MCU Makes Its Infinity Stones Confusion Even Worse (By Trying To Fix It)

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If…? episode 9.

Marvel’s What If…? tried to fix the confusing rules for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Stones, but it just made things worse. In What If…? episode 9, the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) enacts a plan to take down Ultron (Ross Marquand) and save the Multiverse. To do so, he gathers the various MCU heroes shown throughout What If…?. This team of heroes, a.k.a. the Guardians of the Multiverse, includes Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), T’Challa’s Star-Lord (Chadwick Boseman), Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams), Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and the evil Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). In the end, the heroes successfully separated Ultron from the Infinity Stones, thus saving the Multiverse.

Recently, the MCU seemed to show the Infinity Stones weren’t as powerful as previously thought. Though Thanos (Josh Brolin) uses the stones to destroy half of all life in the universe, the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) explains in Avengers: Endgame that the Infinity Stones regulate the flow of time in their specific timelines. Loki built upon that line, showing a drawer full of useless Infinity Stones at the Time Variance Authority. The moment seemed to confirm a rule in Marvel’s comics, showing the Infinity Stones don’t retain their power outside of their dimension of origin.

What If…? makes the Infinity Stones’ rules more muddled. At first, What If…? seems to ignore the rules in Marvel’s comics and Loki, making the Infinity Stones infinitely powerful again. Ultron even eats a galaxy while powered by the stones. However, the finale changes things. The Guardians of the Multiverse try to destroy the stones with an Infinity Stone crusher, but it doesn’t work. Ultron explains that’s because the stones are actually different in each universe. But if that’s the case, why can Ultron use the stones across multiple universes? What If…? Head Writer A.C. Bradley explained things further on Twitter, saying Ultron was using the Infinity Stones to power himself, and he was punching across universes, which created a “messy universe soup.”

At the very least, the rules for the Infinity Stones are incredibly confusing. Though Ultron says the Infinity Stones are different in each universe, he clearly uses them across multiple realities in What If…?. The MCU seems to want to use Ultron’s line to explain away plot holes and oddities with the Infinity Stones. After all, if they’re different in other realities, that could explain why they acted differently in other shows and movies. But the line just creates more confusion. It also doesn’t truly explain why the Infinity Crusher didn’t destroy Ultron’s Infinity Stones. At this point, there’s no simple or clear explanation for the Infinity Stones.

Of course, there’s a reason for some confusion. Bradley explained on The GOAT Podcast that the creators behind What If…? were making the series before Marvel finished the Loki scripts. Because of that, not everything in the series may strictly follow what happens in Loki. Also, with the Multiverse, Marvel constantly has the excuse that there are infinite possibilities. Unfortunately, that means the MCU can pick and choose rules whenever it wants. However, because of the Multiverse, Marvel still has the opportunity to clear things up in the future. Until then, as Ultron says in Marvel’s What If…? episode 8, “anything is possible in a Multiverse.”

About The Author

Bill Bradley
(524 Articles Published)

Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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