ANIMATION PRINCIPLES - INFINITY GAUNTLET DOCUMENTATION

This blog post is just a rundown of the one of the two props I've chosen for my morphing animation; what they are, a brief history, and how I intend to use their characteristics in the animation.

THE INFINITY GAUNTLET

The Infinity Gauntlet first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1990, in Silver Surfer #44. It later became the main story element of 1991's mini-series The Infinity Gauntlet.

(The cover of The Infinity Gauntlet #1 - credit: Marvel Comics)

The Gauntlet was made to house the six Infinity Gems, each one controlling an aspect of the universe; Time, Space, Reality, Power, Mind and Soul. When you claim one of the gems, it grants the user the ability to manipulate whatever the gem represents; for example, using the Power Gem can be used to enhance the user's physical strength.

When Thanos assembled them all in the Infinity Gauntlet, he became more powerful than a god, and fought Earth's combined forces after eliminating half of all life to impress Lady Death, an personification of death itself.

(The iconic finger snap from Avengers: Infinity War was inspired by these panels from the first issue of The Infinity Gauntlet - credit: Marvel Comics, art by George Perez)

The Infinity Gauntlet storyline was then adapted into Marvel Studio's Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. The former of the two borrowed heavily from the first 4 issues of the original comic run, including Thanos using the Gauntlet to remove half of all sentient life, a herald falling into Doctor Strange's Sanctum to warn Earth of Thanos, and an outer space assault on Thanos.

(Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War - credit: Marvel Studios)

The Gauntlet has made appearances in other media, including the Avengers Assemble & Marvel Super Hero Squad Show animated series', as well as the Contest of Champions mobile game.

(Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel Super Hero Squad Show - credit: Marvel Animation)

Over the course of the Gauntlet's near-30 year history, it's had various different designs. It's first design, heavily utilised in the 90s, makes the Gauntlet seem like a flexible, one-piece glove with some metal elements looping around the fingers and following down to the housing for the stones on the back of the hand.

(DC Villain Darkseid with the Infinity Gauntlet in a crossover event, showing the more flexible, almost rubber glove like behaviours of the Gauntlet - credit: Marvel Comics and DC Comics)

The modern comic design takes more cues from both the MCU's tease appearances, with more mechanical aspects and making the Gauntlet seem like real metal.

(Tony Stark with the Infinity Gauntlet, during a 2011 Avengers issue - credit: Marvel Comics)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe took the approach of having it be designed, in-universe, by Eitri the Dwarf, who also created Thor's weapons. The design has the same visual language as the Asgardian weapons he'd designed in the past, specifically with the design of the cuff using weaves and feather patterns.

(Thanos with the MCU's Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Infinity War - credit: Marvel Studios)

The MCU design is what I'm going to use for the morphing animation, simply because the animation has to feature the film's props, not the comic's.