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On the Guardians of the Galaxy movie it is stated that, in order to use and control an infinity stone, one must be a powerful being (without defining exactly what that means) or else be destroyed by the power of the gem.

I don't recall that limitation being present in the comics as any normal mortal being could be able to wield them without any major side effects, but I could be wrong.

Is there any indication of that being the case also in the comics? And if not, is there any definition of what a "powerful being" is? If I recall correctly both Tony Stark and Captain America wield them and they are "just" human and superhuman but not powerful in raw terms.

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  • That "what is required..." question goes over why you need to be powerful - and this question already asks how the stone determines power.
    – phantom42
    Apr 7, 2015 at 11:31
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    I'd say it is in fact a duplicate of that one as that one answers my question
    – Jorge Córdoba
    Apr 7, 2015 at 11:31
  • @phantom42 Does the “What is required...” answer actually explain why you need powers to wield a gem/stone? I can’t see any reasoning in there, just a statement that only powerful beings have successfully wielded them in the comics.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Apr 7, 2015 at 12:40
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    @PaulD.Waite IMO, it touches on it, but doesn't provide a full answer to my satisfaction. The closest the answers come is "they must be superhuman". I have a the "how does the stone determine power" question, which is more specifically about the power stone since the language in GotG is more directly talking about the power stone and not necessarily the other ones.
    – phantom42
    Apr 7, 2015 at 12:49

2 Answers 2

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The Power Gem present in Guardians of the Galaxy appears to destroy everything organic that it touches.

This is demonstrated when one of The Collectors slave girls picks it up, the result of which is a large explosion after she appears to disintergrate. Additionally, Ronan himself can only hold the Power Gem for a very small duration of time before having to imprint it into his weapon - presumably, the Power Gem would have also overwhelmed him eventually thanks to the sheer amount of power it outputs.

However;

The climax of the film sees Peter "Starlord" Quill surviving a significant period of time while holding the Power Gem. This is later hinted at being because of his biology - the Nova Corps mention that he is only half-Terran, and that they do not recognise the other half, claiming something along the lines of it being ancient.

Between different species of characters reacting differently to the Power Gem, and the Power Gem only destroying organic matter, I believe that resistance to the Gems power is granted by your biological make-up, rather than how "powerful" you are.

This is further supported by the fact that the Gem can be held for longer when multiple people join up - although unsuccessful when a group of people from one race tried it (as mentioned by The Collector), when Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora and Starlord try it (all of whom are different species), they seem to be able to contain the power.

Additionally, it does not seem that the Power Gem destroys people in the comics.

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    Yah but like why.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Apr 7, 2015 at 13:43
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    @PaulD.Waite I imagine that the nature of the Infinity Stones and the secret in Quill's biology will be dealt with in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and the two-parter Avengers: Infinity War. Until then? Guess work.
    – Dr R Dizzle
    Apr 7, 2015 at 13:50
  • Well, that may potentially answer why Peter is considered "powerful", but it still leaves the question of why you need to be considered powerful in order to wield it.
    – phantom42
    Apr 7, 2015 at 19:05
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    @phantom42 Because the Power Gem is very mysterious and powerful. And its mystery is only exceeded by its power.
    – KSmarts
    Apr 7, 2015 at 20:31
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Here Powerful Means being immortal. If you are a mortal then u need to share the power of infinity stone, you cannot control it single handedly. Even when sharing you can do so for a limited time. To answer the question you asked, The person holding the infinty stone need to be powerful not only physically but mentally too. Only supreme beings as shown in the movie would be able to stabalize the infinty stone and put it to use.

So to fully utilise and unlock the power of infinity stone you have to be powerful enough to stabalise it and use it at your command.

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    1. Welcome to Sci-Fi.SE! 2. Your answer doesn’t actually explain why wielders need to be powerful, and thus doesn’t answer the question. 3. Do you have a source for your statements?
    – Paul D. Waite
    Apr 7, 2015 at 12:31

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