***PROCEED WITH CAUTION: This post contains spoilers for literally every Marvel movie, with some light predictions on Avengers: Infinity War...so if you're looking to go in clean, DON'T READ THIS.***
Don't say I didn't warn you.
So, the Infinity Stones...what's up with those things?
Whether you're a die-hard Marvel fan, or just going in to Infinity War without all the details, it's a TON of information to take in. With this in mind, I decided to make an EXHAUSTIVE cheat sheet for you with regards to the Infinity Stones. You're welcome:
1. THE SPACE STONE (Blue):
This is the first Infinity Stone we ever see on-screen, though it appears as "The Tesseract," not an actual "stone."
Though we are ~technically~ introduced to the Space Stone during the post-credits sequence in Thor, we discover its full power in Captain America: The First Avenger when it's revealed to be the source powering all of Hydra's weaponry.
After Loki's defeat in the Avengers, it is taken to Asgard (Thor and Loki's home) for safe-keeping; however, given the events of Thor: Ragnarok and the evidence of Loki offering the it up in the Infinity War trailer, it's likely now on board Thor's vessel with the rest of Asgard's people.
2. THE MIND STONE (Yellow):
The Mind Stone first appears in Avengers as a part of Loki's staff, which is later revealed to be a gift from Thanos.
The stone gives Loki the ability to manipulate the thoughts and actions of others and is what allows him to control both Hawkeye and Erik Selvig to do his bidding.
However, after Loki loses big, the stone falls into the hands of Hydra. This leads to the creation of both Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver through experimentation, who were meant to be the ultimate human weapons and are recruited by Ultron to destroy the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
But, when that plan fails, this stone (along with a vibranium body) helps to create Vision. The vibranium body was initially meant to be used by Ultron, but was stolen by the Avengers and used for JARVIS, Tony Stark's personal A.I.
While Quicksilver meets an untimely end in Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch goes on to join the Avengers and shares a deep connection with Vision.
The Mind Stone remains a part of Vision but, based on the Infinity War trailer, things aren't lookin' too good for old Vision, either.
3. THE REALITY STONE (Red):
The Reality Stone only appears outright in one film, Thor: The Dark World.
Similar to the Space Stone, the Reality Stone first appears to users in a different form (you know...it bends reality, hence the name). In this case it appears as a funky-looking dark red mass called "the Aether." Malekith, a dark elf, attempts to use it to destroy the Nine Realms.
However, Jane Foster, Thor's LUVAH, accidentally enters a portal (like ya do), where the stone infects her before Malekith can get to it.
Through a series of very strange circumstances, the Aether ends up nearly killing Foster, but is extracted by Malekith just in time, who uses it to fight Thor. That (of course) leads to Malekith's own demise, leaving the Asgardians in possession of their second Infinity Stone.
Other than that, frankly, very little is known about its full abilities in the MCU film universe.
Anyway, after the events of Thor: The Dark World and given that they already have one stone in their possession, the Asgardians entrust the safety of this stone to The Collector, an eccentric curator of the galaxy's strangest items.
4. THE POWER STONE (Purple):
Arguably the prettiest of all the stones (your girl likes purple), the Power Stone plays a MAJOR role in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, where we are also introduced to Thanos and his thirst for all the stones.
However, before Thanos can get his hands on this stone, his nemesis Ronan steals it with plans to use its power to wipe out all life on the planet Xandar (the home of Nova Corps, a galactic military base).
This leads to an unlikely group of criminals (known henceforth as "The Guardians of the Galaxy") banding together to aid Nova Corps. Through the use of teamwork, group dancing, and Starlord's surprise genetic background, they're able to wield the stone and destroy Ronan.
The Power Stone remains under the protection of Nova Corps on Xandar.
5. THE TIME STONE (Green):
This stone, in a similar vein to the Reality Stone, appears in only one MCU film, Dr. Strange.
It initially appears as "The Eye of Agamotto," an ancient relic located on Earth (yes, our very own Earth!) in the New York Sanctum, hidden there to keep it secret/safe.
As the name may suggest, this stone gives its wielder the ability to control the flow of time. It can accelerate time forward, send the wielder back in time, or create a time loop.
The Time Stone remains in the care of Dr. Strange, who was last seen connecting with Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok.
Though, based on the trailers for Infinity War, Dr. Strange will join Loki and Vision in the OH DEAR, THINGS AREN'T LOOKIN' TOO GOOD club.
6. THE SOUL STONE (???):
Yeah...WE. LITERALLY. KNOW. NOTHING.
Of course, there are plenty of theories about where the sixth and FINAL Infinity Stone is hiding, chief among them is that it's hidden somewhere in Wakanda (Black Panther's home), but we don't know anything for sure.
So, yeah, uh...there ya have it. The Infinity Stones. Basically, catch me walking into Avengers: Infinity War like:
