Marvel’s New Infinity Stones Are Its Version of Green Lantern Rings

Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers Tech-On #5!

Marvel’s new Infinity Stones are officially the company’s answer to DC’s Green Lantern rings, in more ways than one. The Infinity Stones have seen a massive resurgence in popularity as of late, especially in the wake of 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, one of the more successful films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in Avengers Tech-On #5, the company insists the new Infinity Stones work exactly like the weapons of Hal Jordan, John Stewart and the other members of the Green Lantern Corps.

In Avengers Tech-On, the Infinity Stones are still a terrible threat to the universe, even after their destruction. The Red Skull has harnessed the power of the dust of the Infinity Stones, calling them Infinite Mirror Shards (IMS for short). With a snap of his fingers, the Red Skull neutralizes the superpowers of every hero on Earth (including mutants and Inhumans). Tony Stark thus constructs mechanized suits for his fellow Avengers – but with a catch.

The suits are also powered by IMS energy. This is what allows Stark’s suits to replicate the powers of each Avenger (even stabilizing Wolverine’s health; the mutant was suffering from acute adamantium poisoning without his healing factor). The team can use this energy in various ways, including engaging a powered-up mode that can last for roughly ten minutes before powering down the suit completely (it’s quite a risky move as a result). Unfortunately, IMS energy isn’t completely understood, so while the Avengers are out on a mission, Black Panther and Princess Shuri research the effects of the suits on every Avenger. She reveals the command to activate the super-mode of the suit, Do-Hatsu 10, came from T’Challa’s amygdala – a part of the human brain that controls emotional responses such as desire.

“In simple terms,” Shuri explains “whoever has the greatest desire controls the power.” This is also how the Power Rings of the Green Lantern Corps operate: by channeling the user’s willpower. The ring does have limits – it must be recharged every 24 hours and constructs do not last forever – but the Infinite Mirror Shards, born of the Infinity Stones, have no such limits. It appears the Infinite Mirror Shards have also inherited the rings’s weaknesses as well; T’Challa mentions that the Red Skull’s confidence could be shaken as a method to defeat him.

The conversation appears to foreshadow a confrontation between the Red Skull and one with superior willpower and confidence. This would almost certainly be Captain America, who has fought the Skull and his armies before without faltering or even thinking of retreating. One wonders what Captain America would be able to achieve with the power of the Infinity Stones focused through his sheer willpower – the willpower befitting of a Green Lantern.