The Infinity Stones Stop Working When Their Universe Is Destroyed
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone from being a single movie to a whole gamut of media content that does not stop coming. After Avengers Endgame we assumed that the franchise would take a little breather. But the creative heads at Marvel Studios have changed gears and picked up speed. This is evident from the latest What If…? show by Marvel on Disney+. The show focuses on alternate realities and the finale brings back the infinity stones. It also inadvertently revealed that The Infinity Stones stop working when their Universe is destroyed.
The fans have been perplexed by the inconsistent treatment of the stones. But u/Doc_Hobb has a theory that he posted in r/FanTheories. Take a look:
“So, lately it’s seemed like with What If? and Loki, there isn’t a set rule for Infinity Stones and where / how they work. In Loki, there’s a mass of depowered Infinity Stones that we’re led to believe don’t work outside their own universe. This belief, I think, is partially due to the fact that in the comics that is the rule. And as we’re shown, all the ones in the TVA are effectively useless.
Then we have now, What If? Where we’re seeing certain characters use Stones outside their own universes and it’s wreaking havoc. In reality, it can probably be accounted for by a simple lack of rules between canons but I have a theory I think works for both of these.
The infinity stones stop working when a universe or timeline is pruned/destroyed. In this case, each time they pruned a timeline, the source from which those stones drew power is now gone and we’re left with just rocks.”
The Infinity Stones Stop Working After Their Universe Is Wrecked
Fans have been continually annoyed by how the Marvel Cinematic Universe treats their plot devices. There is a lot of plot convenience going around. It seems that this has finally found its way to the surface with the release of What If…? In Loki, we were introduced to the concept that the Infinity Stones do not work in the TVA. They were shown to be used as paperweights by the staff at the TVA. The reason for this was that they were powerless on this plane.
We assumed that this meant that the Infinity Stones or a particular set of them could not work outside their native universe. However, What IF…? has disproved this theory and we now find ourselves in a weird position. You see, as soon as Ultron used the stones in the realm of The Watcher he changed the rules that Loki set. The stones are active and powerful everywhere, so the question arises, why didn’t Loki steal one and use it to escape while on a mission. Well, the above theory that we shared might hold the answers to this question.
The Redditor suggests that the common denominator between the power of the stones and their usage is the existence of the universe not the placement of the stones. Ergo the original timeline must be still alive and well for the stones to exert their power. Once the TVA prunes/ destroys a timeline the stone’s powers get cut off and they can no longer be used by anyone. This means that they do effectively become paperweights after their native timeline is eradicated.
What are the Rules?
We do wonder if the writers are aware of the loopholes they have created? One contention that we have received about this theory on the modus of the stones is that Strange Supreme continues to harness the time stone even after his universe is “destroyed”. Well, we would like to remind people that Strange Supreme’s universe is still intact inside the pocket dimension he created so the power source of the stone has not been completely cut off. This means that the infinity stones stop working only at complete destruction.
What exactly could be their power source? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and keep watching this space for everything Marvel, DC, and Hollywood. Excelsior!!
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