Infinity War

The Infinity War is a conflict that features in Marvel Comics.

History

Earth's heroes in Infinity War v1 #1.

The Infinity War was a cosmic conflict instigated by the Magus, dark half of Adam Warlock. When hero Adam Warlock takes possession of the artifact known as the Infinity Gauntlet, he expelled the good and evil aspects of his being to become a totally logical being, who can therefore use the Gauntlet wisely. This act recreates his "evil" persona and old foe the Magus, who desires universal conquest and revenge against Warlock and the Titan Thanos. Meanwhile, the effectively emotionless Adam is brought before a "jury" of the cosmic powers and voluntarily surrenders his godhood once he is found to be "guilty" of being unworthy.

After being separated from Adam Warlock, the Magus gathered five Cosmic Containment Units from five different realities, and combined their power to fuel his master plan; using a variety of powerful events, including rendering Eternity comatose, attacks by dopplegangers, and an attempt to overwrite reality with his own, to force the reassembly of the Infinity Gauntlet. He would then take it for himself and become master of all reality. The plan went well, except for one factor; a false Reality Gem was part of the temporarily reactivated Gauntlet, throwing the Magus off-balance enough to ensure his defeat.

Galactus alongside his Herald Nova Frankie Raye came to uncover that Eternity had been induced into a comatose state artificially by outside forces. Similarly, Thanos had uncovered this fact and looked to uncover the perpetrator (Infinity War v1 #1)

The Magus develops a plan to gain absolute power over the Marvel Universe. Operating out a far-off reality, he acquires "cosmic containment units", items similar to the Cosmic Cube, along with demonic doppelgangers of Earth's heroes and villains. The Magus' power renders Eternity catatonic and keeps himself well hidden. After a confrontation with Magus, Thanos sought help from Warlock's Infinity Watch. The Magus sends doppelgangers after some of Earth's heroes. Reed Richards and Iron Man are defeated and replaced. Reed's double assembles many of Earth's heroes, intending to destroy them with a gamma bomb. His plan fails, thanks to the heightened senses of Wolverine and Daredevil, as well as Invisible Woman's force fields. Another confrontation with Thanos led to further confusion and general chaos. The heroes decide to split their forces, with a team remaining on Earth while another team travels to the far reaches of space. The Earth team is again attacked by doppelgangers, many heroes are subsumed and taken over. The traveling heroes fight with Thanos and the Infinity Watch, believing them to be the enemy. Galactus arrives to join in the efforts against the Magus. It is decided that the Infinity Gauntlet would help, but the Gauntlet has been rendered powerless by The Living Tribunal, at the request of Eternity. Galactus and the warrior-woman Gamora leave in an effort to revive Eternity and reactivate the Gauntlet. Just after they leave, Warlock and the glove itself are kidnapped by Magus and the Thanos duplicate. The original Thanos then sends Quasar on a mission to destroy the Magus using the Ultimate Nullifier.

Warlock and the still inactive Gauntlet are captured by the Magus, and both attacked by Doom and Kang. Warlock is defeated and the Magus is severely weakened in the battle and attempts to use the containment units but discovers they have been stolen. Doom betrays and stops Kang, and then demands the Gauntlet from the Magus. Eternity, however, has just been revived and has requested the Gauntlet be reactivated, which the Living Tribunal agrees to. An apparently omnipotent Magus easily defeats Doom and dissolves Quasar, who arrives with the Ultimate Nullifier. Thanos defeats his doppelgänger and distracts the Magus, allowing Warlock to grapple with the villain for the Gauntlet. Warlock releases from the Gauntlet a being that is a composite of the entity Eternity and his twin, Infinity. The being incapacitates the Magus, allowing Warlock to absorb the Magus into the Soul Gem. The experience places Warlock in a coma.

Thanos revealed to the assembled heroes that the Magus was tricked and never gained omnipotence as the Reality Gem on the Gauntlet—which Thanos is revealed to be the secret guardian of—was a convincing fake. The heroes return to Earth and the final page of the last issue reveals that the containment units have been stolen by Warlock's 'good' persona, the Goddess. In addition to these developments, Eternity—who is apparently 'deputized' by the Living Tribunal to make such a decree—thereafter declares that the Gems on the Gauntlet will never be able to be used again as a single unit, no matter what future crisis befalls the universe. The Living Tribunal decrees the Gauntlet can never be used as a unified object again. The cosmic containment units were not to be found at all, seemingly stolen by Warlock's good half; a female entity later revealed to be The Goddess who would cause the Infinity Crusade.

Overview

In appearance, the Infinity War was a cosmic conflict that was triggered by the Magus. (Infinity War v1 #1)

A key aspect of the conflict was artificially inducing a coma-like state in Eternity. (Infinity War v1 #1)

Central to the Magus's forces were twisted mirrors of various superpowered beings called the Doppelgangers. (Infinity War v1 #1) They were altered in unspeakable ways to become soldiers in his army. These entities had a complex yet fluid molecular structures allowing them to become anyone they chose. (Infinity War v1 #2)

One purpose of a Doppelganger was to best the original and merge with them to replace them. This involved unravelling into a mass of tendrils that engulfed the original to in order to take over their existence. (Infinity War v1 #2)

Participants

• Magus :
• Adam Warlock :
• Thanos :
• Iron Man :
• Captain America :
• Hulk :
• Mister Fantastic :
• Hawkeye :
• Spider-Man :
• Moon Knight :
• Daredevil :
• Wolverine :
• Gambit :
• Doctor Strange :
• Galactus :
• Doctor Doom :
• Kang the Conqueror :
• Eternity :

Notes

• The Infinity War was created by Jim Starlin and Ron Lim where it made its first appearance in Infinity War v1 #1 (April, 1992).

In other media

Films

• In Avengers: Infinity War, the Infinity War appeared in the setting of the live-action films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The conflict concerned Thanos's quest to acquire the Infinity Stones where he intended to use their power to eliminate half the populace of the universe as he believed overpopulation was the cause of much strife in existence. Despite the intervention of the Avengers, he managed to gather the stones and succeeded in his task where he teleported away from Earth before he could be slain.

Video games

• In Marvel Super Heroes In War of the Gems, the Infinity War was adapted in the setting of the video game. Adam Warlock calls upon Earth's greatest superheroes to seek out the Infinity Gems before they fall into the wrong hands.
• In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, elements of the Infinity War was adapted into the setting of the video game. The Mad Titan Thanos and his Black Order—Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, and Supergiant—attempt to collect the six Infinity Stones in order to achieve galactic conquest. Originally guarded by Nebula and Ronan the Accuser, the Guardians of the Galaxy stumble upon their attempt to hide them from the group and end up accidentally alerting the Order to their presence. In desperation, Star-Lord uses the Space Stone to scatter the other stones on Earth, and to get him and his team to safety. The heroes battle the Black Order and manage to retrieve most of the Stones, but as they prepare to clash one final time, they are stopped by Thane using the Time Stone. While Thane is distracted trying to choose a side, Thanos attacks him from behind and places the Infinity Stones in his Infinity Gauntlet, transporting everyone to his throne for a final battle. However, Thane, now completely corrupted by the power of the stones, takes the Gauntlet from him and uses the Infinity Stones' power to don the Infinity Armor, planning to kill his father to prove his superiority and the heroes if they stand in his way. The group is transported into the Heart of Infinity, where the Infinity Stones were forged at the center of the universe, and the heroes aid Thanos in stopping the out-of-control Thane. Thanos reveals that the power of the Infinity Armor is too great for any mortal being, even Thanos himself, and pulls the gauntlet from Thane's hand, causing both to disappear and leaving the heroes and the Infinity Stones behind. Ebony Maw then attempts to take the Infinity Stones for himself but was arrested by Richard Rider and the Nova Corps, as Rider plans to have him and the rest of the Black Order imprisoned at the Kyln. The heroes affirm they will be ready should Thanos ever return and agree to separate the Infinity Stones, hiding them in distant corners of the universe for safekeeping.

Appearances

• The Infinity War v1: (1992)

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry

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