Marvel's New Black Infinity Stone Has A Disturbing Secret

Contains spoilers for "Thanos" #4 (by Christopher Cantwell, Luca Pizzari, German Peralta, Ruth Redmond, and VC's Cory Petit)

Marvel Comics is teasing a seventh Infinity Stone, and it has direct ties to Thanos, Death, and the pair's collective powers.

In "Thanos" #4, the Mad Titan battles the living embodiment of Death as Marvel's powerful new Illuminati team tries to stop the cosmic chaos the pair unleash. Death recently underwent major changes as Thanos searched for her, taking on the human form of a young woman named Roberta in order to truly understand what it means to be alive. She agreed to a deal with the Illuminati, providing pertinent information on a catastrophic event due to hit Earth in exchange for their help in transforming her and giving her a new life.

Unfortunately, Death's attempts to learn more about humanity have been stifled by Thanos, whose one-sided quest for her affection and unrequited love leads him to kill Roberta, knowing it would bring back her true form. The move greatly angers Death, and she unleashes her full might against Thanos in response to his selfish actions. In the process, a new Infinity Stone is born from the calamity, one whose potential power is disturbingly high.

For readers who have followed the most recent adventures of Thor, where the seventh Infinity Stone was introduced, the revelation appears to tie into a story years in the making.

In "Thanos" #4, Death tries to kill her relentless suitor, attacking him with the full strength of her rage and anger. However, her powers don't take him down. Instead, Thanos finds his footing, claims Death has become unworthy of her title, and unleashes the full might of his cosmic powers at her. As the fight unfolds, Death scoffs at the Illuminati's efforts in trying to stop it, taking the heroes out of the battle by showing them dark visions of their past.

As Thanos stands on the brink of defeat, he calls on the power he witnessed after being sucked into a black hole alongside Death — where he was previously stranded following a past fight with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The broken-hearted Thanos manages to trap Death inside a prison of his creation, which appears to be a black Infinity Stone, explaining that having been trapped himself allowed him to forge a new dwelling where even she could be contained. He tells Death that she is being punished for her transgressions and that if she refuses to stand by his side, he will keep her as his own.

Outside the prison, the Illuminati ask Thanos how he created the Black Stone and what he intends to do with it. But he refuses to reveal what happened or how he was able to forge such a powerful item, one strong enough to trap Death. The series ends with Thanos escaping and looking at the gem as he calls for the world's eventual end.

A black Infinity Stone has been teased by Marvel since "Thor" #6 (by Donny Cates, Nic Klein, Matt Wilson, and Joe Sabino). In that issue, after encountering the Black Winter, Thor is shown a dark vision of his future.

Thor, along with the reader, learns more about how his grandfather Bor was somehow connected to the Black Stone. The God of Thunder later refers to it as an Infinity Stone in "Thanos: Death Notes" (by Torrun Gronbekk, Andrea Di Vito, David Curiel, and VC's Travis Lanham). In "Thor" #33 (by Gronbekk, Juan Gedeon, Matt Wilson, and VC's Joe Sabino), Marvel appears to finally begin unwrapping the mystery of the Black Stone. In the story, Thor travels to a mysterious and forbidden part of Asgard where he learns his grandfather attempted to plant the Galactus Seed to gain additional powers of the undead. However, a time-displaced Thanos interrupted Bor's plan in his search to find the Black Stone. But the story was a misdirect, leading to the revelation that the god's actions created Hela, not the seventh Infinity Stone Thanos sought.

Since then, it has seemed like Marvel would never follow through on the truth behind the Black Stone, with bits and pieces of its existence being teased but not fully explained. This makes the revelation in "Thanos" #4 a satisfying surprise.

If the Black Stone is the seventh Infinity Stone Thor saw in his visions from the Black Winter, and all indications are that it is, then there is a good reason for the Marvel Universe as a whole to be very, very frightened. At some point in the future, Thanos may regain the original six gems along with the Black Stone, allowing him to create an army with an incredible amount of power. With Death trapped inside the stone, he may be able to use her powers at his whim — meaning Thanos could control death, transform heroes into their undead forms, and stop anyone who stands in his way. The power-up would make him more indestructible than he's ever been. Death won't be able to combat his manipulation of death as long as she remains contained, while Earth's Mightiest Heroes may very well be helpless against him. 

Ultimately, Death's imprisonment inside the Black Stone could lead to the most terrifying version of Thanos being unleashed. With Death's powers, there's no telling what he's capable of. And with "Thanos" #4 ending with the tease that the Mad Titan will return in 2024, readers will find out exactly what the newest Infinity Stone will allow him to accomplish sooner rather than later.

Readers can witness the creation of the Black Stone in "Thanos" #4, which is now in comic book stores and available via online retailers.