TheInfinity Watchhas been formed once again in theMarvelUniverse, a team of seven individuals each in possession of one of theInfinity Stones. However, this new lineup not only consists of completely new members, they’re also like nothing Marvel fans have seen from this legacy team before.These Infinity Watch members aren’t just in possession of the Infinity Stones, they are the Infinity Stones, as each Gem merges with its own ‘host’, imbuing them with unparalleled cosmic power. And now, this new Infinity Watch has officially been assembled.
InAvengers Annual 2024#1 by Derek Landy and Salvador Larroca,the new Infinity Watchcomes together for the first time. Their story was told acrossMarvel’s 2024 Annual titles, all of which featured each member of the new Infinity Watch either gaining their Infinity Stone powers for the first time, or coming to terms with the nature of them. Throughout that time,Thanos is hunting each member to once again claim the power of the Infinity Stonesfor himself.
After failing to take each Stone from its respective host one-by-one,Thanos is forced to fight the entire Infinity Watch lineup inAvengers Annual 2024#1. While he briefly had the upper hand, even Thanos proved no match for the raw power of the Infinity Stones and their new Infinity Watch. Now, with Thanos defeated, and the Infinity Stones secure, the Infinity Watch has taken to the cosmos, with a bright future ahead of them in Marvel Comics canon.
Who Are the New Members of the Infinity Watch? Roster & Powers, Explained
Marvel Comics’ New Infinity Watch: Star, Quantum, Multitude, Overtime, Apex, Colleen Wing, and Phil Coulson.
Each member of the Infinity Watch was chosen by their specific Infinity Stone after the Stones individually scoured the entire universe to find its ideal host. While one might assume the Infinity Stones would want to be wielded by proven heroes worthy of such cosmic power, the Infinity Watch lineup confirms that’s not exactly the case. Not only do the Infinity Stones choose characters who were once villains (or, at the very least, morally ambiguous), some also possess characters who rank among the weakest in the Marvel Universe.
Short-range reality manipulation
Thunderbolts member and Captain Marvel enemy
Captain Marvel#1 by Kelly Thompson and Carmen Carnero
Close-range teleportation and portals
Henchman for the Assessor and Spider-Man/Iron Man enemy
Miles Morales: Spider-Man#7 by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garrón
Telepathy, mind ejection, dream invasion, and psychic katana
Daughters of the Dragon and Iron Fist ally
Marvel Premiere#19 by Doug Moench, Larry Hama, and Neal Adams
Soul Stone
Multitude (aka Ward)
Summon lifelike energy constructs of any Marvel character (including Hulk, Spider-Man, etc.)
Solo operator
Avengers Annual#1 by Jed MacKay and Travel Foreman
Time travel and time manipulation
Infinity Wars: Infinity#1 by Gerry Duggan and Mark Bagley
Enhanced physique and ability to enhance powers of others
Galactic mercenary and Guardians of the Galaxy ally
Guardians of the Galaxy#3 by Al Ewing and Juan Cabal
Time-of-death omnipresence and pain/death inducement
Agent of SHIELD
Battle Scars#1 by Chris Yost, Cullen Bunn, Matt Fraction, and Scot Eaton
Two Infinity Watch members that immediately stick out are Star and Quantum due to their villainous histories. Star was introduced as a Captain Marvel villain, who wanted nothing more than to kill Carol Danvers and abuse her power however she could. Similarly, Quantum was a henchman of the villainous AI hivemind called the Assessor, who battled both Spider-Man and Iron Man on numerous occasions.
There’s also the likes of Multitude and Apex, who were never ‘villains’, per se, but they have definitely done things that were decidedly less than heroic. Multitude is an android designed to study human souls, but that directive soon turned into obsession. That was proven when he was approached by Gamora and Mantis, and refused to give them access to Drax’s original soul, Arthur Douglas, as he couldn’t let go of something so “beautiful”. Then, there’sApex, who destroyed his entire worldafter losing control of his god-tier power, before becoming a galactic mercenary.
The Infinity Stones also chose human hosts who would otherwise never wield such power. The first was a man named Hector Bautista, who was wrongfully convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, making him perhaps the most random Infinity Stone choice of the bunch. Then, Phil Coulson was chosen as an Infinity Stone host, as was Colleen Wing. Both are established heroes in the Marvel Universe, making them more understandable than the likes of Hector, but they’re still odd choices given their more earthbound/street-level histories.
But, strange or not, Star, Quantum, Multitude, Overtime, Apex, Colleen Wing, and Phil Coulson are the members of the new Infinity Watch, and they were chosen by the Infinity Stones themselves.
How Were the Infinity Stones Able to Choose Their Own Hosts in the First Place?
Infinity Warsby Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodatto, Jr.
Marvel’s new Infinity Watch formed because the Infinity Stones decided to merge with host bodies in order to act as their own protectors/guardians to better serve the universe. But, how did the Infinity Stones gain such autonomy? Well, that’s all thanks to the actions of one man during 2018’s Infinity Wars crossover event: Adam Warlock.
InInfinity Wars, Gamora murders Thanos with the power of the Power Stone to eliminate any major competition as she attempted to gather the Infinity Stones for herself. Gamora did this in order to obtain a piece of her soul that was trapped within the Soul Gem, and her quest led to a number of bizarre consequences. One of which was Gamora’s creation of Warp World within the Soul Gem (which was basically an Amalgam Universe of mash-up Marvel characters), which she did after obtaining the Infinity Stones - effectively eliminating the previous Infinity Watch in the process.
Every Marvel Character Who Used The Infinity Stones (Besides Thanos)
The Infinity Stones are some of the most sought-after items in the Marvel Universe; these are the strongest characters who have gathered them.
It was only after Adam Warlock took hold of the Soul Stone once more that things were set back to normal. Gamora was punished for her crimes, the physical universe was restored/repopulated from Warp World, and the Infinity Watch was reinstated - but Warlock didn’t stop there. Adam Warlock used the power of the Soul Stone to give each of the Infinity Stones their own soul, thereby granting them autonomous consciousness. Afterward, each Stone shot away from its designated Infinity Watch member - including Warlock himself - which set the stage for the formation of the all-new, all-different Infinity Watch.
Marvel’s New Infinity Watch is the Most Powerful Incarnation of the Legacy Team
The First Infinity Watch Debuted inWarlock and the Infinity Watchby Jim Starlin and Angel Medina
While ‘Infinity Watch’ is the name the Infinity Stone-possessed heroes are going with moving forward, the current incarnation is nothing like what it was originally. The first Infinity Watch was created by Adam Warlock immediately following the events ofInfinity Gauntlet. Warlock created this collective to appease the Living Tribunal, who decreed that the Infinity Stones were too powerful to be wielded by one person all at once.
So, after Warlock obtained the Gauntlet inInfinity Gauntlet, he surrendered that power at the behest of the Living Tribunal. Thus, the Infinity Watch was born, as each member was charged with protecting a single Stone after swearing to refrain from using them or collecting them. The original lineup was: Warlock, Gamora, Pip the Troll, Drax, Moondragon, and Thanos. Over time, the Infinity Watch lineup changed, until it finally became the one featured in Infinity Wars: Warlock, Turk Barrett, Black Widow, Star-Lord, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange.
InInfinity Wars, the more classic incarnation of the legacy Infinity Watch team was dismantled, which led directly to the rise of the new Infinity Watch consisting of members who had actually merged with the Infinity Stones themselves (rather than just holding onto them). That transition acts as a powerful metamorphosis for the team, and proves that the new Infinity Watch is far stronger than any other lineup.
Indeed, the Infinity Watch has had a long history in Marvel Comics canon, and the latest version of it is unlike anything Marvel fans have seen before. And, most exciting of all, this is just the start of the newInfinity Watch’s adventures in theMarvelUniverse, and only time will tell what will become of theseInfinity Stone-powered heroes.
