessly overpower every single hero that opposed him. Scarlet Witch was forced to destroy the Mind Stone and Vision as she held back Thanos. After briefly attempting to comfort Scarlet Witch for her grief, Thanos used the Time Stone to restore Vision by reversing the explosion.

After ripping the Stone from his head, Vision died once again and Thanos finally completed the Infinity Gauntlet. Thor, with his new weapon Stormbreaker, attacked Thanos with one powerful hurl of the enormous battle axe, inflicting a near-fatal injury on the Titan. Not to be deterred, however, Thanos mocked Thor before completing his goal and snapping his fingers. Immediately after, Thanos used the damaged gauntlet to simultaneously heal himself from the battle wound and teleport to safety, having succeeded in his mission.

A few moments later, half the population of the universe began to disintegrate. Bucky Barnes, T'Challa, Groot, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, Mantis, Drax, Peter Quill, Stephen Strange and Peter Parker all suffered this fate along with Maria Hill, Nick Fury, Sif, Betty Ross, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and Hope van Dyne, as well as Laura Barton, Cooper Barton, Lila Barton, and Nathaniel Barton. Thanos reappeared on a quiet forested planet. His arm was still scarred from the snap, but all of his other wounds had fully healed and he satisfactorily gazed at the sunrise with a smile on his face, still having the completed Gauntlet, although still showing signs of remorse over Gamora's death.

### Ambush on Thanos

*"Where are they?"*
*"Answer the question!"*
*"The universe required correction. After that, the stones served no purpose, beyond temptation."*
―Captain America, Captain Marvel and Thanos
Three weeks after snapping his fingers and erasing half the population of the universe, Thanos once again used the power of the Infinity Stones, alerting the Avengers. Quickly mobilizing, the Avengers, along with Captain Marvel, Rocket Raccoon, and Nebula, journeyed to Planet 0259-S to confront the titan. After doing recon, Captain Marvel, War Machine, and Bruce Banner attacked Thanos, restraining him. Thor then amputated Thanos' left arm, which revealed that the gauntlet no longer had the Infinity Stones. Thanos tells them that he had used the stones to reduce themselves to the atomic level to prevent them from being used again, which caused him extensive injuries. Thor angrily decapitated Thanos, killing the Mad Titan.

### Time Heist

*"The stones are in the past. We can go back and get them.""We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everyone back."*
―Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff
Two years later, all the Avengers convened at the facility and brainstormed the locations of the Infinity Stones in the past in order to use them to bring everyone back. Rocket Raccoon shared that Peter Quill had found the Power Stone on Morag. Nebula provided that Thanos had gone to Vormir with Gamora to acquire the Soul Stone. Thor shared his story when he encountered the Reality Stone. While talking about where Doctor Strange lived, Black Widow realized that the Time, Mind, and Space Stones were all in New York at a very specific point. The Avengers suited up and began their mission in three teams.

Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Hulk appeared at the Battle of New York and split up. Iron Man, Captain America, and Ant-Man grabbed the Scepter, holding the Mind Stone. However, they ultimately lost the Space Stone as Loki grabbed the Tesseract and teleported away.

Hulk approached the Ancient One, who explained he was five years too early to consult with Doctor Strange. The two had a lengthy discussion where the Ancient One said taking an Infinity Stone from the past would create an alternate doomed reality. Swearing to return the stone to the moment they took it from, Hulk explained that Strange had handed over the Time Stone to Thanos, much to the Ancient One's astonishment. Carefully removing the Time Stone from the Eye of Agamotto, she stated he must have had his reason in doing so.

Appearing on Asgard in the year 2013, Rocket and Thor made their way to Jane Foster, who was infected with the Aether. Thor found it too difficult to continue forward and ran away. Rocket acquired the Reality Stone, while Thor had an emotional talk with his mother, Frigga, who realized that he was from the future. The two had an emotional goodbye before Thor called Mjølnir to himself and traveled back to the present.

Traveling to Morag in the year 2014, Nebula and War Machine, waited for Peter Quill to arrive, while Hawkeye and Black Widow flew to Vormir. After knocking Quill out, Nebula retrieved the Orb and handed it to Rhodey who traveled back to 2020. Nebula, however, began unwillingly interfacing with her 2014 self. Thanos became aware of their plan and captured the present Nebula and had the two trade places.

Arriving on Vormir, Red Skull appeared to Hawkeye and Black Widow, saying that only one of them could leave with the stone, while the other one had to sacrifice themselves for it. After engaging in a brief combat, due to their disagreement over who should be the sacrifice, Hawkeye jumped off the cliff but was tackled by Black Widow. The two clung to the cliff before a Black Widow released herself from Hawkeye's grip, falling to her death. With the sacrifice fulfilled, Hawkeye awoke with the Soul Stone in his hand.

Tracking the Tesseract to 1970, Iron Man and Captain America traveled to Camp Lehigh and acquired the Space Stone and more Pym Particles. Iron Man had a lengthy conversation with his father, and finally received a proper goodbye, even though Howard was unaware of who he was. The two traveled back to 2020 and rejoined the other Avengers. Hawkeye revealed that Black Widow had sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone, and the Avengers mourned her, then got to work creating a new Infinity Gauntlet.

### Blip

*"Alright, the glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freakin' fingers?"*
―Rocket Raccoon
Using Stark tech to create a new gauntlet, Rocket, Iron Man and Hulk inserted the six Infinity Stones into the weapon. A small debate broke out on who should wield the gauntlet. Meanwhile, 2014 Nebula, who had infiltrated the Avengers, created a time gateway to the 2014 *Sanctuary II* which emerged in 2020 and destroyed the Quantum Tunnel.

Eventually, the Hulk put on the gauntlet, which caused him incredible pain. Slowly raising his arm, Hulk snapped his fingers and undid the damage done by Thanos two years ago. Immediately, birds flew onto trees outside the New Avengers Facility pleasing Ant-Man, and Hawkeye received a phone call from his now resurrected wife. Before the Avengers could celebrate, the *Sanctuary II* rained down missiles on the New Avengers Facility.

### Battle of Earth

*"I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then, with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, but knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given."*
―Thanos
Separated by the attack, Hawkeye and Armory found themselves in the access tunnels, along with the Nano Gauntlet. After discovering a horde of Outriders, Hawkeye protected the Gauntlet as they ran from the aliens. Once they were safe from them, the 2014 Nebula tricked Hawkeye to give her the Gauntlet. However, after being killed by her present self, Hawkeye picked up the Gauntlet and continued to protect the Infinity Stones.

When Hawkeye joined the battle outside, Captain America told him to get the Infinity Stones as far away from Thanos as possible, but Hulk told them that they needed to return the stones to their time. Passing the gauntlet from Black Panther to Spider-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp went to Luis' Van which had a quantum tunnel that could return the Infinity Stones to their correct times. Captain Marvel took the gauntlet from Spider-Man and made her way toward the tunnel. Thanos, however, threw his sword at the tunnel, destroying it.

Captain Marvel, Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man tried to prevent Thanos from grabbing the gauntlet but failed. Captain Marvel was unfazed by Thanos' attacks and stopped him from snapping his fingers again. Removing the Power Stone, Thanos blasted Captain Marvel away and once again prepared to decimate the universe only to once again be stopped, this time by Iron Man. Thanos threw Iron Man aside and snapped his fingers, stating that he was inevitable. When nothing happened, however, Thanos looked to Iron Man who had created his own gauntlet with nanotech and brandished the stones himself. As Tony stated his alias as Iron Man, he snapped his fingers. This action then resulted in Thanos and his entire army disintegrating.

Following Iron Man's funeral, Captain America, with Hulk's help, went back in time and returned the stones to their proper timelines before settling down with Peggy Carter in the 1940s. After he had grown old, he returned to the main timeline and handed Falcon his shield.