Avengers: Endgame Theory Explains Why Stark Gauntlet Injured the Wielders

Even though the Avengers were able to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his hordes of alien armies during Avengers: Endgame, it didn’t come without sacrifice. In addition to the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) seemingly losing the function of an entire arm, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) ended up paying the ultimate price, sacrificing his life so that the world could be saved.

The situation brings up a question — with the Stark Gauntlet built specifically to handle the Infinity Stones and using them all at the same time, why’d it continue hurting those who wielded it? One intriguing fan theory that’s gaining steam suggests it all comes down to the materials used to build the gauntlet. According to u/rgtxd26, the Earth metals used by Stark simply weren’t strong enough to take the brunt force of the Infinity Stones, allowing the energies to flow into whoever was wearing the gauntlet.

This fact manages to garner some clout when you look at Thanos using his version of the Gauntlet. Crafted by Eitri (Peter Dinklage) on Nidavellir, the “real” Infinity Gauntlet was crafted with uru metal, an alien material used to craft items such a Mjolnir and Stormbreaker. Because of its tenacity, the material was able to take the brunt force of the energy of the stones, rendering the Gauntlet somewhat broken at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

Of course, the situation is comparing apples to oranges a bit. Thanos is a massive alien badass while Tony Stark is just a puny human. And the Stones seemingly did hurt Thanos after he used them a second time — but the theory is solid, regardless. The next time that try to make a Gauntlet from materials located on Earth, perhaps they ask T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) if he’d help out with his little vibranium supply.

Where do you think the MCU goes from here? Which movies do you want to see in Phase 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt!

Avengers: Endgame is now in theaters ahead of Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2nd. As of this week, Captain Marvel is available both digitally and on home media release.