Ever since the Tesseract first appeared in the post-credits scene of Thor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced five of the six Infinity Stones, powerful objects that will eventually be collected by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. With the stones spread wide across different films, realms, and planets, it’s easy to forget exactly where they all are, so here’s a quick reminder of the location of each Infinity Stone. This article does contain spoilers for the newly released Doctor Strange, so if you haven’t gotten a chance to see the film yet, you might want to hold off on reading this.
The Space Stone
Color: Blue
Appearances: Thor (Post-Credits), Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers
Powers: The Space Stone (also known as the Tesseract) has the ability to open portals between any two locations in the universe, as we saw in The Avengers when Loki used the portal to bring his Chitauri army to Earth. It also can be harnessed and used as a source of seemingly unlimited energy and was used to power Hydra weapons in Captain America: The First Avenger. S.H.I.E.L.D. also had plans to use the stone as a source for weapons after learning of the existence of extra-planetary threats like Thor and Loki.
Current Location: At the end of The Avengers, Thor takes Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. In the post-credits scene in Thor: The Dark World, we learn that the stone is still there, presumably guarded by Odin and his forces. However, now that Loki has secretly seized power and Odin seems to be somewhere lost on Earth (as we saw in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange), the Space Stone may not be as safe as we thought.
The Mind Stone
Color: Yellow
Appearances: The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War
Powers: First appearing in the scepter wielded by Loki in The Avengers, the Mind Stone has the power of mind control, allowing whoever uses it to bend others to their will. It also has some mysterious powers that we don’t yet completely understand, as it seems to be tied to the experiments that granted Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch their powers. It is also likely at least partially responsible for granting sentience to Ultron and Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Current Location: The Mind Stone currently sits in the center of Vision’s forehead, and is responsible for many of his powers. In Captain America: Civil War, Vision reveals that he does not completely understand the stone, and there may be more powers that he has yet to unlock. But Thor believes that he is a worthy guardian of the Mind Stone, and when Thanos comes to take it from him, it’s safe to assume that Vision will protect it with his life.
The Reality Stone
Color: Red
Appearances: Thor: The Dark World
Powers: The Reality Stone, or the Aether, is different from the other Infinity Stones, both in form and function. Unlike the other stones, the Reality Stone appears as a fluid or gel and appears to almost have a form of sentience. In Thor: The Dark World Odin says that the Aether “changes matter into dark matter,” and “seeks out host-bodies”. Wielding the Reality Stone can be deadly, but Malekith wishes to use it to cast the universe back into a primordial darkness. It’s not completely clear if the Reality Stone has other reality-bending properties, or if it simply has the power of matter to dark matter conversion.
Current Location: In the Post-Credits scene of Thor: The Dark World, Sif and the Warriors Three turn over the Reality Stone to be safeguarded by The Collector, fearing that holding more than one on Asgard is too dangerous. It’s not clear where exactly the Collector is keeping the Stone, but comments from Marvel Studios executives suggest that wherever it is, it was not affected by the explosion at The Collector’s museum on Knowhere during Guardians of the Galaxy
The Power Stone
Color: Purple
Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy
Powers: The Power Stone, hidden in an Orb found by Star-Lord on the desolated planet Morag, is an object that is capable of destroying entire planets. When wielded by someone who possesses the strength to do so without being destroyed, the stone creates a blast that spreads like a wave, obliterating everything in its path.
Current Location: After trolling Yondu and giving him a fake version of the Orb, Peter Quill decided the safest place for the Power Stone would be on Xandar, guarded by the Nova Corps.
The Time Stone
Color: Green
Appearances: Doctor Strange
Powers: The Time Stone, contained in a mystical relic called the Eye of Agamotto, allows the holder to manipulate the Space-Time Continuum. This includes moving time forward, backward, stopping it altogether, and creating infinite time loops. These powers were all seen in the finale of Doctor Strange, but they come with a severe warning: using the Time Stone can break Time, and defies the laws of nature.
Current Location: The Eye of Agamotto sits in the library of Kamar-Taj, safeguarded by Doctor Strange, Wong, and the other sorcerers. Wong has told Strange that he will wear the Eye again someday once he learns to master its power, so he may become its permanent protector at some point in the future.
The Soul Stone
Color: Orange
Appearances: Unknown
Powers: Unknown
Current Location: Almost nothing is currently known for certain about the Soul Stone. It’s possible that the final Infinity Stone is still hidden, and won’t be seen for the first time until a future movie. However, one popular theory suggests we’ve already seen the Soul Stone used many times throughout the films of the MCU, specifically in the Thor films. Heimdall, the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge, possesses the power to see “trillions of souls” from his post in Asgard. This ability is unique to Heimdall, and its origins have not been explained. It’s possible that Heimdall’s powers come from the Soul Stone, which would make sense given his powers and the unusual color of his eyes. If this is the case, we should probably expect to see Heimdall play a big role in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, the film that’s likely to introduce the final stone. Still, this is just speculation, it’s entirely possible that the Stone is hiding somewhere else in the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe. Either way, it will be essential to Thanos’s plan to unite all six Infinity Stones and wield them in the Infinity Gauntlet to become all-powerful.
