AVENGERS versus INFINITY WATCH

Warlock Must Die! (Marvel)
Where: Warlock and The Infinity Watch #27 When: April 1994 Why: Jim Starlin How: Tom Grindberg

The Story So Far...
While Adam Warlock attempts to use the combined Infinity Gems of Soul, Mind, and Power to unlock the lost memories of teammate Maxam -- he has no idea forces are conspiring to destroy he and The Infinity Watch!

US Senator Kyle Munson has used his mind-altering powers of hate to turn The Avengers into a bloodthirsty hit squad headed to Monster Island with a mission to kill Warlock!

The hate-mongering Senator is in truth the malicious Man-Beast who is out for revenge against Adam and The Infinity Watch for thwarting his attempts to conquer Counter-Earth and wield the powers of The Infinity Gauntlet!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Drax 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Giant-Man 6 (Genius)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Drax 6 (Generator)
Agility: Black Widow 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Drax 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Adam Warlock 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Adam Warlock 30 (Super)

The Avengers are: Captain America, Giant-Man, Thunderstrike, Black Widow, Hercules, and Vision.

Operating under brainwashing from the former Hate-Monger; The Avengers have already taken out Gamora in the previous issue, but apparently suffered the temporary loss of Vision as a consequence of the beach-side melee.

The Infinity Watch are: Adam Warlock, Moondragon, Drax The Destroyer, Maxam, and Pip The Troll.

The Watch are missing one of their best fighters, but they've still got a whole lot of cosmic might on their side! By nature of their assembly, they wield four of the Infinity Stones: Gems possessed of primordial energies of fundamental cosmic elements that once combined to make the Infinity Gauntlet.

Drax The Destroyer wields the Power Gem, adding it to his already impressive physical strength. In this incarnation we saw him team with Hulk to temporarily topple Thanos during The Infinity Gauntlet, and go toe-to-toe with Thor in the Infinity Crusade! He's a natural to neutralize Thunderstrike or Hercules.

Maxam lacks the boost of a gem, but his ability to increase his size & strength compliments Drax, taking care of either of the loose Avengers powerhouses, or maybe directly countering the super-sized might of Giant-Man!

With the Mind Gem enhancing her mental powers: Moondragon has the potential to neutralize any of their opponents, and maybe even finish the whole fight by breaking the brainwashing that's turned them against The Watch. Failing that, her hand-to-hand skills are good enough to test Black Widow or Captain America!

Warlock could similarly use his natural super-human gifts to fight The Avengers, or wield the Soul Gem to pull everyone into its pocket reality for a dose of soul-searching. if that fails and an exit strategy's needed: Pip the Troll might just be able to help the team escape with the Space Gem's teleporting potential.

We've seen The Avengers take on all kinds of challenges, but we've never seen them take this one. Let's find out what happened!

The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Captain America (#7)

What Went Down...

Through gritted teeth Captain America makes his mad declaration: "WARLOCK MUST DIE!"

The sentiment is echoed by Giant-Man as The Avengers square-up against The Infinity Watch. Adam Warlock asks for reason, while Drax mistakes Thunderstrike for Thor, and Pip The Troll leeringly confronts the Black Widow.

Pip disappears as quickly as The Widow's temper flares, while Warlock gives up on diplomacy and knocks Giant-Man to the ground with a flying right hook!

Moondragon takes the opportunity to launch a jumping martial arts kick, deflected by Captain America's shield. She takes on the hand-to-hand challenge, matching his bitter madness with her own critique of the "pompous" Avenger.

Maxam struggles to land a hit on Hercules, who remains bitter over their meeting during the Infinity Crusade. Herc aims to pay him back, using his own surprise attack to grab Drax by the cape and toss him into the ocean many miles away!

While Drax tries to figure out where he is -- Maxam finds himself caught between a rock lifted by Hercules, and the hard place of Thunderstrike's hammer!

Knowing when he's outmatched: Maxam calls for help, receiving a polite acknowledgment from Warlock, who evades a giant fist swung by Hank Pym -- and unleashes a direct karmic blast from the Soul Gem!

Warlock hops away from the kayoed Giant-Man, but before he can come to his teammate's aid is struck by the massive boulder hurled by Hercules!

A dark shadow watches from nearby island flora, and Pip The Troll materializes at Warlock's unconscious side, tossing his spiked mace "skull-cracker" in favour of brewing a "neat trick" he's been wanting to try out.

Meanwhile Maxam finds a forearm block wanting as Hercules follows it up immediately with a second, more devastating left that catches him across the chin!

Maxam's tired of being a punching bag for two demi-gods, and manages to narrowly avoid the raging descent of Thunderstrike's uru mace!

It crashes into the ground behind him, but Hercules continues his verbal and close-quarters assault, moving in to grab the "varlet" by the collar and punch him straight in the face!

Elsewhere Captain America blocks a kick with his shield, transitioning seamlessly into a shield swipe that Moondragon nimbly leaps over.

She resists Maxam's desperate plea to use a mind-blast: "Don't rush me! I'll be with you as soon as I attend to the good Captain in my own manner!"

A precision chop to the shoulder finds its mark, allowing Moondragon to kick Captain America's famous shield out of his hands! She follows with a stiff right palm strike to his jaw, dodging his right-hand counter punch with a twirl, to strike back with her own uppercut knock out!

Satisfied with her victory over Captain America -- Moondragon is happy to use the Mind Gem's powers to mind-blast Thunderstrike into submission!

The knock-out beam evens the odds for Maxam, but he fails to notice the massive ocean rock suddenly teleported overhead by Pip The Troll, which sends Hercules running clear of the impact zone!

The long thin rock crushes Maxam & Thunderstrike and kicks up a cloud of sand!

Moondragon doesn't even see Hercules coming as he runs right through her like a raging bull with a charging shoulder!

Pip tries to make the save, snapping the wooden handle of his spiked mace as he clobbers Hercules over the back of the head. The demigod shrugs it off, tossing Pip aside as he makes a path toward a recovered Adam Warlock!

Warlock ducks beneath a wild haymaker and returns fire with a jumping kick!

Hercules is unfazed, launching Warlock across the beach with an overhand punch!

He charges after Warlock, who unleashes the awesome mystic power of his Karmic staff, but the demigod "Prince of Power" resists its awesome energy, snatching it by the neck to push it away.

Warlock takes flight, unleashing a blast from the Soul Gem -- but it misses the target, allowing Hercules to grab him by the ankle and smash his face into the sand!

Warlock throws his free foot at Hercules' face, but the Prince of Power absorbs the kick and slams his left fist to the ground -- narrowly missing Warlock, who jumps clear and delivers another kick directly to the face.

Still Hercules shakes the physical assault off, rallying to deliver a devastatingly explosive backfist strike that knocks Warlock off his feet!

Warlock's body stays limp as Hercules walks the distance to pick him up by the collar, but the Avenger doesn't deliver his intended finishing blow.

Instead it's Hercules who is knocked unconscious when the eerie Vision emerges from the beach sand to deliver a surprise attack to his teammate's back!

The synthezoid's artificial brain appears unaffected by the telepathic brainwashing that enthralled his teammates. He reveals the plot to The Infinity Watch, recruiting Moondragon to use the Mind Gem to free them from their hypnosis.

The Hammer...

The last minute save from Vision helps The Infinity Watch secure their victory over The Avengers!

His timing might seem overly dramatic, but his actions are justified with cold synthezoid logic.

Knowing he couldn't possibly curb the hypnotized Avengers alone -- Vision used a skirmish with Gamora in the previous issue to feign damage, waiting for an opportunity to render assistance once The Infinity Watch had the upper hand! Or something along those lines... Something that conveniently gives us a "surprise" twist. Why not?

Vision shares the victory with Moondragon and Adam Warlock, who secured noteworthy individual triumphs over multiple members of the Avengers, including Captain America, Thunderstrike, and Giant-Man.

You already know who scored the double kayo because you just read the scintillating recap above, but it feels especially noteworthy that Moondragon managed to best Captain America in hand-to-hand martial combat!

Cap actually has one of the worst defeat tallies recorded on the site, [second only to Superman at the time of writing], but he balances significant losses with a high number of wins.

Both stats are attributable to Cap's never-say-die attitude and warrior-like vigor for combat. He boldly risks taking the L by standing ground against obvious mismatches, like Thanos, but to other heroes he remains a mythic benchmark for fighting prowess. He holds top fighters like Black Panther and Wolverine to account, while occasionally becoming the scalp himself to prove another hero's worth, like his epic crossover showdown with Batman.

Moondragon's script notes the interest of comparing their fighting skills, but this one lacks the weight of importance other big time showdowns might aspire to, especially in more recent times where that kind of thing is given a lot of pages.

I'm not sure if Moondragon had the cachet for a bigger marquee spotlight against Cap, and the entire battle comes pregnant with modifiers, noting a compromised Avengers in a guest role.

It's all a little rough in composition, reflected somewhat in art that shows plenty of intent, but is a little sketchy compared to Tom Grindberg's usual work, which I have become a growing fan of in recent years.

Bob Almond is no stranger to inking Grindberg with a more characteristic finish, which leads me to wonder if there were deadline pressures, or late editorial interference that impacted the issue. Perhaps negotiations with the Avengers office?..

As much as The Avengers are here to be beaten by the title heroes in their fleeting guest role, it surprises me how impressive a showing Hercules has!

I like the callback to Herc's brief face-off with Maxam in the still-recent Infinity Crusade, but I'm not sure that justifies such a strong outing. He isn't just the last man standing, but also handily intimidates Maxam, and beats the heck out of Warlock! He's practically served a visual win, if not for the interference of Vision!

Perhaps this all speaks to Hercules' mythic inclination towards violent madness, or perhaps there was a particular vested interest in presenting the Avenger as a legitimate, uncompromised threat.

Although most of the presented group could be found in contemporary issues of Avengers, Hercules is the character I would most closely associate with this era of monthly issues, sharing a spotlight with the likes of Black Knight, Sersi, and Crystal -- all conspicuous by absence.

Thunderstrike won't even be back in the fold until next month's issue, May cover-dated Avengers #374, which means he technically showed up two months early as an active Avenger in Warlock and The Infinity Watch #26!

They were crazy times, and how ever this issue managed to come together, it's a nice artifact from both catalogues. A nice chance for us to dip into Adam Warlock and The Infinity Watch, as well!

If you'd like to find more from the characters and topics covered, make sure you hit up links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

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Winners: Vision, Moondragon & Warlock (w/ Infinity Watch)
#86 (+5) Vision
#200 (+402) Adam Warlock
#382 (+285) Moondragon
#645 (new) Maxam [+1 assist]
#646 (new) Pip The Troll [+1 assist]
#140 (-1) Drax The Destroyer [+1 assist]
#7 (--) Captain America
#48 (-3) Black Widow
#87 (-6) Giant-Man (Hank Pym)
#161 (-4) Hercules
#1040 (-39) Thunderstrike

CAPTAIN AMERICA versus THANOS

Cosmic Battle on the Edge of The Universe! (Marvel)
Where: Infinity Gauntlet #4 When: October 1991
Why: Jim Starlin How: Ron Lim & George Perez

The Story So Far...
When the Silver Surfer crash lands to Earth through the roof of Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum -- he brings ominous warning of the greatest threat the universe has ever known! Thanos lives and has taken possession of the Infinity Gems of Soul, Mind, Power, Time, Reality, and Space to form the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet!

The Mad Titan's mission is to eradicate half of all sentient life in existence! A feat he achieves in an instant with but a mere thought! His quest to court the mistress Death does not end there, though. His dominion is now all that exists in the known universe -- a reality, his to dominate and reshape!

Ripples of Thanos' power echo throughout the universe, causing mayhem and destruction on Earth, where the mightiest heroes assemble in conference to discuss the unknown threat. The unexpected arrival of Adam Warlock provides limited answers as he takes command, selecting a special task force to confront Thanos in a desperate ploy to save the universe from The Infinity Gauntlet!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thanos 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thanos 5 (Professor)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thanos 6 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

This is it! It's the final showdown between Thanos and the gauntlet of heroes!

If you're landing here, make sure you go back through the previous rounds to find out what brought us here! In order, the gauntlet was: Wave 1, Hulk & Drax, Wave 3, Thor & Doctor Doom, Wolverine, Wave 6, Cloak, Firelord & Drax, Iron Man, Spider-man & Thor, Nova, and Quasar!

The dozen battles make a compelling case for the unstoppable nature of Thanos as wielder of The Infinity Gauntlet! By assembling the Infinity Stones he has achieved governance over the Soul, Mind, Power, Time, Reality, and Space!

Captain America isn't the guy who'd usually take on a cosmic scale threat like Thanos, but with all other options exhausted, you can bet your bottom dollar he'll make his last stand count!

Dr. Erskine's Super-Soldier Serum means Cap is at the absolute peak of human physical ability. He may not be the Hulk or Drax, but if it comes to a fistfight Thanos will at least know he's there! Fortunately, he isn't going into battle completely unarmed. His shield is a rare alloy of steel and vibranium capable of absorbing massive impacts -- and delivering them, when thrown!

We've seen Cap test his shield against some pretty formidable opponents!

The classic shield withstood The Destroyer armor in Thor (Vol. 2) #1 after The Avengers returned from the Heroes Reborn pocket dimension. While there, Cap's shield saw him through battles with a Counter-Earth Thor [Avengers #1], and Hulk [Avengers #4]!

Even more compelling: Major Victory used a time displaced version of the shield to successfully defend against the blows of a rampaging Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy #25! Of course, that was Thanos fresh from resurrection and without the cosmic omnipotence that comes from wielding the Infinity Gauntlet!

Everything about this fight says one-sided, but Captain America has been known to overcome some pretty incredible odds! He won't back down against The Mad Titan, and he's also privy to the grand plan of Adam Warlock. Will that spell an unlikely defeat? Let us venture into the final stage of the hero's gauntlet!

The Tape: Thanos Ranking: Captain America (#7)

What Went Down...

A smoldering stain is all that marks the short-lived challenge of the once proclaimed "protector of the universe" - Quasar. Surrounded by the broken bodies of his enemies -- Thanos surveys the battlefield in silent triumph.

At a glance, it would seem as if Thanos has conquered all who entered his domain. He clearly under estimates the iron will of Captain America, who stands alone against an unbeatable opponent, as he has so many times before.

Thanos dismisses the Captain's challenge as a joke, but the glib Avenger isn't backing down. He knows his role in Adam Warlock's grand plan and will fight to the death to see it through! Cap marches towards his unmoving, unimpressed opponent and stares him down defiantly!

High above the battlefield, the Silver Surfer has witnessed enough death. He readies to intervene, but Adam Warlock demands his patience. The Surfer must remain at the edge of readiness until the perfect moment!

On the platform: Thanos raises his massive fist and prepares to strike the militant mortal down -- but Cap's reflexes are too fast!

The Captain ducks the devastating blow -- only to find the very ground beneath him joining in the fray! Stone hands grow from the platform, clutching his ankles with an unbreakable grip! The super-soldier's agility has been taken!

Captain America's mighty shield provides protection from a cosmically charged hammer fist that explodes with energy! The defensive move pays off, but the price of survival is the shattering of the unbreakable shield!

Rooted to the ground and robbed of his defensive weapon -- Captain America stares defiantly at his unstoppable opponent! Again, Thanos raises his gauntlet, not to summon its limitless cosmic potential, but to render a killing blow. This is the moment of anger and hubris Adam Warlock has been waiting for!

There is absolutely no hesitation in the Silver Surfer! No sooner than the command is given than he is a silver streak blazing through space!

Time stands still as the Silver Surfer rides the space-ways at impossible speeds! The driving punch of Thanos' fist crawls in stretching inches. Captain America's expression never flinches. Adam Warlock shares his steely resolve.

Everything has been leading to this final gambit! The Surfer swoops in to snatch the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos' raised fist! It is a simple maneuver, but one that can end a suffering felt across the universe! His gleaming out-stretched fingers reach for the glove -- but finds only air!

The Silver Surfer misses his mark by the smallest of margins, but it is enough to cost the heroes their victory! Thanos flinches as the Surfer passes overhead, and blurs into distant space as he trajectory continues. The Mad God remains!

Captain America seizes upon Thanos' distraction with a left cross chin-check! His defiance is hopeless, but the warrior soldier fights on. Hope finds its last refuge in the heart of Steve Rogers. Thanos doesn't even look when he snuffs it out.

As an understanding of what has occurred sets in, Thanos realizes the smallest fraction of a chance is all it could take to cost him his omnipotence. He wills himself back to the fullest power of the gauntlet.

If his swatting hand did not kill Captain America, his wish to erase all remnants of his battle with the heroes likely did. His platform is returned to pristine condition, but Thanos senses a greater struggle on the horizon.

Adam Warlock gazes from a distance, saddened by the heroes' failure. He now realizes there is only one option remaining. Reality itself will tremble when the cosmic deities embodying the universe are forced to fight!

The Hammer... A gauntlet of the greatest heroes of Earth (and beyond) challenged Thanos, but in the end, Captain America and his allies never really stood a chance.

Even more shocking: This result means Thanos has broken into the Top 10 of the Fight Club Rankings! He displaces Thing, who falls to #11 after Thanos leapt +2 places, now ranked #9!

Two weeks ago we embarked on a journey to document the battles of Infinity Gauntlet #4. With Captain America's defeat, and the Silver Surfer's failure, we have now completed that task. As we now see, Warlock's grand plan was always to sacrifice soldiers so that Thanos would grow careless and arrogant. Had the Surfer succeeded in taking the gauntlet, they could've restored all of the dead.

As noted: The gauntlet of battle doesn't actually end here! In Infinity Gauntlet #5, the struggle continues as the cosmic deities of the Marvel Universe confront the lone being capable of upsetting their delicate balance!

These beings of vast cosmic influence are led by Eternity, and include the likes of Galactus, The Celestials, Eon, Master Order, Lord Chaos, and more! We may explore the cosmic gauntlet at a later date, but for now, Secret Wars on Infinite Earths will return to a regular schedule, with more of your favourite heroes!

The last fortnight has, of course, been in celebration of the theatrical release of Avengers: Infinity War. The third movie in the Avengers series has already set unfathomed records at the international box office, and is now in wide theatrical release in the United States, and across the globe!

As exciting as the movie version might be, I hope everyone will have found the joy in the now-classic comic book event.

Both the comic, and the film, struggle with the isolated nature of their consequences. The movie more closely mirrors an earlier scene in the comic, when heroes disappear as Thanos purges half of all life. Never the less, both deal with the seemingly inconsequential nature of the deaths.

You either buy into the cosmic consequence of the story - or you don't. In the case of the comic, fights like Captain America's go a long way to making it all feel worthwhile. After the cruel and malicious deaths of Nova and Quasar, we know the odds are against Cap. Yet his determination to face his foe proves one of the most inspiring fights of the entire issue, and one of the most memorable moments from the entire mini-series!

I've heard one or two people describe their initial difficulty in grappling with the array of characters featured, but I think that's ultimately part of the joy once you get to grips with it. We've only touched on one of the six issues over the last two weeks, but I'm sure you'll find it was fairly manageable.

Events like these can often serve as nice little introductions to characters you might not know, but may want to seek out. Heroes like Sub-Mariner, Nova, Quasar, She-Hulk, and even Firelord, could very likely be tomorrow's movie icons. The only problem is finding the movies bland by comparison!

As always, Amazon links provided mean you can get ahead of the game by joining the wonderful world of comics! Shopping for Infinity Gauntlet via the portal provided will also help support the site at no extra charge!

For more Infinity Gauntlet goodness you can dive into the Secret Archive where all featured fights are index by publisher, series, and issue number! You can also keep your eyes peeled to current Hero of the Week entries, where we're touching on the hot topics spawned from the feature film!

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Winner: Thanos

#9 (+2) Thanos [+1 kill]
#7 (--) Captain America
#34 (--) Silver Surfer [+1 assist]
#531 (new) Adam Warlock [+1 assist]

Infinity Gauntlet #4
Thanos runs the gauntlet of heroes in a special series spotlighting the classic cosmic showdown!
Versus Wave 1, Hulk & Drax, Wave 3, Thor & Dr. Doom, Wolverine, Wave 6, Cloak, Firelord & Drax, Iron Man, Spider-man & Thor, Nova, Quasar, Captain America

QUASAR versus THANOS

Cosmic Battle on the Edge of The Universe! (Marvel)
Where: Infinity Gauntlet #4 When: October 1991
Why: Jim Starlin How: Ron Lim & George Perez

The Story So Far...
When the Silver Surfer crash lands to Earth through the roof of Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum -- he brings ominous warning of the greatest threat the universe has ever known! Thanos lives and has taken possession of the Infinity Gems of Soul, Mind, Power, Time, Reality, and Space to form the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet!

The Mad Titan's mission is to eradicate half of all sentient life in existence! A feat he achieves in an instant with but a mere thought! His quest to court the mistress Death does not end there, though. His dominion is now all that exists in the known universe -- a reality, his to dominate and reshape!

Ripples of Thanos' power echo throughout the universe, causing mayhem and destruction on Earth, where the mightiest heroes assemble in conference to discuss the unknown threat. The unexpected arrival of Adam Warlock provides limited answers as he takes command, selecting a special task force to confront Thanos in a desperate ploy to save the universe from The Infinity Gauntlet!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thanos 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thanos 5 (Professor)
Speed: Quasar 5 (Super-Speed)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Quasar 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Thanos 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thanos 6 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

The heroes have suffered severe casualties, losing Thor in the ninth wave, and Nova immediately after! Their cosmically powered reserves are running low, but a new player is finally ready to enter the game and take Thanos on!

Quasar is Wendell Vaughn, wielder of the mighty cosmic Quantum Bands! They were created by Eon, and intended to be worn by Captain Marvel, but fate instead brought them to Earth. As an agent of SHIELD, Vaughn was forced to don them during an attack on a research facility by Advanced Idea Mechanics!

Vaughn quickly learned to master the Quantum Bands with a flexible will, harnessing the near limitless energies of the Quantum Zone. He can construct hard objects from light, create personal forcefields, fly and teleport through space, and manipulate and absorb energies in compliment to his own.

This is the first time we're seeing Quasar on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, so there's no record to draw upon. We've seen Captain Marvel using the derivative Nega-Bands created by Kree science [Captain Marvel #26], but their power spectrums are ultimately quite different.

Quasar's battled the likes of: Galactus, Terminus, Annihilus, The Magus, Ego the Living Planet, and many more villains -- not necessarily ending in -us! He's no stranger to fighting Thanos and surely has the power to stand against him.

There's some general similarity between Quasar and Cloak, in that both has access to the energies of a pocket dimension. The Darkforce Dimension was no match for Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet in Round 7's sneak attack, but perhaps the vast possibility of the Quantum Zone can produce different results.

The stage is set for a cosmic showdown! Let's forge ahead to see how it went!

The Tape: Thanos Ranking: Thanos (#11)

What Went Down...
Shards of glass scatter across the battlefield as Thanos brings an end to the life of the man once called Thor. With solemn and grim determination, Quasar steps onto the battlefield and demands Thanos turn to face him.

The Mad Titan immediately recognizes Quasar as the spiritual successor to his deceased former nemesis, the late Captain Mar-Vell.

Quasar identifies himself as the wielder of the Quantum Bands, and assures Thanos they will be his downfall. The omnipotent villain is unconvinced.

In a sudden, unexpected explosion of light & power Quasar's hands are taken from him -- and with them, the power of the Quantum Bands!

Thanos sneers, observing the suffering of his opponent with callous disregard. As Quasar grapples with the harrowing anguish of losing his hands for a second time, it's the suffering of delusions of grandeur that Thanos notes aloud.

Looming over his foe, Thanos fires beams of energy from his eyes as if to exterminate the insect after watching it squirm wingless for a moment.

With Quasar's bravado extinguished in an instant; Thanos is left to contemplate victory, arms folded amidst the broken and beaten bodies of his enemies. Only his perfect woman Terraxia is left standing -- and one mortal hero whose resolve far outweighs his human frailty. The last hero standing!...

The Hammer...
Another vicious irony delivers Thanos to victory. The cosmic omnipotence of the Infinity Gauntlet is now his foremost weapon. The heroes clearly have little to no chance as bitter ironies deliver swift death.

Over the course of the hero's gauntlet, we've seen Thanos deal some truly cruel and spiteful fates. Encasing Cyclops' head in a suffocating cube was a nasty way to end the sixth wave. Reducing Wolverine to quivering rubber in Round 5 - a fate possibly worse than death. The growth that took She-Hulk and Sub-Mariner was the earliest sign this wouldn't be the fair fight it was made out to be.

Quasar's end might contend for cruelest death of them all, though.

It was earlier the same year, in Quasar #21, that he first had to deal with the horror of having his hands removed. That's what he's referring to when he laments the loss of his appendages again, in a state of shock. That was the handiwork of Maelstrom: A villain of lesser means than Thanos, without the same proclivity towards senseless death.

Perhaps there was a ruthless efficiency to using his cosmic powers to remove Quasar's hands, and the source of his power with them. I'm more inclined to think Thanos could've gone straight to killing him, though. This was tantamount to a mean-spirited child tearing the wings off an insect before killing it.

Your mileage on sympathy for Quasar may vary. I daresay he was never the coolest second tier hero around. Some of his cosmic exploits were comparable, but he never reached the high-octane madcap thrills of Captain Marvel. When Quasar wasn't hanging with name heroes, or fighting name villains, it could get a little stale. I wouldn't want to offend any blonde kids named Wendell, but y'know... Stardom will probably be an uphill battle.

Of course, the benefit of characters like Quasar falling out of favour at the turn of the millennium was that they did fall into some pretty wacky scenarios. I'm reluctant to heap too much praise on Star Masters, but any team-up with Beta Ray Bill and Silver Surfer is instantly gonna increase the appeal of a character.

It doesn't say much for Quasar that he got wrapped up in New Universe shenanigans, but the re-think of Annihilation did a whole lot for making up for it. The Quantum Bands may've gone to a new character, but Quasar got to help whoop Annihilus, and turn into some kinda quantum being. Nice one, Wendell!

If you want quantum insights and to harness the powers of The Infinity Gauntlet for yourself, all you need to do is pick up the collected trade paperback! Shopping via the Amazon link provided should deliver you to a good deal and you'll help support the site at no extra cost! All thanks to the fine folks at Amazon!

If you want to put it all into the context of The Comic Book Fight Club then all you need to do is dive into the Secret Archive! There you'll find every featured fight indexed via publisher, series, and issue number! Every Infinity Gauntlet battle is there to be run through in sequential order!

Get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths via Twitter and Facebook! A like, share, retweet, or comment is another excellent way to join the fight and support the site!

This is the penultimate battle from Infinity Gauntlet #4! If you're reading along at home you can jump backwards to the previous battle by clicking here, or advance to the final struggle by clicking right here!

Winner: Thanos
#11 (--) Thanos [+1 kill]
#847 (new) Quasar (Wendell Vaughn)

Infinity Gauntlet #4
Thanos runs the gauntlet of heroes in a special series spotlighting the classic cosmic showdown!
Versus Wave 1, Hulk & Drax, Wave 3, Thor & Dr. Doom, Wolverine, Wave 6, Cloak, Firelord & Drax, Iron Man, Spider-man & Thor, Nova, Quasar, Captain America

NOVA versus THANOS

Cosmic Battle on the Edge of The Universe! (Marvel)
Where: Infinity Gauntlet #4 When: October 1991
Why: Jim Starlin How: Ron Lim & George Perez

The Story So Far...
When the Silver Surfer crash lands to Earth through the roof of Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum -- he brings ominous warning of the greatest threat the universe has ever known! Thanos lives and has taken possession of the Infinity Gems of Soul, Mind, Power, Time, Reality, and Space to form the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet!

The Mad Titan's mission is to eradicate half of all sentient life in existence! A feat he achieves in an instant with but a mere thought! His quest to court the mistress Death does not end there, though. His dominion is now all that exists in the known universe -- a reality, his to dominate and reshape!

Ripples of Thanos' power echo throughout the universe, causing mayhem and destruction on Earth, where the mightiest heroes assemble in conference to discuss the unknown threat. The unexpected arrival of Adam Warlock provides limited answers as he takes command, selecting a special task force to confront Thanos in a desperate ploy to save the universe from The Infinity Gauntlet!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thanos 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thanos 5 (Professor)
Speed: Nova 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Nova 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Thanos 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thanos 6 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

Thor's life hangs in the balance after the eighth wave of attack ended with the untimely demise of Spider-man -- and Thor's transmutation into glass!

Coming to fragile Thor's aid is the human rocket: Nova! You may've spotted him flying around the battlefield in a few previous waves of attack, but it's only now the cosmic cruise missile is targeting the all-powerful Thanos!

Richard Rider was a New York high school kid when first given his powers by a dying Centurion of the Nova Corps. Based on the planet Xandar, the Nova Corps are an intergalactic military force empowered to police the universe with the powers of the Nova Force.

The Nova Force grants Richard Rider enhanced strength, endurance, durability, speed, the ability to fly like a human rocket, and channel various forces as energy blasts. At the time of Infinity Gauntlet; Nova uses these powers as a member of the teen superhero group: The New Warriors.

This is the first time we're seeing Nova before his evolution into a mature, battle-hardened intergalactic hero. Annihilation will recast him in the fires of war a decade later. As the last surviving Nova Centurion, he'll lead a United Front against the dreaded Annihilation Wave [see; Annihilation #1].

When the more powerful Nova returned to Earth, he effortlessly decimated old adversary Diamondhead [Nova #2], and fought The Thunderbolts to a relative standstill [Nova #3]! Evidence of the great hero he's destined to become, but inadmissible evidence at the time of The Infinity Gauntlet!

Nova was a compelling heavy-hitter for the New Warriors, but we lack sufficient case to think he can go toe-to-toe with Thanos. Under ordinary circumstances it might be a fair fight, but the way Thanos has wielded the godly powers of the Infinity Gauntlet makes it very difficult to rate Nova as anything more than a fast moving irritation.

He's plucky and powerful, but the odds are increasingly against the heroes. Fast, hard-hitting attacks may've served Hulk and Vision well in earlier strikes, but Thanos' patience is wearing thing. Turning Wolverine to rubber and Thor to glass shows he's losing interest in fighting fair. Bad news for Nova!

The Tape: Thanos Ranking: Thanos (#14)

What Went Down...
Thanos clenches his partly raised fist - gazing with a hint of disdain at the man claiming to be a Norse god. By decree of Odin: the mortal Eric Masterson indeed possesses all the strengths and rights of the one true Thor! He is worthy to raise the mighty hammer Mjolnir against the Mad Titan. If only it would do any good!

Were he able to summon the wind and thunder under his command, he would surely break, for Thor stands frozen on the battlefield, turned to glass! Death is surely imminent, if not for the intervention of a human rocket: Nova!

The young hero streaks across the battlefield to strike at Thanos with the momentum of a ballistic missile! His fist finds its target - daring to turn the Mad Titan's face with extreme prejudice!

The power to distort reality glimmers in Thanos' eyes as he takes the brash hero's words to twist them against him! Nova proclaimed no one would be "busting up Thor while Nova's around!" So Thanos decides to make him square.

Thanos wears a wry smile as he watches Nova transformed into a swarm of coloured blocks. Harmless children's toys, easily crushed beneath his heel as the clatter innocuously against the ground! Death, chillingly obscured.

With far greater spite, Thanos raises his Infinity Gauntlet again - not to summon its limitless power, but to swing his massive fist through the glass statue that is Thor! A spiteful final blow to eliminate one of his greatest threats!

Thor shatters into a million pieces, and with him dies the greatest hope the heroes have had for besting Thanos. Their numbers are fast dwindling, but there are still a few heroes ready to face overwhelming odds. The next will do so alone - a cosmic power to rival even a thunder god!

The Hammer...
It was over almost as quickly as it began! Nova's attack ultimately amounted to a single page. How could any hero hope to stand a chance when Thanos wields the power to guarantee death with no chance of recourse?

Thor's defeat was registered in the previous tag team contest of the ninth wave, but we record his death here, alongside Nova. He fought valiantly in the first and fourth waves, delivering some of the most potent blows. Had Doctor Doom not interfered for selfish reasons when Thanos was adjusting to his power, who knows what might've been achieved by the thunderer's hammer?

The hero better known as Thunderstrike is ultimately one of the quirks of time captured in The Infinity Gauntlet, and one of the few definite improvements live-action cinema will make in Avengers: Infinity War. Masterson may've served as an adequate stand-in, but there's just no substituting for the genuine article!

It would be terrific to see Nova make an appearance on the big screen, but I don't think anyone is counting on it just yet.

The cinematic battle with Thanos might've been a fun way to get a jumpstart, but Marvel usually like to play it to formula, so those kinds of abrupt surprises just don't happen. Further, Slash Film reports Marvel movie pubah Kevin Feige described Nova as one of the characters with "immediate potential".

There was always a curious appeal to the rocketing buckethead of earlier eras, but the mainstream potential of Nova was never more apparent than in the updates made in Annihilation. Before the world was introduced to the Guardians of the Galaxy, it was easy to presume Nova would be one of Marvel's first space faring heroes. Instead, the groundwork was laid with a slightly less than impressive version of the Nova Corps.

Back on the comic book page: we're drawing close to the end of infinity! There are just a few more heroes remaining on the gauntlet, with one of the more powerful heroes stepping up for tomorrow's penultimate attack!

You can find all our Infinity Gauntlet updates by diving into the Secret Archive where featured fights are indexed via publisher, series, and issue number. You'll find Infinity Gauntlet in the Marvel section, with battles linked sequentially.

You can get the full story for yourself by checking out the collected edition of The Infinity Gauntlet! An Amazon link has been provided for your convenience to the right of this text! By using it to go shopping online, Amazon will do a little something to help the site out. A nice way to show your support!

You can also join the battle by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook! There, you'll find daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! A like, retweet, or share is another nice way to help keep the wars infinite!

Thanos is marching toward the top of the Comic Book Fight Club rankings! Will he dominate long enough to conquer the Top 10? Or will the next hero bring an end to his lethal warpath? Stay tuned!

Winner: Thanos
#11 (+3) Thanos [+2 kills]
#101 (-24) Nova (Richard Rider)

Infinity Gauntlet #4
Thanos runs the gauntlet of heroes in a special series spotlighting the classic cosmic showdown!
Versus Wave 1, Hulk & Drax, Wave 3, Thor & Dr. Doom, Wolverine, Wave 6, Cloak, Firelord & Drax, Iron Man, Spider-man & Thor, Nova, Quasar, Captain America

SPIDER-MAN & THOR versus THANOS & TERRAXIA

Cosmic Battle on the Edge of The Universe! (Marvel)
Where: Infinity Gauntlet #4 When: October 1991
Why: Jim Starlin How: Ron Lim & George Perez

The Story So Far...
When the Silver Surfer crash lands to Earth through the roof of Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum -- he brings ominous warning of the greatest threat the universe has ever known! Thanos lives and has taken possession of the Infinity Gems of Soul, Mind, Power, Time, Reality, and Space to form the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet!

The Mad Titan's mission is to eradicate half of all sentient life in existence! A feat he achieves in an instant with but a mere thought! His quest to court the mistress Death does not end there, though. His dominion is now all that exists in the known universe -- a reality, his to dominate and reshape!

Ripples of Thanos' power echo throughout the universe, causing mayhem and destruction on Earth, where the mightiest heroes assemble in conference to discuss the unknown threat. The unexpected arrival of Adam Warlock provides limited answers as he takes command, selecting a special task force to confront Thanos in a desperate ploy to save the universe from The Infinity Gauntlet!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thanos 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thanos 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting: Thanos 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thanos 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

After a brief detour we're back running the gauntlet with a tag team tussle of two-on-two! Thanos is joined by his wicked creation Terraxia for the ninth round! She first involved herself in the fracas during the sixth round, deviating to grapple with Iron Man until she literally ripped his head off!

Taking on the terrible twosome is a returning Thor, who lost contact with Mjolnir at the end of the fourth wave, but narrowly avoided suffocating in deep space, as mortal Eric Masterson, when the hammer returned during Drax & Firelord's attack! He only has 60 seconds to be separated from Mjolnir before he reverts to mortal form. As previously noted, the real Thor had been banished.

Swinging onto the battlefield is Spider-man, whose wall-crawling presence may've been noticed in the background of some of the previous battles.

The friendly neighbourhood Spider-man may seem a little out of his depth in deep space, but this is the same hero who famously acquired the Black Symbiote while fighting in the Secret Wars! The cosmic has a way of finding him, like the time the Uni-Power helped him defeat Magneto [Amazing Spider-man #237] and Loki's Tri-Sentinel [Amazing Spider-man #239]!

A combination of smarts, speed, agility, and spider-sense has routinely helped Spidey take down serious heavy-hitters! He famously out-smarted Juggernaut in Amazing Spider-man #230, but also teamed with DC's Wonder Woman to put down Juggernaut, and the New God Mantis, in Unlimited Access #1!

Wonder Woman once wielded Thor's hammer herself [Marvel versus DC #3], which is a very obtuse way of drawing a comparison to the potentially potent team-up between Spidey and Thor!

Spidey's ability to successfully impact or restrain Thanos and Terraxia is clearly where he falls down. He may have the proportionate strength of a spider, but that's not much more than an actual spider to these cosmic heavyweights! He can clearly out-maneuver and irritate, but Spider-man's greatest asset in a cosmic showdown may ultimately be his humanity! He showed that when facing Thanos' chosen advisor, Mephisto, in a forgotten '93 Marvel Holiday Special!

Terraxia's exact abilities are slightly unknown. She clearly shares a certain physiological similarity with Thanos, but there's insufficient evidence to presume equivalence. She clearly possess phenomenal strength and durability, but the stat most lacking in our Tape is energy projection. Which tips the predictive stats narrowly in favoure of the Thor & Spider-man combination!

As far as the record is concerned; Spider-man is the #2 hero for a reason. He can almost always overcome overwhelming odds! Time to put the speculation to rest and find out if he managed to make the difference against Thanos!

The Tape: Thor & Spider-man Ranking: Spider-man (#2)

What Went Down...
Thanos revels in gratitude for his perfect woman's role in ridding him of the annoyance of Iron Man. The armored Avenger's helmet supplies a bloody tribute to the Mad Titan -- and a sufficient distraction for a certain web-slinger!

A face full of webbing provides fresh irritation for the would-be god! He never even sees the web-swinging Spider-man coming to follow it up with two well placed feet to the webbed-up face!

Terraxia growls as Spidey tags out to an incoming Thor, rushing in to pin the web-slinging to the ground!

The airborne thunder god launches his hammer at Thanos hard and fast in a perfectly coordinated attack! Thor quickly reunites with his hammer, raining it down upon Thanos with the fury of a true god!

Lightning crackles as Thor raises Mjolnir above his head for a finishing blow! It's time for Thanos to pay for his murderous crimes! Even the observing Starfox wills his brother's death! Yet -- victory and hope are so easily thwarted!

In an instant the vengeful Thor stands still and silent. A merest thought all that's required for Thanos to turn him into a statue of glass!

Across the battlefield, Terraxia wields a broken chunk of the stony platform. She uses it to brutally bludgeon Spider-man into submission! Thanos smiles wickedly as he gazes at the blood-stained rock rising above Terraxia's head. More death.

The glass visage of Thor stands motionless and prone opposite Thanos. It is fragile and defenseless against the simplest threat to shatter it. Yet, there are still heroes who would give everything to see that such a fate was not met...

The Hammer...
Another hero falls, with yet another life hanging precariously in the balance. Thanos & Terraxia are a perfect match in their mutual lust for death!

It seems inconceivable that Thor will escape his glassy peril. The heroic forces become ever fewer as each wave of attack robs them of more soldiers. The loss of Thor in this ninth wave may be their dearest casualty yet, but there are still some heavy-hitters lurking the board -- with one about to swoop in next!

With Spider-man's death, the fatalities are stacking up: Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, She-Hulk, Cyclops, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Cloak all lost their lives. Firelord and Drax are lost in time. Wolverine is unable to move. Doctor Doom isn't much better. Hulk is presumably still shrunken. Thor turned to glass.

In yesterday's Hero of the Week, we talked about the isolated consequences of the Infinity Gauntlet story.

Superheroes don't rely on finite contracts, so it's unlikely Marvel would ever need to wipe away so many icons in a single swoop. To put it in further context, this was a year before Death of Superman, and a decade before the circus of death that characterizes modern Marvel events. When you kill Spider-man and his amazing friends, you tell the audience it's all going to be fixed tomorrow.

In theory, the stakes of The Infinity Gauntlet and its deaths lack dramatic weight. Which always made it a little easy to push the story aside, even in 1991. In returning to each battle and covering the deaths as they unfold, it's been nice to appreciate the dramatic strain that exists within the story.

We may know that Spider-man will still be slinging webs in his various monthly titles, but being a year before Death of Superman comes with benefits, too. Bludgeoning your beloved icons to death with a rock wasn't quite the cliché in '91 that it might be now. Spidey was still the hero you might expect to overcome the odds and bring the story to close. Even if they're all coming back by story's end -- there's still some power in seeing the heroes fall.

Except maybe Thor. Hey, he may look the part, but it's still Thunderstrike, and nobody really likes him. Sorry, dude. It's a cruel world. Godspeed.

How many more heroes will fall? When will Adam Warlock finally launch his grand plan? Will Thanos complete a march into the Top 10 of our Fight Club Rankings? These are questions that will fuel us in our final week!

Those who've read The Infinity Gauntlet won't be too surprised by any answers that come their way. If you'd like to join that elite club, check out the collected edition via the Amazon link provided! Doing so not only harnesses the full story in a single volume -- but also helps support the site at no extra cost!

Follow links to jump back to the eighth wave, or our Iron Man/Terraxia tangent if you're following along at home. You can also find all the Infinity Gauntlet updates in the Secret Archive, where battles are indexed via publisher, series, and issue number. Just look for the Is in the Marvel section!

You can also follow all the action as it unfolds by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths via Twitter and Facebook. You'll get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day. A like, share, retweet, or comment is another nice way to join the fight and keep our corner of the web infinite!

Winners: Thanos & Terraxia
#14 (+1) Thanos
#85 (+61) Terraxia [+1 kill]
#2 (--) Spider-man
#848 (-316) Thor (Eric Masterson)

Infinity Gauntlet #4
Thanos runs the gauntlet of heroes in a special series spotlighting the classic cosmic showdown!
Versus Wave 1, Hulk & Drax, Wave 3, Thor & Dr. Doom, Wolverine, Wave 6, Cloak, Firelord & Drax, Iron Man, Spider-man & Thor, Nova, Quasar, Captain America