Marvel introduced readers to the Infinity Stones (although back then, they were called the Infinity Gems and it was a much cooler name) in Thanos Quest #1-2, which led into Infinity Gauntlet. The seeds of the Infinity Stones were planted back in Jim Starlin’s days with Adam Warlock, who had the Soul Gem as a weapon in the ’70s, and they’d soon become one of the most important weapons in the Marvel Universe. The Stones, when used in concert, allow their bearer to wield godlike power, enabling them to do anything they want. Thanos is most known for using the Infinity Gauntlet, and he’s used it to sow carnage among his foes in the most deadly ways possible.
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Infinity Gauntlet was an amazing blockbuster, especially the battle scenes in Infinity Gauntlet #4. Thanos battled Earth’s greatest heroes and the battle had numerous casualties. The Infinity Stones are powerful weapons, and these ten Marvel heroes fell to their power in terrible ways.
10) Nova — Transformed to Cubes and Smashed
Nova was the only survivor of the New Warriors and joined the battle against Thanos. The member of the Nova Corps is known for his speed and strength, and he used these in his attacks. He sped in and punched Thanos, but the Mad Titan didn’t even really feel the punch. After the useless attack, before the young hero could come about for the next blow, the all-powerful Eternal transformed him into multi-colored cubes. The cubes hit the ground, and the villain started smashing him. This isn’t that bad of a death. Nova died the moment he was made into cubes, and it’s doubtful he felt anything when it happened.
9) Thor — Transformed Into Glass and Smashed
Thor played a big role in the battle against Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet #4, going after him several times. This was the Eric Masterson version of the Odinson, who wasn’t the most powerful version of Thor, but he was able to hold his own. However, Thanos got tired of the whole thing and transformed him into glass. The attack by Nova stopped the Mad Titans from following up on the transformation, but after dealing with the Human Rocket, the Gauntlet-wielding madman punched the glass hero. Much like Nova’s death, this wasn’t all that painful of a death. He died when he was turned to glass, so he probably never felt being smashed.
8) The Vision — Unphased and Circuitry Torn Out
The Vision is a Marvel legend, and much like Thor was able to attack Thanos more than once. The synthezoid Avenger used his phasing powers to disappear into the ground, popping up and firing solar lasers at the Mad Titan. The blasts had no effect on the wielder of the Infinity Stones; it was more annoying than anything else. Vision tried the attack a second time, and that was his downfall. Thanos turned and unphased the hero, and then tore out his circuits, killing him. This probably wasn’t all that painful, mostly because the Vision doesn’t feel pain in the same way as humans, and it seemed like he died pretty quickly without suffering.
7) Cloak — Exploded from Within
Cloak watched Dagger die in the Snap, and joined the heroes in battle against the wielder of the Infinity Gauntlet. Cloak’s powers aren’t exactly that offensive, and are mostly good for transportation, but they can be used to pull enemies into the Dark Dimension. Captain America watched as the young hero used his cloak to ensnare Thanos in dark void inside of him, and for a brief moment hope blossomed in Cap’s heart. However, it wouldn’t last, as the Mad Titan would explode the hero from within. This was probably a painful attack, because you could see Cloak sweating, so he definitely felt whatever was being done to him before he exploded and it wasn’t pleasant.
6) Quasar — His Quantum Bands Destroyed and Then Killed by an Energy Blast
Quasar is one of Marvel coolest cosmic heroes, one who has been forgotten by most. However, in 1991, Wendell Vaughan had his own series (it was the first place I saw Greg Capullo’s art) and was sort of important, wielding the Quantum Bands that used to be the property of the first Captain Marvel. He confronted Thanos after the deaths of Thor and Nova, talking some trash to the Mad Titan, and paid for it quickly. The monstrous god exploded the Quantum Bands, destroying Wendell’s hands before disintegrating him. His death was probably pretty quick, but before that he was in a massive amount of pain form the loss of his hands.
5) Spider-Man — Beaten to Death by Thanos’s Creation Terraxia
So, this one is an indirect death caused by the Infinity Stones, but I’m counting it. When Death didn’t show romantic interest in Thanos, even after the Snap and the destructive havoc he unleashed on the planets of the universe to kill even more beings, he created Terraxia to make the personification of death jealous. She helped him battle the heroes and got the drop on Spider-Man. While Thanos dealt with Thor and Nova, the Mad Titan’s creation beat the Web-Slinger to death with a rock, which we can all agree is a terribly painful death (she also tore off Iron Man’s head, but that happened pretty quickly, and getting beat to death with a rock is the worst way to go).
4) She-Hulk and Namor — Overwhelmed by a Fungal Bloom
This one is a two-fer and it’s honestly pretty horrifying. Namor and She-Hulk went hard at Thanos, using their titanic strength to try to put down the insane god. However, the Mad Titan didn’t hit them back, he just tapped them on the chest. Spots of what looked like fungus started to bloom on them, and the two of them started to tear it off. However, they couldn’t tear fast enough, and the fungal bloom kept growing, overwhelming them. Their deaths were almost certainly from suffocation, which is a terrible way to die. On top of that, they felt the bloom over take their bodies, trying their best to remove it, panicking the entire time.
3) Cyclops — Suffocated by a Cube of Energy
Cyclops was the sole survivor of X-Factor, and wanted revenge on the Mad Titan for what he did to his friends on that team and the X-Men. He and Scarlet Witch worked together against Thanos, with the mutant leader cutting loose with his optic blasts. He watched Thanos kill Wanda (more on that next), trying his best to make a dent in the psychotic god’s indestructible hide. However, a clear cube of energy surrounded Cyclops’s head, cutting off his optic blasts… and his oxygen supply. This is another one by suffocation, and he was conscious the whole time, the hopelessness of his situation underlined when Cap came over to try and break the cube. Nothing helped, and the greatest mutant leader died in terror.
2) Scarlet Witch — Had Her Hex Turned on Her and Burnt to Death
Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful heroes on the planet nowadays, her hex power a facet of greater reality-altering ability that she would develop as the years went on. While she’s definitely not powerful enough to overcome the Infinity Stones, she’d do pretty well in battle against them currently. However, Infinity Gauntlet was a long time ago when she wasn’t as powerful, and she paid for it. Together with Cyclops, she attacked Thanos, and he used the Power Gem to push her energy back at her. She poured even more power into it, and had to watch as everything she did made exactly no difference. Eventually, she was destroyed by her own power, burning to death.
1) Wolverine — His Bones Turned Into Spongy Rubber
Wolverine has fought in some brutal battles, and was no stranger to hopeless fights. The ol’Canucklehead went straight at Thanos, jumping in and stabbing the Mad Titan in the chest with all six claws. He locked eyes with the insane god, showing his fearlessness, and then was struck down. Thanos transformed Logan’s bones into spongy rubber. The weight of his flesh caused his bones to twist and probably crushed his organs. It was a horrible death, almost certainly made worse by Wolverine’s healing factor, and one of the most brutal in Infinity Gauntlet #4, which is saying something.
What brutal Infinity Stones deaths did I miss? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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