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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Infinity Watch #3! Thanos is probably the most famous wielder of the Infinity Stones in Marvel Comics history, despite the fact that a number of other characters have held them before, including the latest villain to do so: Norman Osborn aka the Green Goblin. However, even if Thanos is technically just one of the many, the storylines centered around Thanos gathering and wielding the Stones are some of the most iconic in Marvel Comics history. But, Thanos flubbed them, and now it’s the Green Goblin’s turn to harness the Infinity Stones’ cosmic power.
In Infinity Watch #3 by Derek Landy and Enid Balám, the newly-formed Infinity Watch – consisting of those who have bonded with the Infinity Stones known as Stone Bearers – have found themselves in a pocket dimension created by the Reality Stone Bearer, Star. The reason Star created this dimension in the first place was to save herself, her team, and her entire universe from the villainous Avery Zavala. Zavala is a Stone Bearer from another universe (one that had been destroyed) who traveled to Earth-616 to steal that universe’s Infinity Stones and use them to overwrite his old universe onto Earth-616.
Avery Zavala almost succeeded, too, as he murdered nearly all the members of the Infinity Watch and bonded their Stones to the hilt of his sword, transforming the weapon into the Infinity Blade – a way to channel the power of the Infinity Stones that is akin to the Infinity Gauntlet. However, Star used her Reality Stone to create a pocket dimension just in time, trapping herself, the Infinity Watch, and Zavala in this newly-created reality populated by variants of iconic Marvel Comics characters. Unfortunately, when Star was creating this universe, Zavala’s influence helped shape it as well.
Because of Zavala’s interference, all the Marvel villains follow Zavala as their leader, including the likes of Doctor Doom, Sabretooth, and the Green Goblin. Not only that, but all the Infinity Stones that were bonded with their Stone Bearers have become housed in the hilt of the Infinity Blade. That means that anyone who has possession of the Blade has possession of every single Infinity Stone. And, by the end of this comic, the person who ends up with the Infinity Blade is none other than the Green Goblin.
Why Norman Osborn is a Better Choice to Wield the Infinity Stones than Thanos
Norman Osborn Has Certain Qualities Thanos Sorely Lacks
Norman Osborn oftentimes gets a bad rap because of his Green Goblin persona, and while that is one he is certainly embracing in this issue of Infinity Watch, it seems different this time around. Originally, the Green Goblin persona was something of a split personality, one that was utterly insane and completely unreasonable. In Infinity Watch #3, however, the Green Goblin seems more like a name and a mask that Norma uses for anonymity as a domestic terrorist, not an unhinged personality that craves only chaos. In other words, while this person might look like the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn is really the one running the show.
That is a crucial distinction, because it’s fair to say that the Green Goblin would not make a better wielder of the Infinity Stones than Thanos, as he’d assuredly just throw the universe into chaos for a laugh. However, Norman Osborn is a much more worthy person to wield such power, as he has experience reshaping his reality to better suit him – even in the face of superheroes and gods.
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I’m Disappointed Norman Osborn’s First Appearance In The MCU Is As Iron Man’s Replacement
Norman Osborn has arrived in the MCU, but I wasn’t expecting him to embody the role of Iron Man in his Spider-Man story quite so overtly.
During Marvel Comics’ Dark Reign story arc, Norman Osborn formed and led a super-villain collective called the Cabal, he created the Dark Avengers, he championed the Thunderbolts Initiative (which basically waged war on superhumans across the United States), and even led an attack on New Asgard. Osborn is just a regular human man in a world where superhumans and gods walk among humanity, yet even still, he managed to reshape his world, manipulate god-tier super-villains (including Doctor Doom), and bring his powerful enemies to their knees. Imagine what he could do with the power of a cosmic god?
Meanwhile, Thanos has famously become Marvel Comics’ biggest loser. Sure, he has followers and commands armies, but they don’t really do anything except get stopped by more powerful cosmic heroes whenever they pop up somewhere in the universe. Plus, Thanos literally always fumbles his cosmic power – both with the Infinity Gauntlet and even before that with the Cosmic Cube. Thanos is a powerful character, but it could be argued that Norman Osborn has done more without any superpowers than Thanos has done with god-tier power, making Norman a better fit to wield the power of the Infinity Stones.
The Green Goblin is Actually More Powerful with the Infinity Stones Than Thanos
The Green Goblin Has One Infinity Stone Thanos Didn’t Have: the Death Stone
Not only is the Green Goblin more fit to wield the cosmic power of the Infinity Stones than Thanos, but he’s actually more powerful now with the Infinity Blade than Thanos was with the Infinity Gauntlet. How is that possible? Well, it’s all because of a new Infinity Stone that was recently added to Marvel Comics canon: the Death Stone. The Infinity Blade holds the six original Infinity Stones that Thanos wielded in the Infinity Gauntlet event, but with the addition of the Death Stone as well. That gives the Green Goblin an entirely new universal element to his god-tier power that Thanos lacked, making him stronger.
Funny enough, Thanos is actually the reason the Green Goblin is a more powerful wielder of the Infinity Stones than he is, as Thanos was the one who created the Death Stone in the first place. In a previous storyline, Thanos trapped the essence of Mistress Death and compressed it into a gem, which resulted in the creation of the Death Stone. Thanos sought to wield the Death Stone, which would have finally given him possession over Mistress Death – something he had coveted for years. However, Thanos learned that the Infinity Stones have some say in who wields them, especially when it comes to forming a permanent bond, and the Death Stone did not choose him.
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Better Than Thanos: The Infinity Stones Master Is Here and His Power Is Indisputable
Many fans might think Thanos is the master of the Infinity Stones because of how prominently he wields them, but that honor goes to someone else.
And now, the Death Stone is the very reason the Green Goblin is more powerful with his Infinity Blade than Thanos was with his Infinity Gauntlet. However, the power disparity is arguably insignificant, making this more of a factoid than anything else. However, what does hold significance is the idea that the Green Goblin is actually better suited to wield the Infinity Stones than Thanos ever was, since all the Mad Titan has ever done with his cosmic power is fumble them.
Infinity Watch #3 by Marvel Comics is available now.
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