In the mythology of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the Infinity Stones are some of the most influential artifacts within the collective universe. Each individual stone grants its possessor the ability to control one aspect of the world around them: time, reality, space, power, mind, and soul. When all six stones are brought together and used in tandem, such as in the Infinity Gauntlet, it is said nothing will be impossible for the bearer of the stones. The final two films of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, set up the climax of this arc of the complete Marvel series. For 10 years prior, since Iron Man first premiered in 2008, the most meticulous planning for the end of the Infinity Saga has been the inclusion of the Infinity Stones in a majority of the MCU films.
Updated August 18, 2023: This article has been updated by Robin Reynolds with additional information regarding the Infinity Stones to keep up to date with any recent developments in the MCU.
With these two films coming to a conclusion, fans were finally able to see the culmination of the Stones' setup, with the Mad Titan Thanos finally getting up from his throne to retrieve all six Infinity Stones. While the epic battles and even more amazing character arcs were obviously the highlights of the films, many people were extremely excited to see all the Infinity Stones brought together. The question continues to be asked: where were all the Infinity Stones prior to Thanos' retrieval of them? Even for hardcore Marvel fans, it may be hard to keep track of the locations of each stone, especially if you haven't seen every movie recently. Here is a brief background and the original location of each Infinity Stone before we encounter them in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
7 The Space Stone
The Space Stone is the very first stone we see in the MCU, yet at the time its true power was unknown. This stone, which was originally housed within "The Tesseract," has been shown to allow for teleportation throughout space, create wormholes, and grant people super-powers –essentially allowing the manipulation of space. It was originally the jewel of Odin's treasure room, but at some point, he stowed it away on Earth, where it was discovered by The Red Skull, who used it for Hydra.
S.H.I.E.L.D. recovered the Tesseract and were using it for years. Mar-Vell, using the name Dr. Lawson used it to build lightspeed energy as a way to help The Skrulls. Her experiment resulted in Carol Danvers getting powers and becoming Captain Marvel. Later it was used at the main McGuffin of The Avengers, where Loki used it to open a portal that allowed for the invasion of New York but thankfully was stopped by The Avengers. It was shown again in Thor: Ragnarok, where it was shown that Loki took it before Asgard was completely destroyed. It is the stone Thanos comes to take from Loki at the start of Avengers: Infinity War.
In Avengers: Endgame, audiences eventually travel back in time with some of the Avengers who are attempting to reverse what Thanos has done –eliminating half the population. The Space Stone is in The Tesseract when Loki is arrested, but when things don't go to plan, he takes his opportunity and steals it. The Space Stone is eventually returned to its rightful place by Captain America/Steve Rogers, and we later learn that Loki uses the stone and Tesseract to escape, creating a branching timeline that leads right into Loki Season 1, where we see The Space Stone again in Loki's junk drawer.
6 The Mind Stone
One of the Infinity Stones we see most often throughout the MCU series, The Mind Stone, is the stone that allows the user to bend the will of others to what they wish it to be. It first appeared in The Avengers, after being given to Loki, embedded within a scepter, by Thanos when he sends him to retrieve the Tesseract, the Mind Stone has been shown to have enormous power. It has been shown to be a source for telepathy, telekinesis, energy blasts, mind control, creating consciousness, as well as granting and awakening dormant superpowers. When Loki originally failed in his mission from Thanos, the scepter was taken by S.H.I.E.L.D., who in turn gave it to Baron Strucker of HYDRA.
The scepter was taken into the custody of The Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron before it was taken by Ultron, who was created via the Mind Stone. When Ultron's plans fail, a combination of powers from both technology and Thor causes the stone to be put into the head of Vision to power him. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos ends up killing Vision to retrieve the stone from his head. When the time travel takes place in Avengers: Endgame, we see the stone in its original location within Loki's scepter, which Steve ends up retrieving from his past self, who thinks he is Loki in disguise.
The Mind Stone appears to have not only enhanced Wanda Maximoff's powers but also might be they to Visin's return. She tells him the Westview projection of him she created is part of the Mind Stone that lives in her, which is building off the bond the two shared in Avengers: Infinity War regarding the stone. This might come back into play with Vision Quest, a planned Disney+ series.
5 The Reality Stone
The Reality Stone, is the stone that allows the user to bend the laws and rules of the universe. It is also known as "The Aether," and first appeared in Thor: The Dark World after Jane Foster was possessed by it as she was exploring an area of Earth where anomalies seemed to be happening. The Reality Stone has been seen to change reality itself, suck the life or the energy force out of someone, and open portals. The Reality Stone was briefly taken by the Dark Elf Malekith before Thor took it back during the climax of the film. Realizing the dangers of keeping two Infinity Stones in Asgard, the Warriors Three, under the orders of Thor presumably, delivered the Reality Stone to The Collector for safekeeping.
After the Collector's museum was destroyed in Guardians of the Galaxy, it is assumed that the Collector still has possession of the Reality Stone. In Avengers: Infinity War, this is confirmed when Thanos retrieves the stone from the Collector and uses it to kidnap Gamora. Then in the time travel bit of Avengers: Endgame, Rocket Raccoon and Thor return to Asgard, where they retrieve the stone from Jane's body, removing the Aether's detrimental effects. The Reality Stone is eventually returned to its rightful place by Captain America/Steve Rogers.
4 The Power Stone
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As one of the most underutilized of the Infinity Stones, The Power Stone appears to give the user limitless power and is also known as "The Orb." The stone enhance strength, invulnerability, and endurance, as well as power weapons, and destroy anything in its path. It first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy when Star-Lord retrieved it from its location on Morag. The stone was protected for centuries due to the water of the planet covering the structure protecting the stone, which is why no one had tried to retrieve it sooner.
When Star-Lord arrived, the tides of the planet had temporarily sunken, and minions of Ronan the Accuser were close behind, also trying to retrieve the Orb. After the Orb was temporarily taken in by Ronan the Accuser, who betrayed Thanos, the Guardians of the Galaxy took it back by uniting together and harnessing its power. They then delivered it to the Nova Corps on Xandar for safekeeping. Thanos acquires the Power Stone by decimating Xandar prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Then during the time travel section in Avengers: Endgame we see War Machine and Nebula travel to Morag to retrieve it and foil Thanos' plans. The Power Stone is eventually returned to its rightful place by Captain America/Steve Rogers.
3 The Time Stone
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The Time Stone is the stone that gives the user the ability to bend time and is housed within "The Eye Of Agamotto," which is said to have been created by the very first Sorcerer Supreme. The Time Stone can allow for time travel, allow the user to see into the past and future, and create time loops. It first appeared in Doctor Strange when Stephen Strange came across it in Kamar-Taj after agreeing to train with the sorcerers after losing his ability to be a surgeon. From that point, Strange became curious about the abilities of the stone and wore it on him at almost all times, even using it to defeat Dormammu by forcing them into a time loop. In Thor: Ragnarok, still around Doctor Strange's neck in his new home, the Sanctum Sanctorum of New York City.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Strange uses the powers of the stone to determine that there is only one way to beat Thanos, by first losing and going back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones and reverse what Thanos does with the snap. The Time Stone is retrieved when the Avengers go back in time by Smart Hulk after he convinces The Ancient One, that time's Sorcerer Supreme, to give it to him to help them save the world from Thanos. The Time Stone is eventually returned to its rightful place by Captain America/Steve Rogers.
2 The Soul Stone
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The Soul Stone enables the user to bend and control all life and death in the Universe and has only been seen three times so far within the MCU. During the Collector's long speech in Guardians of the Galaxy describing the Infinity Stones, it is briefly shown on one of his screens, along with the other stones. According to some of the lore in the comics, the Soul Stone can steal, manipulate, and alter souls, grant access to the Soul World, and communicate with other Infinity Stones and with people's deepest desires. This is never actually shown or explained in the films.
Besides that one moment in Guardians of the Galaxy, there was no indication of the Soul Stone before Avengers: Infinity War, where it is revealed that Thanos has previously sent Gamora to find and retrieve the stone for him. She eventually reveals she learned it was on the planet Vormir, but chose not to tell Thanos. After Thanos uses the Reality Stone to capture Gamora, he forces her to take him to Vormir, and there audience sees the Red Skull, who has been made guardian of the Soul Stone. He tells Thanos he must sacrifice what he loves most to gain the Soul Stone. A life for a life. Thanos kills Gamora, and the stone appears to him.
Then in Avengers: Endgame, when the Avengers need to get the Infinity Stones from back in time, Hawkeye and Black Widow go to Vormir to get the Soul Stone, where Natasha Romanoff sacrifices herself to give Clint Barton access to the Soul Stone, which also appears to him after she is dead. Where Thanos thought to kill someone else for it, Black Widow gave her life to save everyone else.
1 The Infinity Stones Future in the MCU
Following Tony Stark's bravery as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame –sacrificing himself to end Thanos and right the Titans' wrongs– fans wonder what is next for the Infinity Stones and if they will appear again in future films or television series for the MCU. With the stone destroyed in the main MCU, they are off the table, it appears. Rightfully so, the MCU is looking forward to the future and moving beyond the Infinity Stones, which were the center point of the Infinity Saga. Powerful objects like Shang-Chi's Ten Rings, the Darkhold, and even the Ebony Blade from Eternals are more than enough.
But despite other artifices and powers becoming more relevant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, theories abound on how the Infinity Stones could continue to be utilized in the MCU's future, particularly in the Multiverse Saga. With the stones being destroyed in the main MCU, the one place they can still exist is in the Multiverse. The stones were prominently featured in What If...?, where a version of Ultron acquired the Stones and started attacking the Multiverse. A group of heroes was brought together by The Watcher, and it is revealed that the Infinity Stones are unique to each universe, meaning they are slightly different. This might explain why in Loki season 1, when they showed a TVA desk full of different Infinity Stones, they were basically worthless as they had no power in the TVA.
With the upcoming threat of the Council of Kangs in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU heroes might try to use the Infinity Stones from across the multiverse to defeat a new threat, only to find out they are powerless and will need to find a new creative way to defeat a new villain. The Infinity Stones had their time. Now fans must look toward the future.