Keeping Up with Avengers: Infinity War

Here at Spirit Halloween, we’re all about awesome, world-saving superheroes and the amazing films that feature them—which is why we’re totally losing our minds over Avengers: Infinity War! With so many heroes featured in the film and so much going on, it can be hard to keep up with this on-screen epic. Sure, you probably know who the Avengers are and the Guardians of the Galaxy, along with some of our other personal favorite superheroes like Doctor Strange and Spider-Man. But how familiar are you with the “big bad guy” of the film? What about the Infinity Stones? Avengers: Infinity War is a giant clash of heroes, villains, and cosmic powers—and it’s a lot to keep up with! As excited as we are about this new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, we’re even more excited to help you keep track of the things you might not know…and to help you answer all of your kids’ questions!

Who are the Children of Thanos?

The Children of Thanos, also known as the Black Order, is an elite group dedicated to following Thanos’ every command. Much like Gamora, Thanos took these individuals in and raised them as his own after invading their planets. Unlike Gamora, however, the Children of Thanos are extremely loyal to him and his cause. The group spends much of Infinity War attacking Earth, trying to obtain the Infinity Stones for Thanos. Trained in combat and each featuring their own signature weapons, the Children of Thanos prove that they’re not a force to be messed with.

• Proxima Midnight: Leader of the Black Order and the only female member. She comes off as particularly cruel and callous, except when it comes to showing concern for her brothers. Her main weapon is an advanced, three-pronged spear that she could control at will and summon back to her immediately.
• Corvus Glaive: Considered Thanos’ second in command, Corvus is assigned with the task of retrieving the Mind Stone from Vision—and he takes this job quite seriously. His main weapon is—you guessed it, a glaive. His glaive looks almost like a scythe in appearance, and in the comics it makes him almost immortal.
• Cull Obsidian: Cull is the largest and strongest of Thanos’ children, and shows no mercy or hesitation on the battlefield. Much like his fighting style, his weapon is large and deadly. While he mostly used his weapon as a hammer, the head could be shot out to hit or grab enemies, and it could also be used as a shield.
• Ebony Maw: Unlike Thanos’ other children, Ebony Maw is not headstrong or bloodthirsty. Cold and calculated, he appears to have a higher intelligence than his adoptive siblings, and boasts that he’s never failed Thanos. While he does not have a weapon of choice, Ebony has the power of telekinesis that he uses much to his advantage on the battlefield. There’s also a hilarious moment in the film where Iron Man refers to him as “Squidward.”

What are the Infinity Stones? Where are they?

The Infinity Stones are sources of absolute power created by a group of primordial beings known as the Cosmic Entities. The stones are said to represent the different powers of the universe, and can only be used by strong, powerful beings that can handle their power—if someone who is not strong enough makes contact with any of the stones, they are destroyed almost immediately. Because of this, humans and other lesser beings have used advanced technology to contain the stones. This allows someone to use the powers of the stone without ever truly touching it.

There are six Infinity Stones in the MCU. If you’re interested in a quick break down of the Infinity Stones, keep reading below:

• Space Stone (Blue): The Space Stone is one of the first stones we’re introduced to, appearing in both Captain America and The Avengers. It’s contained in what’s known as the Tesseract.
  • Power: The Space Stone allows its user to control space itself; this includes the ability to teleport through space almost immediately, travel through dimensions, and moving objects by manipulating the space surrounding them.
  • Location: The last we saw of the Space stone was when Thor took it from Loki and brought it to his home, Asgard, where it’s locked away in Odin’s vault. However, in Thor: Ragnarok, it’s suggested that Loki once again has stolen the Space Stone.
• Mind Stone (Yellow): The Mind Stone is the other stone that we’re introduced to early on, appearing in Loki’s Scepter in The Avengers.
  • Power: The Mind Stone allows its user to control the minds of others, communicate telepathically, and grants an incredible amount of knowledge to its user or whoever it is used on.
  • Location: Initially contained in Loki’s Scepter, the stone is later taken by the Avengers and used to create Vision, whose forehead now holds it.
• Reality Stone (Red): The Reality Stone is unlike the others, in the sense that…well, it’s not actually a stone It’s first shown in Thor: Dark World as a liquid substance called Aether.
  • Power: It’s said that the Reality Stone can alter the fabric of reality, though we have yet to actually see its power on screen.
  • Location: Because Asgard was already home to the Space Stone, the Aether was delivered to The Collector, who then put it in his vault on Knowhere.
• Power Stone (Purple): First introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, the Power Stone was contained in what’s known as the Orb.
  • Power: The power stone grants its user cosmic power capable of destroying all organic life it comes in contact with.
  • Location: While the Guardians of the Galaxy delivered it to the Nova Corps, teasers of Infinity War have shown that the Power Stone is already placed in Thanos’ gauntlet…yikes!
• Time Stone (Green): Revealed to be contained in the Eye of Agamotto in Doctor Strange, the Time Stone is still safe in the hands of this magical superhero.
  • Power: As seen in Doctor Strange, the stone can grant its user the ability to manipulate and control time. Doctor Strange uses the stone sparingly, as doing so can create alternate timelines and tear the fabric of reality as we know it.
  • Location: While the Time Stone was initially kept safe in the Kamar-Taj, the training grounds for sorcerers and sorceresses of the Mystic Arts, it is later seen hanging from Doctor Strange’s neck.
• The Soul Stone (Orange): The only stone we have yet to see in film, the Soul Stone’s location is a mystery to everyone. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos sends Gamora in search of the Soul Stone…though we never see her find it.  
  • Power: The Soul Stone is said to be the most powerful of all six Infinity Stones. Its power grants its user control over life and death itself, and the ability to know the soul of anyone it encounters.
  • Location: ?????

Why does Thanos want the Infinity Stones?

Thanos is a Titan warlord, and perhaps the most feared being in the universe. He believes that overpopulation will be the downfall of the universe, much like it was the downfall for his own planet. Convinced that he was the only one with the will to do so, Thanos began invading planet after planet, destroying half of the population so that the other half may thrive without depleting their resources. After learning more of the Infinity Stones, Thanos realized that the stones would give him the power to eliminate half of the universe instantly. And so Thanos has made it his life-long mission to obtain all six Infinity Stones, so that he can bring balance to the universe; in Thanos’ eyes, this would ultimately mean that no one in the universe would ever have to struggle to survive again.

Am I prepared for Avengers: Infinity War?

Oh, boy—are any of us truly prepared? What we can say, now that you have a better idea of what’s going on, is that you’ll be more prepared to follow the plot of the film. You’ve got a great understanding of what the Infinity Stones are, why Thanos wants them, and who Thanos is sending to get them—and we’re sure you’re already familiar with our awesome universe of superheroes who are ready to fight him every step of the way. But are you mentally prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that this film promises to take you on? Probably not.

So when you or your kids come out of the theater, loving your favorite hero (or villain) more than ever, you’ll be excited to know that Spirit Halloween now has an awesome selection Avengers: Infinity War Halloween costumes! Whether you want to suit up just in time for Halloween or you want to become your favorite character for the next big con, Spirit’s deluxe superhero costumes will have any Marvel fan looking battle-ready in no time!

And, if you want to show off your own super style, you can send us pictures of your awesome costumes to spiritblog@spirithalloween.com. Your pictures may just be featured in an upcoming blog post!