The 10 Greatest Artifacts of the Marvel Universe

1) Cosmic Cube
Let's clarify something immediately: What's known as the Tessaract in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe is called the Cosmic Cube in the comics universe,
but although they're meant to be the same item the two are vastly different
in power. Yes, in the movies the Cube can power a seemingly infinite number
of Hydra weapons and it allows Loki to open a doorway across space itself to
allow the Chitauri to do a little sightseeing in New York City. But the Cosmic
Cube can alter reality itself. It effectively grants wishes, and almost nothing is
beyond its power. It can destroy galaxies. Its wielder becomes invincible,
meaning heroes inevitably have to trick the villains who are using it into
getting it our of their hands. It's way, way more powerful than the Tessaract,
is what I'm saying.
2) Ultimate Nullifier
The greatest weapon in the Marvel universe, the Ultimate Nullifier can
destroy anything. Anything. It can destroy timelines, it can destroy an entire
multiverse. It's the only thing in the universe that scares the shit out of
Galactus, so that's saying something. During the recent "Age of Ultron" event,
when the entire world was conquered by the insane robot and many heroes
had died, Tony Stark had the Ultimate Nullifier, and never even considered
using it because things still hadn't gotten bad enough.
3) The Wand of Watoomb
In all honesty, the Cinematic Universe's Tessaract has a lot more in common
with the Wand of Watoomb than it does the Cosmic Cube. Like the Tessaract,
the Wand can store, absorb, redirect and blast energy, and it can also open
inter-dimensional portals. Just holding it gives spellcasters like Dr. Strange an
extra boost of power, which you could probably argue the Tessaract also did
for Loki. However, the Wand also allows its users to heal themselves, create
magical barriers and locate any person, place or object in the universe, giving
it the edge over the Tessaract, if only by a little
4) The Infinity Gems
In the Cinematic Universe, the Tessaract is one of the uber-powerful Infinity
Stones. In the comics, the Infinity Gems are their own thing, but they are all
crazy powerful. Here they are, in ROYGBIV order (minus the I):
The Power Gem Contains all energy that has ever or will ever exist.
Grants omnipotence.
The Time Gem Allows user to exist everywhere throughout time, and
control time itself, such as making people or things age.
The Reality Gem Can alter reality, including the fundamental laws of the
universe.
The Soul Gem Can control, change and destroy souls, living or dead.
The Mind Gem This gem is literally the universe' subconscious, and it
gives its wielder access to every single mind in the universe.
The Space Gem Allows user to exist everywhere in the universe
simultaneously. Grants omnipresence.
The gems, by the way, are all pieces of the goddess who existed before the
universe, and was so lonely she committed suicide. So that's kind of crazy.
5) The Evil Eye of Avalon
This artifact really a wand with a big eye on the end of it, so it kind of looks
like a weird flashlight can rearrange molecules and disintegrate people,
and allows its wielders to travel through time and space, as well as more

banal tricks like energy blasts and force fields. The downside of the Evil Eye is
that it can get overcharged and explode into six distinct pieces which, if
any happen to go underground, will literally fly through any amount of
material (like, say, an entire planet) in order to become accessible.
6) The Casket of Ancient Winters
This little box was the macguffin of the first Thor movie, and like its comics
counterpart, contained the world's worst winter inside (actually, the comic
describes the casket as containing "the fury of a thousand killing winters,"
but who's quibbling). But besides freezing humans and Asgardians alike solid,
in the comics the Cask is so powerful that winter spreads all the way to the
realm of death. Meaning the Casket is so powerful it can make it snow in hell.
Let's see the Tessaract manage that.
7) The M'Kraan Crystal
The Shi;ar empire, one of Marvel's three big alien races along with the Kree
and the Skrulls, have taken it upon themselves to guard the large pink rock
known as the M'Kraan Cryttal. Why? Well, partially because they believe it's a
piece of the universe's first planet, and it contains the last city of an alien
race that existed before history itself. The other reason is that the stone also
has a neutron galaxy packed inside of it, and the center of this neutron
galaxy contains the "nexus of all realities" and if the crystal shatters it's going
to suck in all matter and anti-matter and destroy the universe itself. So it's
probably worth keeping an eye on.
8) The Rings of the Mandarin
Individually, the 10 semi-magic rings worn by the terrorist mastermind known
as the Mandarin are pretty crap. But combine all 10 onto the 10 fingers of the
villain, and you have a pretty formidable foe. Each ring has a specific power,
whether it be shooting fireballs, disintegrating things, controlling people's
minds, making things explode violently, or even just rearranging something's
molecules. I call them "semi-magic" because the rings were actually made by
an alien race called the Axonn Karr, who used them to power their spacecraft.
But no one has ever been able to figure out how they work, and since the
Mandarin is the only one who can make them work, it's unlikely anyone ever
will.
Matter Rearranger-"Remaker"- This ring can rearrange the atoms
and molecules ofa substance, or speed up or slow down their
movement, so as to produce various effects. The ring has been used to
condense water vapor in the air to liquid water, to solidify gasses, to
create lethal poison gas from the air, to turn a group of men to stone,
to turn a man into a beetle, to turn a mountain into a rock-monster,
and to make a stone hand large enough to engulf Iron Man's body
erupt from the floor. The ring cannot transmute elements or rearrange
the atoms and molecules of Iron Man's magnetic-beam reinforced
armor. The gem is shaped like a small purple circle.
Impact Ring- "Influence"- This ring can project various forms of
energy, most frequently that of fast neutrons with great concussive
force. The ring has also been used to project intense sonic vibrations
and to create magnetic waves to attract or repel objects. The ring may
be capable of emitting other forms of energy as well, and has been
used to send Iron Man slamming through a mountain. The gem is
shaped like a star, colored purple (or red).
Vortex Ring- "Spin"- The ring causes the air to move about at high
speed in a vortex. The vortex can be used as an offensive weapon, as a
means of levitating objects, or as a means of propelling the ring's
wearer through the air. The gem is shaped like a simple blue circle.

Fire Blast Ring- "Incandescence"- The ring emits infrared radiation

or heat at intensities mentally determined by the wearer. Usually the
heat produces flame through incandescing the molecules in the air in
the path of the blast. The heat beam can be used to trigger chemical
explosions. The maximum amount of heat it can generate is not
known. The gem is shaped similarly to the ice blast ring, but with four
capsules and a red color.
Mental Intensifier- "The Liar"- The ring magnifies the wearer's own
psionic energy, allowing him to place one or more people under his
mental control and to transmit orders to them mentally. Most
frequently used to create illusions. The gem is shaped like a blue
diamond/tilted square.
Electric Blast Ring- "Lightning"-The ring emits electricity in
amounts and intensities mentally determined by the wearer. The
maximum current attainable is not known. The gem is shaped like an
angled green line.
Ice Blast Ring-"Zero"-The ring emits waves of cold which can be
used to stun an opponent. The ring usually causes the air in the path of
its blast to turn to ice, and can lower an object's temperature to nearly
absolute zero. The gem is shaped like multiple small cylindrical
capsules, colored blue-white.
Black Light Ring- "Nightbringer"- The ring can create an area of
absolute blackness that seems to absorb all light used within it.
Although "black light" is a term used to refer to ultraviolet radiation,
the darkness created by the ring is probably a form of the "Darkforce."
The gem is shaped like four tiny black-blue dots, arranged in a square
shape in groups of two.
White Light Ring-"Daimonic"- This ring can emit various forms of
energy along the electromagnetic spectrum. Has been used to create
gravity powerful enough to make Iron Man bury himself by trying to
walk forward. The gem is shaped like two white circles, set in gold
(almost like a pair of eyes).
Master Ring-"Spectral"- The ring emits a beam of energy that
destroys all bonds between the atoms and molecules of the object it
strikes. This ring needs twenty minutes to recharge after use. The gem
is shaped like a golden square.
9) Infinity Gauntlet
Since I counted all six of the Infinity Gems as one item, it seems only fair that
I count the combined group as its own entity, especially since they're part of
what is arguably the most well known artifact in the Marvel universe: the
Infinity Gauntlet. When Thanos collected all six Infinity Gems, he set them
into a single glove and basically became a god. He killed half of the
population of the entire universe with it in an instant (in order to impress his
girlfriend, who is Death, it should always be added). Just by wearing the
Gauntlet, Thanos' mild irritation caused Asgard's Rainbow Bridge to shatter
and the entire west coast of the U.S. to sink below the sea. This was specified
as 2% of the Gauntlet's power, and solely because Thanos was feeling
grumpier than normal. The only limitation the Infinity Gauntlet has as do
all its gems is that in only works in its specific universe, so it can't monkey
about with multiverses (although it can still alter time to change the reality of
this universe's timeline, obviously).
10) Heart of the Universe
There's only one thing more powerful than the Infinity Gauntlet, and that's
the Heart of the Universe, supposedly the power of the supreme being of the

Marvel universe itself. It makes the Cosmic Cube and the Infinity Gauntlet
look like tinker toys in comparison. If you're wondering how that's possible,
it's because while the Cube and Gauntlet are devices that give you power,
the Heart turns you into power you become all matter, energy, thought,
etc. in the universe simultaneously. There is nothing in the Marvel universe
that can stand up to its power, and all the cosmic beings and doohickeys
combined couldn't make a dent in it even if they wanted to.