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2024 was the biggest year for Marvel‘s Phil Coulson since his death in 2012’s The Avengers. That’s not just because he was resurrection from death, but because he gained immense cosmic power, literally replacing a god in Marvel canon. Nobody guessed that 2024 would transform Phil Coulson, let alone make him the godlike leader of Marvel’s most powerful team.
2024 saw a major upheaval in the lore surrounding the Infinity Stones, as Thanos revealed he had created a new ‘Death Stone.’ However, things really changed when the Stone escaped its creator, resurrecting and empowering former SHIELD agent Phil Coulson. Not only did this give Coulson major new powers, but it forced him to replace Death, becoming Marvel’s new Grim Reaper.
The Death Stone was created when Thanos bound the entity known as Death (and often manifesting as his cosmic love ‘Lady Death’) to an artificial Infinity Stone. Now that the Stone is bonded to Phil Coulson, he’s forced to take Death’s place, presiding over mortality in the Marvel Universe as a literal scythe-wielding skeleton.
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Thanos’ Creation of the Death Stone Also Resurrected Coulson
The Death Stone was created in Christopher Cantwell and Luca Pizzari’s Thanos miniseries. In that story, Thanos discovered that Lady Death had incarnated as a human, wanting to experience life for the first time. Thanos considered this a dereliction of duty and trapped Death in his new Death Stone, intending to wield her powers as his own. Thanos set out on a quest for the original Infinity Stones, needing them to break Death to his will. This kicked off the ‘Infinity Watch’ crossover, taking place across Marvel’s 2024 annuals.
Thankfully, in Al Ewing, Derek Landy, David Baldeón and Sara Pichelli’s The Immortal Thor Annual #1, the Death Stone escaped Thanos’ grasp and bonded with the corpse of Phil Coulson. Coulson was killed by Deadpool in the run-up to the Secret Empire event, with a false Captain America having tricked Wade into assassinating the SHIELD hero.
Since 2018’s Infinity Wars, each of the Infinity Stones has been biologically bonded to a specific person, with the new hosts including former villains, flawed heroes and self-serving rogues. ‘Infinity Watch’ brought them together under Coulson’s leadership, forging these disparate, godlike heroes into an actual team. Coulson and Mind Stone bearer Colleen Wing committed to training the Bearers as the new Infinity Watch, keeping the Stones out of the wrong hands. The current roster is as follows:
Infinity Watch Roster Explained
Infinity Stone
Current Wielder
Current Powers
Affiliation
First Appearance
Reality Stone
Star (Ripley Ryan)
Short-range reality manipulation
Former Thunderbolts member and Captain Marvel enemy
Captain Marvel #1 by Kelly Thompson & Carmen Carnero
Space Stone
Quantum
Close-range teleportation and portals
Former henchman for the Assessor and Miles Morales enemy
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #7 by Saladin Ahmed & Javier Garrón
Mind Stone
Colleen Wing
Telepathy, hypnosis and illusion creation
Former member of Heroes for Hire and founding member of the Daughters of the Dragon
Marvel Premiere #19 by Doug Moench and Larry Hama
Soul Stone
Multitude (aka Ward)
Can summon lifelike energy constructs
Solo operator
Avengers Annual #1 by Jed MacKay & Travel Foreman
Time Stone
Overtime (aka Hector Bautista)
Low-power time manipulation, including pausing events and very short-range time travel
Solo operator
Infinity Wars: Infinity #1 by Gerry Duggan & Mark Bagley
Power Stone
Apex (aka Otherone)
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 & Juan Cabal
Death Stone
Phil Coulson
Resurrection, ability to cause immense pain (living death)
Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent
Battle Scars #6 by Chris Yost, Matt Fraction, Cullen Bunn and Scot Eaton
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Phil Coulson Has Become Marvel’s Grim Reaper
He’s Considering the Codename ‘Deathbolt’
December’s Infinity Watch #1 (from Derek Landy and Ruairí Coleman) picks up the story, with Coulson training his new team. However, the issue also reveals that – since Lady Death is trapped in the Death Stone – Coulson is now acting as Marvel’s Grim Reaper, appearing all over the world to usher the dead to the other side. Coulson mentions that he adopts the shape that the dying most expect to see, but also has a dedicated ‘superhero’ look – a sharp black suit with a silver skull pin.
Coulson mentions he’s considering the hero name ‘Deathbolt,’ since this is what he calls his energy powers.
So far, Coulson’s new Death Stone powers include the ability to resurrect the dead, cause the living to experience a glimpse of death, and unleash energy blasts which have the capacity to kill. However, his new cosmic purpose is definitely the most impressive evolution, as the former SHIELD agent takes on the literal duties of Death in the Marvel Universe while still retaining his human identity.
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Phil Coulson Becoming Death Is an Unexpected Character Evolution
The Ultimate Hero Fan Has Become Something Way Darker
Coulson doesn’t have a particularly long history as a Marvel hero, debuting in 2012 in a clear reference to Clark Gregg’s character in the MCU. This is the first time he’s had true superpowers, so it’s shocking to see him become not just a superhero, but a cosmic god essential to life in the Marvel Universe. In Marvel lore, worlds without death become part of the ‘Cancerverse’ – an eldritch collection of realities ruled by Lovecraftian gods called the Many-Angled Ones. Coulson has gone from being a secret agent to protecting reality itself.
However, becoming Death is also a surprise given Coulson’s personality. Coulson has spent his life trying to save innocent people, and he valorized Marvel’s heroes because of their commitment to doing the same. While Coulson is still committed to fighting the good fight with his death powers, embodying the end of life is an unusual fit for his priorities as a good-hearted protector.
No-one predicted at the beginning of 2024 that Phil Coulson would become Marvel’s new Death, or that he’d be leading his own superhero team. However, it’s a move that has brought a much-loved character out of the grave and turned him into one of Marvel’s most essential heroes, as the new Infinity Stoneturns Phil Coulson into Marvel‘s Grim Reaper.
Infinity Watch #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] The Death Stone changed everything. Read More