On April 27, the moment Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been waiting for since Thanos first appeared in the mid-credits scene of 2012’s The Avengers will finally arrive, as Avengers: Infinity War assembles its way into theaters nationwide.
To say this has been an ambitious endeavor would be an understatement because, for the better part of nearly 20 films, Marvel Studios has been planting seeds in the form of the Infinity Stones. These, of course, will ultimately draw the Mad Titan to Earth and place him in direct conflict with the heroes we’ve grown to know and love over the past decade.
But just where are all six of the MCU’s Infinity Stones right now?
Follow along with us as we pinpoint their various locations in the lead-up to Avengers: Infinity War:
Space Stone
Vessel: The Tesseract
Appearances: Iron Man 2 (drawing), Thor (post-credits scene), Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World (mentioned), Guardiansof the Galaxy (hologram), Avengers: Age of Ultron (vision), Thor: Ragnarok
Serving as the MacGuffin in both Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers, the Tesseract is a crystal cube that houses the incredibly powerful Space Stone, which draws cosmic energy from space and acts as an unlimited source of power. During World War II, it came into the possession of Johann Schmidt, aka the Red Skull, but when he was defeated by Cap, it ended up in the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.
However, while searching for Cap, the Tesseract was discovered by Howard Stark, who released it into the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D. It would remain with them up until 2012 when Loki arrived on Earth and stole it in order to open a portal for his Chitauri army. After his defeat, though, Thor brought the Tesseract back with him to Asgard, and it was stored in Odin’s vault for safekeeping.
In fact, it was in Odin’s vault where it ended up back in Loki’s possession, as he caught a glimpse of it in Thor: Ragnarok and, as we’ve seen from the Infinity War trailers, once again claimed it for himself.
Power Stone
Vessel: The Orb
Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron (vision), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (mentioned)
Housed within the Orb is the Power Stone, which is capable of producing massive blasts of energy, as well as explosions and storms. It first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, shifting hands several times before ending up with Ronan the Accuser, who was tasked by Thanos to bring it to him. Rather than give it up, though, Ronan chose to harness its power and use it for himself, becoming even mightier than Thanos in the process.
Eventually, the Guardians were able to defeat Ronan and place the Power Stone back into the Orb. After containing it, the Power Stone was then placed into the protective custody of the Nova Corps, where it’s remained ever since.
Mind Stone
Vessel: Loki’s Scepter
Appearances: The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (mid-credits scene), Guardians of the Galaxy (hologram), Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War
Originally housed within the Scepter given to Loki by Thanos himself, the Mind Stone has the ability to give its wielder control over the minds of others, imbue them with powers, or even grant sentience. It, along with the Space Stone, was prominently featured in The Avengers but after Loki’s defeat and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s downfall, it ended up in the clutches of HYDRA.
After HYDRA used the Scepter to imbue Wanda and Pietro Maximoff with their powers, it was reclaimed by the Avengers and experimented on by Tony Stark, who used it to create Ultron. However, when that decision proved to be a disaster, the Stone, now extracted from the Scepter, was placed into the forehead of a synthezoid and paired with J.A.R.V.I.S. to form The Vision.
Presently, the Mind Stone still resides in The Vision’s head, which will surely spell trouble for him once Thanos arrives on Earth.
Reality Stone
Vessel: The Aether
Appearances: Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy (hologram), Avengers: Age of Ultron (illusion), Thor: Ragnarok (mentioned)
Unlike the other Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone, which is stored within the Aether, is actually a liquid, and it has the ability to bend the very laws of reality and physics and convert matter into dark matter. For years, it was in the possession of the Dark Elves before it was eventually intercepted by the Asgardians, who hid it away.
However, in 2013, a portal opened up Jane Foster, who happened to enter it, came into contact with the Aether and became a host for it. At this time, Malekith began to sense its presence and was soon able to draw its power from Jane and into himself. After his defeat, though, the Asgardians contained it once again and gave it to the Collector for protection.
Nevertheless, while the Aether remains in his possession, the Collector’s intentions appear to differ very little from those of Thanos.
Time Stone
Vessel: The Eye of Agamotto
Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (hologram), Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok
Stored inside the relic known as the Eye of Agamotto is the Time Stone, which allows its wielder to manipulate the flow of time. It was created by Agamotto and used by countless Sorcerers Supreme before it was eventually discovered by Doctor Strange in Kamar-Taj.
After using it to defeat Dormammu, Doctor Strange placed the Eye of Agamotto back in Kamar-Taj until such as a time as he felt he was truly ready to wield its power. However, he was wearing it around his neck during his encounter with Thor, so it’s safe to say it’s currently back in his possession.
Soul Stone
Vessel: N/A
Appearances: N/A
The sixth and final Infinity Stone is the Soul Gem, which, according to Wong’s ancient texts, may very well be the most powerful of the bunch. However, it’s yet to surface in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… at least not that we know of.