Thor: Ragnarok Reveals A Major Truth About The Infinity Gauntlet

***Spoiler Warning: This article includes revealing plot details of Thor: Ragnarok***

Thor: Ragnarok answers one of our biggest unanswered Marvel Cinematic Universe questions of how and why there are two Infinity Gauntlets and it does so just in time for Avengers: Infinity War. As it turns out, only one is real.

Director Kenneth Branagh's Thor (2011) was not only one of the earliest character movies in the MCU, and the one that most directly setup The Avengers (2012), but it's also the most intriguing and ambitious in terms of what it teased of the larger universe outside of our little human planet, Earth (or "Terran" as it's known as in other parts of the galaxy).

Related: Read our review of Thor: Ragnarok

This is especially true in the first Thor's scenes in Odin's Vault where a collection of seemingly powerful and mystical artifacts from Marvel Comics lore are stored and displayed. That movie revolved around the Casket of Ancient Winters which was stored here, a relic from the realm of Jotunheim where the Frost Giants (and Loki) are from. As characters visit the vault throughout the film, several other objects are briefly displayed, most notably the Infinity Gauntlet.

And that year while promoting Thor at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego, that Infinity Gauntlet along with Thor's mighty hammer Mjolnir made their way to the Marvel booth on the convention floor where with a large Asgardian throne room was on display. What is just a golden glove to casual viewers and an amazing Easter Egg for Marvel Comics readers was actually the greatest tease of the long-term plan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what 22 films would ultimately revolve around - the introduction and assembly of six Infinity Stones into this very Infinity Gauntlet.

But not really.

Odin's Vault is Full of Fake MCU Relics and Artifacts

It's not that Infinity Gauntlet. See, the shiny golden glove we saw back in 2010 at SDCC and the year after in Thor isn't actually the Infinity Gauntlet. It's as much a prop to Odin and Asgard as it is to fans and Marvel in real life. The real Infinity Gauntlet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is actually with its wielder, Thanos. The post-credits sequence attached to 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron featuring Thanos equipping the Infinity Gauntlet is legit in that it's the real thing.

For some reason Odin has a fake one on display in his prize collection, at least, according to Hela (Cate Blanchett) who walks through Odin's Vault during Thor: Ragnarok labelling most of the MCU relics here as "fake." So, it's either just a place holder for Odin's would-be collection, or the real things were traded out. It doesn't matter since Marvel cleanly retconned all that stuff out of existence before destroying Asgard at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. That means, additional objects in Odin's Vault, relics we thought to be The Eternal Flame, The Warlock's Eye, The Orb of Agamatto and the Tablet of Life, etc. were all probably fake too.

The Infinity Gauntlet Thanos Has Is The Real One

Marvel Studios and its boss Kevin Feige simply didn't know how massive and successful the MCU would really be at the time, and now all of those things could have actual plot use in future Marvel features. The Infinity Gauntlet certainly does and that's why Thor: Ragnarok specifically includes a sequence to rectify the confusion over there potentially being two Infinity Gauntlets.

This fits with what Kevin Feige said two years ago while doing press for Avengers: Age of Ultron where he confirmed that the gauntlet in Odin's Vault was not the same as the one Thanos put on in its post-credits button, and with Thor: Ragnarok they successfully turn the Easter Egg from the original Thor into just that.

So, Thanos has the gauntlet, has an alien army, and has his mighty minions known as the Black Order, now he just needs the six Infinity Stones scattered across the cosmos. Of the six, five have been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, leaving the location of the final one (the Soul Stone) still a mystery. We explore that here and explain why it's likely to be introduced in 2018's Black Panther, that film on the Marvel schedule before Avengers: Infinity War. And it's here in the third Avengers where Thanos will collect and use the Infinity Gauntlet. After all, directors (and brothers) Anthony and Joe Russo describe Avengers 3 as a Thanos-centric heist film.

What an amazing, long-term setup and payoff!

More: Thor: Ragnarok Post-Credits Scenes Explained in Detail

In Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok”the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization”at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger”the Incredible Hulk!

Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi and returns Chris Hemsworth starring as Thor and Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. They are joined by Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban, with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. Kevin Feige is producing with Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Thomas M. Hammel and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost wrote the screenplay.

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