Thanos’ Original Infinity Stone Plan Proves the Gauntlet is Essential

The Mad Titan Thanos is one of the most prominent and powerful villains for the Avengers and the Marvel Universe as a whole. Of all the powers and doomsday devices he has obtained over his comic book history, Thanos is best known for using the Infinity Gauntlet to efficiently wield all six of the Infinity Stones. This cosmic item proved to be a much better way for Thanos to use the Stones, especially after his first attempt to use them ended in disaster and resulted in his defeat.

The classic 1991 crossover Infinity Gauntlet sees Thanos effortlessly wipe out half of all life in the universe after snapping his gauntlet-clad fingers. Unlike his first Infinity Stone quest, he is in active possession of each one of the stones in this story. In 1977’s Avengers Annual Vol 1 #7  by Jim Starlin, Thanos collects the Stones (called Soul Gems at the time) for the first time and combines them into one large gem. He then uses this Gem to power a machine with a much simpler goal: to destroy the sun. The heroes manage to separate Thanos from his device and destroy it, and Thanos is powerless to do anything other than retreat.

Thanos’ first try to use the Infinity Stones is a failure, but his second attempt is much more fruitful, in the genocidal sense. The reason for his success has to do with how the Stones are wielded. The sun-destroying machine requires the Stones simply as a power source, and once Thanos is separated from it, it is just a powerless device. The Infinity Gauntlet, on the other hand (pun intended), allows Thanos to use all of the Stones at once, or one at a time, without the need to sacrifice the entire use of a hand. Also, as shown in the MCU’s Avengers: Infinity War, it is much more difficult to pull a glove off one’s hand than it is to detach their entire person from a machine.

It is also worth noting that Thanos’ original device is only capable of concentrating the Stones’ power into a single, powerful beam. This just puts a limit on their supposedly limitless power. The Gauntlet comes equipped with convenient slots for each Stone, enabling the user to activate just one of their abilities, or combine their powers in any number of ways. Mastery over the six universal concepts is much more effective than a simple, star-destroying beam.

Thanos’ original plan might have been a failure, but it does at least prove why having the Gauntlet is essential. The Infinity Gauntlet is easier to wield, harder to take away, and broadens the use of the Infinity Stones’ powers and capabilities. Without it, Thanos might not have been able to wipe out half of the universe and become the iconic villain he is today.

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