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

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

THOR, DOCTOR DOOM & FIRELORD 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: Dr. Doom 6 (Genius)
Speed: Firelord 5 (Super-Speed)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Firelord 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Thanos 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thanos 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

The gauntlet of heroes suffered its first casualties in the third phase of battle with Thanos. In this round they're sending in a trio of power houses who could do some real damage: Thor, Doctor Doom, and Firelord!

As noted in the opening strike: Thor is in fact the mortal Eric Masterson, who will eventually come to be better known as Thunderstrike. He was imbued with the full powers of Thor when Odin banished his son to exile -- a compromise to ensure Earth would still be guarded from the evil of Odinson's enemies!

Masterson wields Mjolnir and all the power that comes with it, but will revert to his mortal form if he's separated from the hammer for more than sixty seconds. It was a catch like that that caused headaches for the genuine article when fighting Champion of the Universe in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7, and Beta Ray Bill in Thor #337!

Thor and Firelord were both part of the opening strike on Thanos: a non-event when he froze time to avoid their attacks. That moment between moments was when Thanos made the all-important decision to fight without the cosmic omnipotence afforded by The Infinity Gauntlet, though. A decision to give the heroes the barest of fighting chance!

Doctor Doom wasn't a popular addition to Adam Warlock's army of heroes, but was too powerful an ally to turn down. An amoral, self-serving dictator by trade - he's a genius of the caliber of Mister Fantastic, who was lost during Thanos' purge of half of all life in the universe.

Doom brings an abundance of experience and understanding of cosmic entities. Unfortunately, he's usually trying to siphon off their power for his own devious schemes. We saw one of his many attempts at stealing Silver Surfer's power cosmic in Fantastic Four (Vol. 2) #6, and a Doombot trying similar in Silver Surfer #107.

Doom's incredible armor makes him a valuable asset, but his self-serving nature means the heroes probably won't be able to rely on him. When the Avengers and Fantastic Four were returning from a pocket reality, he turned at the vital moment, forcing a struggle with Thor in Heroes Reborn: The Return #4. Just one example of how things have the potential to go horribly wrong.

The combined godly and cosmic powers of Thor and Firelord would ordinarily be enough to cause Thanos problems. With Doctor Doom at their side, there is at least a very real chance Thanos could be relieved of his power and/or Infinity Gauntlet! Which is good, because the stakes are getting high!

The Tape: Thor, Doctor Doom & Firelord  Ranking: Thanos (#66)

What Went Down...

Having callously dispatched with Namor and She-Hulk; Thanos stands ominously over the remains of the first two casualties. Two more figures on the vast battlefield act on the grim turn of events. The first to strike is Thor - whose mighty hammer suddenly collides with Thanos' chest in a devastating blow!

At that same time, Doctor Doom has flown across the platform to seize upon his opportunity. With Thanos knocked flat on his back by the godly strike, he rushes to take possession of the awesome Infinity Gauntlet!

Doom pays for his avarice. His armor protects his life, but his body is hurled across the battlefield by the explosion of power emanating from Thanos! Doom may have put his own gauntleted metal fingers on The Infinity Gauntlet, but that is as close as he shall get!

Doom watches with envious eyes as his armor sizzles, and Thanos returns to his feet. The Mad Titan radiates raw power. Frustrated by Doom's interference, Thor resumes his attack, again hurling the enchanted hammer towards Thanos! Only this time, Thanos greets its trajectory with a wicked smile...

Seeing the attack coming; Thanos is able to create a portal inches from his face that safely sends the hammer's trajectory onward to deep space!

The separation of hero and hammer means Eric Masterson is fighting on borrowed time. He has a mere sixty seconds to be reunited with the hammer of Thor, or revert to his helpless mortal form! With the clock ticking - he fights!

The uppercut Thor launches manages to surprise even Thanos! He staggers back as the thunderer continues to fight with godly fists! His blows are enough to garner notice, but Thanos commands power to absorb them - and more!

Thanos snatches Thor by the cape - and tosses him to the darkness of space!

Firelord swoops in too late to rescue Thor, but eager to capitalize on Thanos' preoccupation. He ignites Thanos in a punishing stream of cosmic flame! Such is the gift of the power cosmic - bestowed upon him by Galactus!

Many would tremble at Firelord's boast, but his fire offers little threat to one with the power of The Infinity Gauntlet! With a swing of his arm, Thanos sends the airborne Firelord smashing brutally into the platform structure!

The Hammer...

Another wave of attack ends in victory for Thanos!

The consequences weren't quite the fatalities of the third wave, but three major players have at least temporarily been removed from playing field!

Doctor Doom survives thanks to his armor's defenses, but he was pretty badly fried. Firelord took a heavy enough blow to put him down, if not out. Without his mighty hammer: Thor is moments away from being a mere mortal floating in deep space! It's about as bad as it gets for the fourth wave!

The heroes are probably starting to sweat it, but Adam Warlock has a grand plan that's still being enacted. If Doom has truly been incapacitated, that can only bode well for the bigger picture! Let's just hope his firepower isn't needed! The fifth phase of attack is resting on the shoulders of one lone wolf!

The big picture can be yours to see and own in the collected trade edition of The Infinity Gauntlet! Shopping via Amazon link provided means you'll get a good deal and support the site at no extra cost!

You can catch-up on past, present, and future featured fights by diving in to the Secret Archive Index! There, you should be able to find links to all the Infinity Gauntlet updates in the Marvel section. All featured fights are index via publisher, series, and issue number!

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Winner: Thanos
#40 (+26) Thanos
#74 (--) Doctor Doom
#531 (-121) Thor (Eric Masterson)
#532 (-121) Firelord

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

IRON MAN, THOR, FIRELORD & SUB-MARINER 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: Firelord 5 (Super-Speed)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Sub-Mariner 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Thanos 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thanos 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

The force assembled to take on Thanos is a who's who of heroes who survived his purge of half of all existing life! The collective is guided by Adam Warlock, with field command led by Captain America.

Their strategy involves multiple waves of attack, beginning with a heavy hitting first strike. Charged with firing this opening salvo is a trio of Avengers, with a former herald of Galactus: Iron Man, Thor, Sub-Mariner, and Firelord!

Firelord was once Pyreus Kril of the planet Xandar. He was a soldier of the Nova Corps, until his friend Gabriel Lan was abducted by Galactus. Kril doggedly pursued his friend, pledging his service to The Devourer of Worlds in exchange for knowledge of Gabriel's untimely demise as the short-lived herald Air-Walker.

Like others imbued with the Power Cosmic: Firelord possesses greatly enhanced strength, speed, and stamina. He also wields a staff in combat, able to channel cosmic fire through the weapon. He's used this power to battle opponents as powerful as: Ego The Living Planet, Phoenix, Silver Surfer, Nebula, and Thor!

Thor may appear to be part of this awesome foursome, but at this point in time, it was mortal Eric Masterson who was in possession of Mjolnir! He was given the full powers of the thunder god so as to protect Earth while the real Thor lived in exile - punishment handed down by Odin.

Masterson would eventually come to be better known as the mace-wielding Thunderstrike, but at this time, he's the next best thing to the god of thunder! He may lack the combat experience of the genuine article, but possesses all his godly strengths -- as long as he isn't separated from Mjolnir for sixty seconds!

That just leaves Iron Man and Sub-Mariner, who between them have registered notable victories against: Juggernaut, Doctor Doom, The Mandarin, Diablo, Axis Mundi, and other prominent opponents. We know them well!

Against any other opponent, they would be an intimidating force - but Thanos is no ordinary villain! We saw him swiftly defeat a manipulated Terrax [Green Lantern/Silver Surfer], and dominate the entire line-up of Guardians of the Galaxy [GOTG #25] without any enhancements!

In today's battle he has forged the famed Infinity Gauntlet: A glove wielding the combined powers of The Infinity Stones. These grant him command over the realms of Soul, Mind, Power, Time, Reality, and Space. He is nigh omnipotent!

The laws of reality are now within Thanos' jurisdiction - and unlike some who may wield the gauntlet, he has the wherewithal to fully comprehend and control the power at his finger tips. His influence is on a cosmic scale, making physical reality trivial in comparison. There's no greater example than his purging of half of living entities in the universe!

Among the heroes identified as missing, likely eradicated, are: Archangel, Beast, Black Cat, Black Panther, Box, Dagger, Daredevil, Diamond Lil, Firestar, Guardian, Hawkeye, Hercules, Human Torch, Iceman, Invisible Woman, Makkari, Marvel Boy, Marvel Girl, Mister Fantastic, Night Thrasher, Northstar, Power Man, Puck, Quicksilver, Sasquatch, Sersi, Shaman, Thing, USAgent, Vindicator, Wasp, Windshear.

Which brings us to the fight! If Thanos can erase all those heroes in an instant, the odds are clearly stacked against those that survived. Existence gives them the chance to confront Thanos on the physical plane, but with all the power at his disposal, the odds are not in their favour! Let the fight for life begin!

The Tape: Avengers & Firelord Ranking: Iron Man (#3)

What Went Down...

Delivered to Thanos' space shrine to Death by the magic of Doctor Strange; the heroes launch their carefully planned attack!

Iron Man, Firelord, Thor, and Sub-Mariner hurl themselves at the battlefield as the first wave. Each extends whatever influence they can before their airborne person! Thor tosses his mighty hammer, Firelord spews cosmic flame, and Iron Man lets loose with blasts from his armored gauntlets!

Only the noble Sub-Mariner leads the pure muscle, flying his body towards Thanos like a human missile! Four awesome attacks of pure brawn and energy certain to destroy any opponent -- assuming they ever connect!

With a simple snap of his fingers - The Mad Titan freezes time. Each threat hangs suspended in reality as Thanos moves freely amongst them. He smiles, confident in the transcendent knowledge of the Infinity Gauntlet's power.

The Titan walks among his first attackers and despairs. He'd hoped the universe would challenge him with so much more. He notes he could eradicate them in an instant. Such is the awesome omnipotence of The Infinity Gauntlet!

Spared the bondage of time and reality is Thanos' advisor - Mephisto - who draws his attention to two more existing beyond the gauntlet's influence. Adam Warlock and Silver Surfer loom over the battlefield in observation. The arrogant Thanos presumes their reservation to be a sign of intelligence. He contemplates their destruction - but Mephisto seizes his ear!

If omnipotence has failed to impress the mistress Death, perhaps an act of courage may improve his lot. Mephisto inspires a scenario where Thanos has severed his cosmic awareness, granting the barest chance of failure!

Only Thanos' brother Starfox notices Mephisto's mischief at work. He has saved the heroes from instant eradication, granting them their first sliver of hope. It is highly unlikely that Thanos' power will be overcome - but now there is a chance!

Thanos resumes the natural timeline by a simple act of will. No longer where he once stood; Mjolnir, Sub-Mariner, and the heroes' attacks crash into the stony matter of the strange space platform!

The Mad Titan lets out a bellowing laugh -- sufficiently distracted to be unaware of the next wave of assault coming behind him!

The Hammer...
It's no secret the mini-series' titular "Infinity Gauntlet" refers to a gem-studded glove worn by Thanos. What's a little less obvious is the existence of a second gauntlet: The running of the gauntlet by Thanos -- against some of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe -- in the pages of Infinity Gauntlet #4!

It was difficult to determine whether or not the battle should be examined as a single force in continuing attack, or a series of separate skirmishes.

This opening strike highlights the nature of the problem fairly well. The narrative perspective is told through Thanos, who can remove himself from normal time, and examine a frozen moment over multiple pages.

Each offensive is designed to flow as part of a larger plan hatched by Adam Warlock, but the overlap is minimal. Each wave is easily distinguished, with only a few fighters participating in multiple waves. Taken as a gauntlet of separate attacks, we'll be examining each wave as a featured fight.

As for this opening attack? Thanos may have had total manipulation of the battlefield, but this opening challenge resulted in no conclusive result.

I'm sure Sub-Mariner didn't particularly enjoy flying face-first into Thanos' platform, but he's faced far worse, and didn't have too much trouble smashing right through it. The other heroes involved were in no way impacted by their attacks missing the target. This is by definition an inconclusive draw!

Rest assured the battles that are coming will not end quite so ambiguously. The heroes have been given a chance to fight the impossible foe. We'll see just how successful they are as we return for daily Infinity Gauntlet updates!

You can follow Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook to help keep you abreast of subsequent updates. Those coming in late can check out the Secret Archive Index to find sequential links to each battled listed under Infinity Gauntlet in the Marvel section. I'll endeavor to make sure there are links to adjacent waves of attack for convenience. [See: Hulk & Drax vs Thanos]

If you'd like to witness every bitter blow and cosmic gesture - check out the collected edition of The Infinity Gauntlet! By shopping via the Amazon link provided, you not only get yourself a good deal - you help support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no extra cost!

For his role in inspiring their stay of execution, Mephisto will record an unlikely assist stat. The demon trickster is here as chosen advisor to Thanos, but it's clearly in his interest to stem the flow of evaporating souls.

Winner(s): Inconclusive (Draw)
#3 (--) Iron Man
#22 (--) Sub-Mariner
#410 (new) Thor (Eric Masterson)
#411 (new) Firelord
#353 (+2) Thanos
#144 (+31) Mephsito [+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