Infinity Stones became the central McGuffin that united the various films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 1 through 3 in what would be known as the central part of the iconic Infinity Saga. The first stone makes a small appearance in the end credits of Thor before being featured in Captain America: The First Avenger and would later become the primary plot device of The Avengers. Yet originally it was intended as the Cosmic Cube, but following the release of Thor: The Dark World it was retconned to being an Infinity Stone which laid the groundwork for the rest of the franchise.

The presence of the Infinity Stones also meant that fans knew this would lead to the arrival of Thanos and an adaptation of the popular comic book event storyline The Infinity Gauntlet, which saw Thanos wield the six stones to wipe out half the universe. As the Infinity Saga went on various films introduced a new stone, setting up the pieces strategically for a universe to be united to stop this threat. This all culminated in the two-part Avengers story Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It is hard to believe that this was not even part of Marvel's plan originally.

Updated October 28th, 2022: This article has been updated with additional information regarding the Infinity Stones to keep up to date with recent developments in the MCU.

After Avengers: Endgame, the stones in the MCU timeline were destroyed, and the ones used to bring everyone back were returned to their respective realities. The Loki series shocked the audience with its revelation that the TVA employees store the Infinity Stones as powerless junk in their office drawers. A disheartening reminder of one man's junk being another man's treasure; one universe's catastrophe is another's paperweight. With the next phase of the MCU now focused on the Multiverse, the Infinity Stones seem to be far in the past, but they were such an important part in laying the groundwork for the overall connected Marvel Cinematic Universe plot. Let's have a look at all the Infinity Stones, their powers, and how they rank against one another.

6 Space Stone

The first Infinity Stone introduced in the MCU is the Space Stone. Same as the other Infinity Stones, Space Stone is one of the six remnants of singularities that predate the creation of the universe. In the earlier years of the MCU timeline, the Space Stone was housed inside the Tesseract. During the Second World War, Johann Schmidt of HYDRA (better known as Red Skull) sought the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger to create powerful machinery for the Nazi army but failed as it banished him to Vormir to look over the Soul Stone.

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The Space Stone found itself in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D. after World War II and Mar-Vell of the Kree Empire used the stone in Captain Marvel to create her hyperspeed engine to help the Skrulls find a new home. And, last but not least, Loki of Asgard used the Tesseract to open multiple portals and let Thanos' army to Earth to destroy the Avengers in the Battle of New York. The Space Stone's ability to transport individuals or entire armies across the galaxy, as well as the ability to harness it to create fuel sources for weapons, makes it a versatile power source.

5 Soul Stone

The only reason why we put the Soul Stone in fifth place is that we don't really know that much about its powers. Ever since 1945, it was kept in Vormir under the protection of Red Skull. You have to sacrifice someone that you genuinely love in order to obtain the stone — "A soul for a Soul," says the Red Skull. The Soul Stone was first acquired by Thanos in Infinity War after he sacrificed his daughter Gamora. Later, when the Avengers planned the Time Heist to save the whole universe, Black Widow sacrificed herself for the greater good so that Hawkeye could go back in time with the obtained Soul Stone.

There are many theories about the stone and others' knowledge of it. Even though it is said to be one of the most dangerous among the other stones because of the sacrifice, we haven't really seen any proof of its power. This is because the Soul Stone was the only Infinity Stone that wasn't featured in an MCU movie prior to Infinity War.

4 Reality Stone

The Reality Stone has had an interesting journey. Unlike the other stones which are solid, the Reality Stone is liquid and referred to as the Aether. One of the first creatures that wanted to acquire it were the Dark Elves and their leader Malekith, who wanted to revert time back to its primordial darkness. In Thor: The Dark World, Jane Foster accidentally absorbed the Aether, which made her the target and created yet another conflict between the Asgardians and The Dark Elves. After Thor won the war, the Aether was entrusted into the hands of The Collector on the planet of Knowhere, where it was later acquired by Thanos and used to wipe out half the population of the universe.

According to a CBR theory, many argue that Wanda Maximoff's powers are more reminiscent of the Reality Stone than the Mind Stone since she technically manipulated reality in WandaVision and her magic was red like the Reality Stone, yet this was later revealed to her being the Scarlet Witch. The Reality Stone grants you absolute power over reality, creating life-like illusions and even altering the molecular structure of an individual like when Thanos turned Drax into blocks and Mantis into string.

3 Mind Stone

The Mind Stone was the first Stone that Thanos had owned, and he put it inside the Scepter he gave to Loki to lead the Chitauri Invasion. Instead of going into the hands of Avengers after the war, the Stone was confiscated by HYDRA and used for experimentation, resulting in the creation of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, though it was later retconned that the stone only unlocked power that already existed inside Wanda. Analyzing the scepter resulted in the creation of Ultron, who then attempted to use The Mind Stone to create a new body before The Avengers recovered it and created Vision.

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As you may have guessed, the Mind Stone grants the ability to control the minds of others to whoever possesses it. Dr. Selvig and S.H.I.E.L.D agents were mind-controlled by the Mind Stone in the scepter given to Loki by Thanos in The Avengers. Dr. Cho was later mind-controlled and helped Ultron with his plans in Age of Ultron. It also seemed to influence the Avenger's disdain for one another early on in The Avengers, as they are all fighting with one another while it is glowing in the room. It also increases the intelligence and knowledge of whoever possesses it, granting Vision both high intellect and also the ability to sense the other stones as it starts to warn him about Thanos' quest to retrieve them all.

2 Time Stone

The Time Stone was contained in the Eye of Agamotto and protected by the Masters of Mystic Arts. In the MCU it was first seen in the possession of The Ancient One and later Doctor Strange, who used it to defeat Dormammu. The stone grants one the mastery of time, however, if wielded incorrectly could also lead to branches in the timeline and paradoxes. Doctor Strange kept it in his possession and even used it to glimpse into multiple realities to determine how to defeat Thanos. This ultimately leads him to willingly give the stone to Thanos in exchange for Iron Man's life.

Thanos used it to resurrect Vision to retrieve the Mind Stone and wipe out half the universe's population. This essentially gives the wielder of The Time Stone some form of resurrection if so needed. Having absolute control over time makes it one of the most powerful artifacts in existence, particularly now with the arrival of a supervillain like Kang the Conqueror who is a master of time travel and alternate dimensions.

1 Power Stone

The Power Stone was first used by Eson The Searcher until it was contained by the Orb and hidden on Morag. Thanos knew about its whereabouts and employed Ronan the Accuser to retrieve it for him. But, before he got there, Star-Lord got his hands on it and later used it to destroy Ronan with the help of the other Guardians of the Galaxy. It was given to Nova Corps for safekeeping until Thanos attacked the capital of Xandar to retrieve the stone.

The Power Stone allows its users to access and manipulate all forms of energy as well as enhance their own physical strength and durability. It also enhances the power of the other stones, making it fitting that it is the first stone Thanos would go after. With it in his possession, he is easily able to lay waste to Thor and doesn't even use it in his fight with the Hulk. He uses it to create a destructive blast that destroys the Asgardian's escape vessel. With the ability to wipe out an entire planet if needed and the combined strength of the Guardians of the Galaxy just to physically hold it, this makes the Power Stone the most dangerous stone. Plus, it's in the name.