How All The Infinity Stones In The Comics Are Super Different Than The MCU

The Mind Stone was rather confusingly introduced in The Avengers, stored in a blue shell on the end of Loki's staff. It turned out the Stone itself was actually yellow, which we didn't discover until Avengers: Age of Ultron, finally putting to bed some really confusing questions about the Space Stone and the Mind Stone being fused in the MCU. The Mind Stone brought the Vision to life and now rests securely in his forehead, which hopefully remains the case for his sake. Thanos, however, is probably going to be the cause of a really bad day for our friend the Vision.

The Mind Gem actually was blue in the comics (compounding the aforementioned confusion) and first appeared in Avengers Annual #7 (1977). It was the manifestation of the universe's collective subconscious, granting the user enhanced mental and psionic abilities, as well as granting them access to the thoughts and dreams of others. When used in tandem with the Power Gem it allowed the wielder access to "all minds in existence simultaneously."

The Space Stone was the first Infinty Stone introduced in the MCU and has appeared in multiple films so far. Technically, it made its debut in Thor, specifically in the post-credits scene in which Loki gets his hands on it through Dr. Selvig. The Stone was referred to as the Tesseract. Whether that's the name of the stone itself or the blue cube in which it's contained is unclear, but it allows the wielder to cross any space instantaneously. It was the subject of Captain America: The First Avenger, and was last seen in The Avengers when Thor used it to take Loki back to Asgard in his custody, where it presumably remains.

In the comics the Space Gem is purple. Like in the movies, it allows the user to travel any distance or move objects across space and time instantaneously. At the height of its powers, it grants literal omnipresence: the state of being everywhere at once. More mundanely, it grants the wielder extra speed, which we'll likely see on display in Avengers: Infinity War. The Space Gem first appeared in Avengers Annual #7 (1977).

With the Reality Stone, the MCU took perhaps the most liberty from the source material, introducing the object in Thor: The Dark World as the Aether, a mercurial, red plasma-like substance constantly changing shape. In the movie, it was a little unclear what it did: change matter into dark matter? Make the wielder generally stronger? Make Kat Dennings's once loveable character super annoying? Regardless, it was given to the Collector in the post-credits scene, but his museum has since been destroyed, so its current whereabouts are unknown. 

The Reality Gem is yellow in the comics, first appearing in Avengers Annual #7 (1977). The Reality Gem grants wishes, in a way: it can provide literally anything to the wielder, regardless of physical laws. It can create an alternate reality for the user and, in concert with the other Stones, at its full power can change the reality of the entire universe.

The Power Stone first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, creatively called the Orb. The entire movie centered around it as multiple factions vied to control it. It is, in essence, pure power, purportedly too strong for a mere mortal to wield as it would shred them to bits. In fact, it looked like it was well on its way to doing so to Star Lord until his merry band of misfits joined hands in the least offensive display of corniness in film history, and used its power to destroy Ronan the Accuser. The Power Stone is currently in the safekeeping of the Nova Corps on planet Xandar.

In comics, the Power Gem can boost the other gems' abilities. Its true gift, however, is that it can access “all power and energy that ever has or will exist.” It grants the wielder omnipotence and allows them to mimic the physical superhuman abilities of others. The Power Gem debuted in Marvel Team-Up #55 (1977) in which Spider-Man and Warlock kick it on the moon, because comics are awesome.

Ironically, since it was the last Stone to make an appearance in the MCU, the Soul Gem was the first Stone introduced in the comics in Marvel Premiere #1 (1972). The most interesting thing about the Soul Gem is that it is sentient. It actively hungers for souls and can steal and control them (living or dead). It also allows the wielder to steal the powers or abilities of their victims.

In the comics, the Soul Stone has a pocket universe within it known as Soul World, an idyllic and peaceful paradise in which the original keeper of the Stone, Adam Warlock, would trap rowdy folks, and occasionally enter himself. Well, technically the High Evolutionary was the first keeper of the Stone, but he gave it to Adam Warlock for protection. We can’t yet say what the powers of the Soul Stone will be in the MCU, but we at least know that it will differ in color. In the books the Soul Stone is green, which obviously it can't be in the movies as the Time Stone already claimed that color. If the MCU follows the color conventions of the original Gems, the Soul Stone will be orange.

The Time Stone shows up in Doctor Strange, and beyond the change in color, it pretty perfectly displays the Gem's abilities in the books. In Doctor Strange, it is green and contained in an amulet called the Eye of Agamotto, which the Sorcerer Supreme used to thwart Kaecilius and Dormammu.

In the source material, the Time Gem is orange. It affords "the user total control over the past, present, and future." It can manipulate time in every possible way: stop it, slow it down, speed it up, reverse it, and pretty much anything else you can think of. It allows time travel and the ability to alter the past or future. And, as Benedict Cucumberpatch displayed in his fight against Dormammu, it can trap beings in unending loops of time. At its full power alongside the other gems, the Time Gem grants omniscience: knowledge of all things in existence at once. Its first comic book appearance is alongside the Power Gem in Marvel Team-Up #55 (1977).