Set Description:
The Infinity Gauntlet is an storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Pérez and Ron Lim, crossover chapters appeared in related comic books. Since its initial serialization from July to December 1991, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions.
The series' events are driven by Thanos, a nihilist character created for Marvel by Starlin in 1973. When Starlin began writing Silver Surfer in 1990, he and Lim began a new plot with Thanos that developed over sixteen monthly issues and a spin-off limited series before concluding in The Infinity Gauntlet. Pérez was brought in to draw The Infinity Gauntlet because he had more name recognition among fans and because Lim already had a full schedule. However, after completing three issues and part of the fourth, his own busy schedule and dissatisfaction with the story led to him being replaced by Lim.
At the start of The Infinity Gauntlet, the character Thanos has collected all six Infinity Gems and attached them to his gauntlet. With their combined power, he becomes "like a god" and sets out to win the affection of Mistress Death, the living embodiment of death in the Marvel Universe. When Thanos uses his powers to instantly kill half of the living beings in the universe, Adam Warlock leads Earth's remaining heroes against him. After the Infinity Gauntlet is stolen by Thanos' villainous granddaughter Nebula, Thanos aids the remaining heroes in defeating her. Warlock ultimately obtains the Infinity Gauntlet and uses its power to undo the death and destruction.
The series was a top seller for Marvel during publication and was followed by two immediate sequels, The Infinity War (1992) and The Infinity Crusade (1993). The story's events continued to be referenced in other Marvel comics for decades. The Infinity Gauntlet remained popular among fans, warranting multiple reprint editions and merchandise, with its themes and plot elements adapted into video games, animated cartoons, and film.
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I'm going to try my best to make this my second collection completed on the CGC Registry.
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| Slot: |
Infinity Gauntlet 1 |
| Item: |
Infinity Gauntlet 1 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2120746002
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Owner Comments
Bought this on eBay from “shellshockedcollectables” on12-3-2020.
The price offer for this was too good to pass up, I had to have it. This is my first “George Perez” signed Comic.
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The Infinity Gauntlet #1:
Writer: Jim Starlin | Pencils: George Perez | Inkers: Josef Rubinstein & Tom Christopher | Letters: Jack Morelli | Colorists: Max Scheele and Ian Laughlin | Editor: Craig Anderson | Chief: Tom DeFalco
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In 1991, Marvel produced The Infinity Gauntlet miniseries, a summer crossover event featuring many of the heroes of the Marvel universe. Over the course of the six issue series, the heroes and villains across the galaxy teamed up to fight Thanos, the Mad Titan, who made a play to seize control of the galaxy and reality. In a desperate attempt to court the affections of Death, Thanos collected the Infinity gems and mounted them on a glove, which became the Infinity Gauntlet. With the Infinity Gauntlet at his command, Thanos had the power of a god and the cosmos at his disposal and could control and mold space and time as he saw fit. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) culminate with Avengers: Endgame. Endgame was inspired, at least in part, by The Infinity Gauntlet miniseries.
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The Counsel to the New God:
The Infinity Gauntlet #1 begins with Mephisto counseling Thanos. The Mad Titan has already collected all the Infinity gems (which, by the way, are referred to as Infinity Stones in the MCU). Thanos was deceased, but Mistress Death resurrected him and magnified his already immense power for a purpose: the galaxy was teeming with too much life. In fact, the galaxy now had more living beings than the cumulative total of all beings that had ever died. Death wanted the scales balanced.
Mephisto is an odd choice for a counselor. He is perceived as the devil in the Marvel universe by humanity for good reason. In one of his notable appearances in later comics, Mephisto made a bargain with Spider-Man and his then wife, Mary Jane. When Peter Parker’s aunt was shot and lay dying, Mephisto offered Spider-Man a deal. He would save May from death, and in exchange, he would erase Peter’s marriage to Mary Jane and all memories of it, plus he would erase all public knowledge of Peter’s secret identity (which had been revealed during the Civil War event). Contracting with Mephisto is akin to making a deal with the devil.
Therefore, his counsel shouldn’t be trusted. He doesn’t do anything to discourage that belief. Over the course of the issue, Mephisto serves as a curious choice for narrator for the audience and a counselor for Thanos. The Mad Titan seems incapable of understanding the desires of Death, whose affection he covets above all else. Throughout this issue, Mephisto counsels Thanos on how he might please Death and win her affections. Notably, Mephisto notes that Thanos has a fragile heart where Death is concerned.
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The Herald of Thanos:
While Thanos plots his next course of action, Dr. Strange meditates and studies at the Sanctum Santorum before Silver Surfer falls through the roof. Normally, Silver Surfer serves as the herald of Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. However, this time he arrived on Earth with a warning: Thanos has assembled the power of the Infinity gems. Each gem held power over some aspect of the universe: the soul, the mind, power, time, reality, and space. In the Silver Surfer’s own words, “Thanos now has the unbridled power of a god!” With the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos controls the power of the universe and can alter all of creation as he sees fit. Silver Surfer allied with the Destroyer in an attempt to stop Thanos, but were soundly defeated and imprisoned in the Soul Gem. There, Silver Surfer learned from Adam Warlock the scope of Thanos’s power and was able to escape.
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Thanos’s Offerings to Death:
Thanos goes to great lengths to woo Death. But, he also makes several missteps. Death offered Thanos no direction for completing the directive she gave him. Therefore, after considering the matter, Thanos collected the Infinity gems. However, the power he assembled made him even more powerful than Death, which displeased her. Thanos then pleaded with her for understanding. She offered him none in response despite his protestations that his love is worship for her. In fact, Death never says a thing, and leaves it to her subordinates to communicate her desires.
Next, Thanos builds shrines to Death to appease her. This too fails. He offers her domain over all the universe. Despite this, Death shuns him once again. Mephisto then offers Thanos dubious counsel. He suggests that Thanos prove he has a dark spirit, as ebon in its ways as Death’s. Mephisto’s motivations are not entirely clear, but it seems likely he is manipulating Thanos. Why Thanos allows this or encourages it is also something of a mystery.
The gift Thanos next offers Death is his own granddaughter: Nebula. He transformed her into some horrible thing on the precipice of death, but not capable of dying. Thanos keeps her on a “precarious perch.” She serves as Thanos’s “living tribute to the blasphemy of life and the glorious promise of death.” Still, this too does not please Death.
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Thanos Meets the Challenge:
Mephisto finally gets around to suggesting to Thanos that perhaps the offerings aren’t the issue. Instead, Thanos failed to complete the task assigned to him: exterminate half the life of the universe. The realizaton is a smack to the face of Thanos. He comes to his senses, quits brooding, apologizes to Death, and gets to work. With a snap of his gauntleted hand, Thanos extinguishes the existence of half the beings in the galaxy. Mephisto, playing the role of a Loki like trickster, stands by in awe and mutters, “He’s really going to do it.” Was that his purpose? To goad Thanos into going through with the plan? Did Thanos really need that type of encouragement? It seems unlikely, but one must wonder what Mephisto’s aims truly are.
Once Thanos goes through with it, life begins disappearing in the galaxy. In New York, Spider-Man watches as half the people disappear off a busy street and his spider-sense warns him that Mary Jane Watson, his wife, has disappeared as well. Elsewhere, Captain America conducts Avenger’s business and arrives at the Avenger’s headquarters just in time to witness the erasure of Hawkeye and Sersi. Aboard a helicarrier, Nick Fury advises the President that he has no idea what happened to half the people on Earth. On Earth, a very lucid Hulk begins his own investigation. Across the galaxy, the Skrull suspect the Kree of a insidious plot that eliminated half their citizens and prepare for war.
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The Side Characters:
Infinity Gauntlet #1 doesn’t solely focus on Thanos and the heroes. Three seemingly average people, Jake Miller, Ralph Bunker, and Bambi Long, emerged drunk from a bar after celebrating robbing a liquor store earlier in the day. Their celebration was short lived, and later they drove off a cliff. Although they should have been dead, other beings claimed their bodies. In their new bodies, these beings recover, but Bambi disappears when Thanos begins extinguishing life. Another of these beings ends up in a cocoon as the issue concludes. Their identities remain a mystery, but there is enough foreshadowing that it is obvious they will have a role to play in the unfolding drama.
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The Epic Scale of Infinity Gauntlet:
The Infinity Gauntlet #1 establishes an epic scale for this miniseries. Thanos and Mistress Death are portrayed as godlike characters. With Mephisto in the advisory role, this series takes on qualities of a Greek or Roman epic myth. Thanos, and possibly Death, represent the Titans. The heroes of the galaxy, for the moment, take on the role of Zeus and the other heroes of Olympus. When looked at from this perspective, Thanos’s forgetfulness makes a little more sense. Plus, Death’s silence also echoes her persona from other mythic tales.
Marvel’s events have been hit or miss affairs over the years. Secret War and later events, such as Civil War, were huge successes. However, other events, such as Age of Ultron (the comic series, not the movie), weren’t as highly regarded. The Infinity Gauntlet is usually regarded as an epic series and a success. The Infinity Gauntlet #1 does well in establishing the setting and stakes for an epic story….
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| Slot: |
Infinity Gauntlet 2 |
| Item: |
Infinity Gauntlet 2 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3701142004
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Owner Comments
Bought on eBay from "e-stooge" 12-5-2020.
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The Infinity Gauntlet #2
Writer: Jim Starlin | Pencils: George Perez | Inkers: Josef Rubinstein | Letters: Jack Morelli | Colorists: Max Scheele | Editor: Craig Anderson | Chief: Tom DeFalco
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Marvel’s epic tale of galactic power and struggle began with The Infinity Gauntlet #1. In that issue, the myth was born. Thanos collected the Infinity gems in a desperate attempt to win the affections of Mistress Death. However, nothing he did pleased her. Task after task, tribute after tribute – all were for naught. Nothing was good enough. Then, Mephisto advised the Mad Titan he needed to complete the very task Mistress Death has set him upon. It was then that Thanos had an epiphany, and with a snap of his gauntleted hand, he wiped out half the life in the universe in a “great disappearance.” If The Infinity Gauntlet #1 was the foundation for the epic struggle, then The Infinity Gauntlet #2 is the next act in the play. The heroes, and many of the villains, of the galaxy are gaining awareness of the truly cosmic threat that Thanos presents. The question is, how will they fight him, and who will lead them? The Infinity Gauntlet #2 begins to answer those questions.
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Dr. Strange – The Sleuth, Herald, and Oracle:
While tending to Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange experiences a strange vision. A being reaches out to him from some other plane of existence. This being warns of the danger that Thanos presents, and declares that Earth’s heroes must unite behind him, whoever he is. Naturally, Dr. Strange is suspicious and responds that Earth’s heroes won’t simply rally to this stranger’s banner. However, Dr. Strange and this entity bare their souls to one another, and after the fact, Strange places his trust in this being. Eventually, Strange learns this is Adam Warlock.
In addition to acting as Warlock’s herald, Dr. Strange seems to accept the mantle of sleuth in this issue. He is something of the oracle of the epic myth. The Master of Mystic Arts, intentionally or not, collects the clues necessary to solve the riddle. For instance, the Silver Surfer came to him. Then Strange brought in Hank Pym, and then Hank left to rendezvous with the West Coast Avengers. He is a common thread as subsequent story elements demonstrate.
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The Cocoon:
In The Infinity Gauntlet #1, a number of mysterious beings inhabited the bodies of some petty criminals. By the end of the issue, one had disappeared when Thanos snapped his fingers. Another went into a cocoon. In this issue, Adam Warlock emerged from that cocoon. His companions Pip the Troll was waiting for him. Adam Warlock has a long and complicated history and he was the one-time custodian of the Soul Gem. He also has a longstanding feud with Thanos. On occasion, Warlock will cocoon himself to recreate his body. He had transplanted his soul and that of Pip and a third person into their human hosts in the prior issue. Now, he is working to rally an army against the Mad Titan. Prior to this time, he was believed to be dead, although he was actually dwelling within the Soul Gem.
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Doctor Doom Suffers No Interference:
When Thanos removed half the life of the universe, he wiped out the entire Fantastic Four. From Avenger’s headquarters, Captain America monitors the disappearance of many of Earth’s heroes. On the monitor each member of the Fantastic Four is listed as “disappeared.” However, The Infinity Gauntlet #2 still has a Fantastic Four connection. Several in fact. The first connection is Doctor Doom. As Doom sees it, Earth is his world. It is his to subjugate, and therefore, it is also his to protect. Therefore, he will not suffer an interference from an intergalactic presence.
Doom arrives at the Sanctum Santorum after conducting his own investigation into the disappearance. He has remarkably precise equipment and detects the source of the force responsible coming from the far side of the galaxy, and he also determines a similar source coming from Upstate New York and directed towards Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Santorum. In other words, he becomes aware of Adam Warlock’s communications, but he doesn’t know what they mean.
In addition, Dr. Doom has a personal stake. He blends science and sorcery unlike any character in the Marvel universe. What is happening now is alien to him. His scientific curiosity is piqued, and it presents an opportunity to expand not only his knowledge, but his personal powerbase. Therefore, he invades the Sanctum Santorum looking for answers and begins threatening Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange to get them. Before matters come to blows, Adam Warlock arrives and promises the answers he seeks. The remaining question is whom is fit to lead the galaxy’s champions against Thanos? Can Doom bring himself to work at the direction of one such as Adam Warlock?
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The Other Side of Prejudice:
In the previous issue, the Skrull raged that the Kree must be responsible for the disappearance of so many of their citizens. It was the natural result of a long-held animosity for their interstellar rivals. Now, it is the Kree’s turn to act on suspicion. Neither side has any proof that the other is responsible for their problems. However, that doesn’t stop them from preparing for war. Although it seems like a premature reaction, and it is for certain, it also lends to the “epic myth” story nature of this series. Old rivals rally their banners and prepare for war because of the interference and mysterious actions of a secret god. The galactic stakes are ratcheted up considerably.
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Eros – The Brother of Thanos:
With the power of the universe at his disposal, Thanos takes a moment to torment his little brother. Eros and Thanos have a very long history together. While Eros was beautiful and the favored heir to the Eternals on Titan, Thanos was a castoff. Suffice it to say that there isn’t much love lost between them at this point. For those interested in his history, he has been known as “Starfox” while with the Avengers. Eros knew the great disappearance was Thanos’s doing, although he was unsure how.
He didn’t have long to wait as Thanos used the poser of the Infinity gems to whisk Eros from Titan to his stronghold. There, Thanos tortured Eros and forced him to witness his devilish work. Eros though knows all the players – Mistress Death, Nebula, and Mephisto. He quickly understands what is happening. He also notes that their father, Mentor, is missing. Again, this follows the legendary and mythical quality of the issue. Thanos made sure Mentor was disappeared in order to prevent him from aborting Thanos’s vision of the future.
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Mad Thanos:
Readers will remember from The Infinity Gauntlet #1, this entire saga started because Thanos was attempting to impress death by completing her quest to annihilate half the life in the universe. Having achieved that, in The Infinity Gauntlet #2, Thanos continues working hard to win the affection of his mistress. However, much like mythological deities from prior eras, Mistress Death is not so easily moved. Eros sees that Thanos is drunk on his power and driven mad by his inability to win Death’s heart.
Finally, his frustration boils over and releases a wave of energy throughout the galaxy. A nearby red giant star is no match for the power. The devourer of worlds, Galactus watches as Thanos’s fury devours worlds and reshapes reality and knows that he is outmatched. Despite that, he will not run from Thanos, and instead he will find alliances to defeat him. His calculations suggest Earth is a good place to start.
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Concluding Thoughts on The Infinity Gaunlet #2:
In the prior issue, Thanos accumulated his power in a jealous attempt to win the affection of Mistress Death. He engaged in several mythological feats to win her affection, but it was to no avail. In the end, he suddenly remembered his task and in doing so, wiped out half the life of the galaxy. It was the type of detail that raises eyebrows with modern readers when it appears in an ancient myth but works perfectly in grounding this story in the same sense of epic storytelling.
Infinity Gauntlet #2 adds another dimension to the epic myth. The Mad Titan is struggling now, and the mere mortals and lesser deities are caught in the wake of Thanos’s anger and whims. Much like the gods of Olympus that destroyed the Titans in Greek mythology, the heroes and villains must join forces to defeat this threat to secure their own fates….
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| Slot: |
Infinity Gauntlet 3 |
| Item: |
Infinity Gauntlet 3 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3735453024
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Owner Comments
Bought on eBay from "wonder_tunes_comics" on 12-4-2020.
Bought it at an Incredible price that I could not refuse. The 2nd purchase to my collection.
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The Infinity Gauntlet #3
Writer: Jim Starlin | Pencils: George Perez | Inkers: Josef Rubinstein | Letters: Jack Morelli | Colorists: Max Scheele | Editor: Craig Anderson | Chief: Tom DeFalco
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The epic tale of Thanos’s quest to win the heart of Mistress Death continues in The Infinity Gauntlet #3. In the prior issue, Thanos attempted to capitalize on successfully completing his mission to wipe out half of all life in the galaxy. However, Mistress Death remains aloof towards him. In his frustration, Thanos lashed out at the galaxy. The ramifications were wide ranging, and Earth suffered mightily. Now, in The Infinity Gauntlet #3, Adam Warlock rallies champions, big and small, from across the galaxy to challenge the Mad Titan.
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Things Get Worse:
As if things weren’t bad enough for the universe following Thanos’s tirade in the previous issue, the citizens of Earth have a new problem. Thano’s shock wave knocked Earth out of its standard orbit around the sun. Therefore, the planet is beginning to cool as it drifts away from its parent star. Eventually this will cause Earth to enter a “new, never ending ice age.” If humanity didn’t have enough of a reason to stop Thanos before, they have one now.
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Avengers and Allies Assemble:
There never was any doubt that the heroes of Earth would step up to challenge Thanos. However, that doesn’t stop this issue from issue a call to action. Doctor Strange opens a portal and issues a summons for heroes not currently assembled at the Sanctum Santorum. The arrival of the heroes is a product of its times as each steps through Strange’s portal and announces their intention to answer the call. Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Drax, Firelord, Nova, Sub-Mariner, Cloak, Cyclops, and Scarlet Witch all join the assembled heroes by stepping through the portal. Not everyone is so easy to convince though. Hulk initially refused to join the assembled force over a grudge. The Avengers rejected the Hulk for years, but, now that he is reformed, they welcome him back. That’s enough for the Hulk.
This isn’t the final step is assembling the army to challenge Thanos. Adam Warlock and Silver Surfer take a trip, courtesy of Dr. Strange’s cosmic portal, to the far corner of the galaxy. There they unite with Quasar and Epoch to recruit additional allies. For casual comic fans, many of these allies are likely unknowns. Lord Chaos, Master, the Watcher, Order, Stranger, Love and Hate, Eternity, Living Tribunal, Lord Kronos, Galactus, and a pair of Celestials all answer Warlock’s summons. Not everyone agrees to join the campaign and each makes their case for or against their invovlement.
The text of this issue describes Eternity as “the actual embodiment of all there is!” and Thanos seeks to unseat him in that role. The Living Tribunal hears Eternity’s argument and hold that Thanos’s challenge is rightful as the result of natural selection. Therefore, he refuses to join the cause. After hearing its ruling, Eternity also departs. The Watcher too cannot participate because his role is to observe and record. Chaos, Order, Stranger, and the others agree to aid Warlock.
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Thanos Tries Jealousy:
Thanos has gone to incredible and desperate lengths to win Mistress Death’s heart. For example, in issue one he builds a shrine to her. When that fails, he turns Nebula, his granddaughter, into a monument to death by keeping her perpetually on the precipice of death, although she is incapable of dying. He builds on those failures with additional failures that include the torture of his brother, Starfox, in The Infinity Gauntlet #2. Now, Thanos attempts a truly desperate measure.
Out of thin air, Thanos creates Terraxia the Terrible. Terraxia’s complexion is similar to Thanos. Like the Mad Titan, she is purple and powerfully built. Thanos declares that Terraxia is “everything [his] soul longs for,” and “Terraxia is everything [Mistress Death] is not!” After Terraxia embraces Thanos, he boldly proclaims that he no longer has need of Death.
Either Thanos believed that this would soothe him, or it was an attempt at persuading Death through jealousy. Despite his claims that he no longer needed Mistress Death, Thanos casts longing looks at her as she walks away even while Terraxia embraces him. Furthermore, the look in Thanos’s eyes is one of sadness and disappointment. Despite his bold claims, he didn’t get what he was looking for. Indeed, he immediately calls for cosmic warfare.
The Infinity Gauntlet series has always had aspects of an epic myth. This portion of the story resembles various creation myths. Thanos is essentially alone as a supreme being in the universe. He creates Terraxia to cure this problem. The key difference is that Terraxia is closer to an equal. She is almost a spouse instead of a child. As of yet, she has not had an opportunity to rebel against her creator and supplant him.
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Dire Fate for the Heroes:
The issue concludes with an attack by the heroes on Thanos’s palace. Although the attack does not actually commence, it is ill-fated. For one, Vision analyzed the Avengers’ prior engagements with Thanos and determined that although they defeated Thanos in the past, they can’t do it without help. Specifically, they couldn’t defeat Thanos unless Thanos wanted to be defeated on some level. Therefore, their chances of defeating Thanos were almost zero.
In addition, Adam Warlock knows Earth’s assembled heroes stand no chance of defeating Thanos. He says as much when he tells Silver Surfer, “Our allies’ power is less than nothing against Thanos’s might. They stand defeated before the battle has even bgun.” Indeed, he confesses “the true purpose of their attack is merely diversionary,” and “the are sacrificial lambs.” It is exactly as he planned.
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Concluding Thoughts on The Infinity Gauntlet #3:
If Warlock is correct, then The Infinity Gauntlet #3 stands to go poorly for Earth’s heroes. Undoubtedly, Warlock has the best intentions. The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. However, his lack of candor with the heroes rankles the conscience. Villains such as Doctor Doom obviously aren’t to be trusted. Heroes, such as Captain America, would likely lay down their lives to preserve their country and world. In addition, Warlock calls on the heroes to trust him and follow his leadership. Should the heroes of Earth and the cosmic entities assembled under his banner survive this, would they ever be able to trust Warlock again? Perhaps that is a cross Warlock is willing to bear.
Over the prior two issues, this series compared favorably to an epic myth. This issue compounds the comparison. Many of the heroes answer Doctor Strange’s call to action. In ancient mythologies, many of the gods destroy their own creators and supplant them. In this series, Marvel’s heroes occupy a position akin to a demi-god. Although they don’t intend to unseat Thanos and take his place, he clearly represents a level of power above their own. In addition, Thanos ascended to a level of godhood by collecting artifacts that granted him godlike power as he attempted to become the equal of Mistress Death.
Considering that Earth’s heroes are just now preparing an attack on Thanos, it seems likely things will not go well for them. There are, after all, three issues left in this series. In all likelihood, they are ready for a defeat as Warlock predicted. However, that will make their inevitable triumph in the end all the much sweeter….
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