Every MCU Character Who Has Held All 6 Infinity Stones

A total of 12 Marvel Cinematic Universe characters have held all six Infinity Stones on-screen in the years since they were all first seen together in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. Individually, the Infinity Stones played a key role in many movies in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, each introduced as some of the most powerful, unpredictable, and dangerous objects in the entire universe. This came to a head in Infinity War, which saw the Mad Titan Thanos claim all six – the first on-screen character to do so – and wipe out half of all life in the universe.

The MCU’s Infinity Stones include the purple Power Stone, the red Reality Stone, the yellow Mind Stone, the green Time Stone, the orange Soul Stone, and the blue Space Stone. The latter was the first seen in the MCU back in the post-credits scene of 2011’s Thor, but each have posed problems and challenges to heroes in various movies. The six Infinity Stones have only been seen together, however, on a handful of occasions, but 12 MCU characters have had the honor of holding all six in their hands.

12) Thanos

The first individual in the entire universe to claim all six Infinity Stones for themselves was Thanos (Josh Brolin), the Mad Titan and intergalactic warlord. He sought the Infinity Stones to gain enough power to eliminate half of the universe’s population, bringing balance to the universe to save it in his own, twisted, genocidal way. Thanos went up against most of the MCU’s heroes during his quest to collect the Infinity Stones, but eventually succeeded, becoming the most powerful individual in reality. He later used the stones to destroy them, leaving the MCU’s Earth 616 without these important relics.

11) Bruce Banner’s Hulk

Five years after Thanos snapped his fingers, the surviving Avengers embarked on the Time Heist to collect the Infinity Stones for themselves and reverse the damage caused by the Mad Titan. After collecting them all from various points in the MCU’s history, Tony Stark built a new Infinity Gauntlet, and, since the stones emit gamma radiation, Bruce Banner’s Smart Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) realized he was the only one capable of using the device. He snapped his fingers and brought back everyone Thanos killed five years earlier, and managed to survive this incredible feat.

10) Clint Barton’s Hawkeye

During Avengers: Endgame’s Battle of Earth, which saw a version of Thanos from 2014 arrive in 2023 with his armies to cut corners and claim a completed Infinity Gauntlet without putting in the hard work, several heroes held the glove, but didn’t actually use the stones. The first of these was Clint Barton’s Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who found the device in the wreckage of the destroyed Avengers HQ shortly after Thanos’ arrival. Barton escorted the Infinity Gauntlet through the wreckage while being chased by Outriders, ensuring it wouldn’t be easy for Thanos to find.

9) Nebula

Exhausted and bruised, Clint Barton ended up handing off the Infinity Gauntlet to what he thought was the heroic Nebula (Karen Gillan) who had joined the Avengers during the Blip and had embarked on the Time Heist with them. However, this was actually the version of Nebula from 2014 who traveled with her father to 2023 and still sought his approval. She hoped to collect the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos while he waited patiently outside, but she was ultimately stopped and killed by her more heroic variant in a shocking moment of catharsis for the Guardians of the Galaxy member.

8) T’Challa’s Black Panther

Shortly after Bruce Banner snapped his fingers, the heroes who were killed by Thanos five years earlier returned to Avengers HQ and joined in the battle against the Mad Titan and his armies. After Hawkeye claimed the Infinity Gauntlet back from the villainous Nebula, he brought it to the Battlefield, where T’Challa’s Black Panther (the late Chadwick Boseman) made efforts to get it to the Quantum Tunnel – Ant-Man’s brown van. T’Challa came up against heavy fire while carrying the glove, so he didn’t get it very far, but other heroes were on hand to relieve him of the responsibility.

7) Peter Parker’s Spider-Man

It was the young Peter Parker who took the Infinity Gauntlet off T’Challa and brought it closer to the Quantum Tunnel. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man played a key role during the Battle of Earth, finally activating his suit’s “Instant Kill” setting, and seeking the help of other heroes to get the glove closer to its destination. Notably, he rode on the back of Valkyrie’s (Tessa Thompson) pegasus, and proved that he would have given his life in protection of the Infinity Stones – the mark of a good hero. Parker will be returning to the MCU in 2026’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

6) Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel

Brie Larson only debuted as Carol Danvers in 2019’s Captain Marvel, and she was absent for most of Avengers: Endgame as she had the power to clear up the competition pretty swiftly. During the Battle of Earth, she proved absolutely essential in fighting Thanos and protecting the Infinity Gauntlet. She very nearly got it to the Quantum Tunnel, but Thanos destroyed it seconds before she made it. Even so, Danvers was able to go toe-to-toe with Thanos without breaking a sweat – until Thanos used the Power Stone against her – and she bought some valuable time for the stones’ next user.

5) Tony Stark’s Iron Man

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was the next MCU character to actually use all six Infinity Stones together, as he tricked Thanos by stealing them from the Infinity Gauntlet after the Mad Titan had claimed it. Stark used the Infinity Stones to destroy Thanos and his armies once and for all, ending the Battle of Earth and saving the universe at the cost of his own life. Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame was incredibly emotional, but it may be referenced again in 2026’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, as Downey is set to appear as the iconic Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom.

4) Steve Rogers’ Captain America

After the Battle of Earth was won and the Avengers had attended Tony Stark’s heartbreaking funeral, Steve Rogers volunteered to return the Infinity Stones and 2013’s Mjolnir to their home timelines, thereby restoring the balance of the multiverse. Many have wanted to see this untold mission on-screen ever since Avengers: Endgame, but Marvel has still neglected to reveal exactly how this journey unfolded. Rogers (Chris Evans) made the choice to retire with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) after returning the Infinity Stones, but there has been speculation about Captain America’s return in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

3) Infinity Ultron

While Avengers: Endgame was the last time all six Infinity Stones have been seen on-screen together in live-action, the stones have been crucial throughout the animated What If…? series. What If…? season 1 saw a variant of Ultron (Ross Marquand) claim the stones for himself and become Infinity Ultron. With the power of the stones, Ultron wiped out everything in his universe, and then set about targeting the entire multiverse, bringing him into opposition with the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) and the Guardians of the Multiverse. He was eventually defeated thanks to Arnim Zola’s virus, and a later variant helped free the Watcher from his incarceration in What If…? season 3.

2) Killmonger’s Black Panther

In the wake of Infinity Ultron’s defeat in What If…? season 1’s finale, it was the twisted variant of Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) who sought the Infinity Stones for himself. Killmonger became the Black Panther in his reality after manipulating Tony Stark and killing T’Challa, and he would have become even more powerful if he used the Infinity Stones. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) opposed him, however, hoping to claim the stones for himself, but Doctor Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the Watcher trapped them both in a pocket universe where they would spend eternity fighting over the stones.

1) Captain Carter

Captain Carter, a super-soldier variant of Peggy Carter, became What If…?’s most regular and frequent character, as she traversed the multiverse helping others after being included among the Guardians of the Multiverse. In What If…? season 2’s finale, Carter fought alongside Kahhori (Devery Jacobs) to fight Strange Supreme and his universe-killer villains. This saw them both gain some incredible gifts, including Carter herself taking the Infinity Stones from a variant of Thanos. Captain Carter is, currently, the most recent MCU character to use all six Infinity Stones, but perhaps not the last when Doomsday and Secret Wars roll around.

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