When the Avengers managed to pull past versions of the Infinity Stones from the timestream to beat Thanos, those Stones were promptly returned, meaning there are no Infinity Stones in the main MCU continuity. While that seems unfortunate, it actually perfectly sets up the introduction of a god-tier villain - and one Marvel Comics story arc explains how.

In Warlock and the Infinity Watch #5-6 by Jim Starlin and Angel Medina, the villainous Man-Beast has captured every member of the Infinity Watch, and has stolen the Infinity Gems each were charged with protecting. Orbiting the Earth in a high-tech laboratory spaceship, this living creation of the High Evolutionary uses his advanced technology to siphon the power of the Infinity Gems from the Infinity Watch. By doing so, Man-Beast gives life to a truly heinous monster of cosmic power: the Infinity Thrall.

Adam Warlock tries to stop Man-Beast before he activates his device, but he is too late, and must battle the corrupted manifestation of the Infinity Stones’ collective power that was the Infinity Thrall. In the end, Warlock manages to defeat the Infinity Thrall by tricking it into destroying the very device that gave it life. While the Infinity Thrall’s Marvel Comics career amounted to nothing more than a two-issue arc, the nature of its existence is perfect for an MCU adaptation.

MCU’s Thanos Could Have Given Life to the Infinity Thrall by Destroying the Infinity Stones

The MCU Could Tweak the Infinity Thrall’s Origin to Make It Even More Terrifying

At its core, the Infinity Thrall is simply the living embodiment of the cosmic energy contained within each Infinity Stone. In Marvel Comics, a device was needed to extract that energy and then combine/concentrate it until the Infinity Thrall was born. Obviously, that’s impossible in the MCU, as Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame. However, when Thanos destroyed the Stones, he did what Man-Beast’s machine was designed to do: release the Stones’ energy.

Perhaps by destroying the Infinity Stones, Thanos inadvertently put into motion the creation of the MCU’s Infinity Thrall. Of course, this would mean that the MCU would need to tweak the Infinity Thrall’s origin, making it more of a natural consequence of destroying the Infinity Stones as opposed to a cosmic affront to nature by-way of advanced technology. But, in a way, that makes the Infinity Thrall even cooler, and much more threatening.

The Infinity Thrall was defeated when Adam Warlock destroyed the device that created it, at which point, the cosmic energy pulled from the Infinity Gems returned to them. But, in the MCU, there would be no device, and no Infinity Stones for the energy to go back into. The Infinity Thrall would be a cosmic force of nature that came as a direct result of mortal hubris, with no ‘quick-fix’ for the heroes who will have to face its wrath.

The MCU Could Finally Redeem Its Biggest Misstep with Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock is a Major Part of Marvel Comics’ Infinity Stone Lore, & Now He Can Be in the MCU

One of the biggest missteps in the MCU was sidelining Adam Warlock in the Infinity Saga, especially since there were plenty of opportunities to introduce him before the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In Marvel Comics, Adam Warlock is a major part of Infinity Stone lore even before Thanos collects all the Gems in Infinity Gauntlet. Not only that, but Warlock is the one who claims the Gauntlet from Thanos, and subsequently creates the Infinity Watch.

Indeed, Adam Warlock plays a major role in the Infinity Stones’ wider mythos in Marvel Comics, and the fact that he didn’t even encounter one in the MCU is shameful. However, now is the chance for the MCU to redeem that misstep.

If Thanos accidentally created the MCU’s version of the Infinity Thrall, then it makes sense that the Guardians of the Galaxy would battle it, and Adam Warlock is a prominent member of the MCU’s current lineup. This would give the character the chance to be a part of Infinity Saga (even if just its aftermath), and potentially do what his Marvel Comics counterpart did by defeating the Infinity Thrall and officially bringing the final remnants of the Infinity Saga to a close in the MCU.

In basically every conceivable way, bringing the Infinity Thrall to the MCU would be absolutely incredible to see, since Adam Warlock would get the storyline he deserves and the MCU would be breathing new life into an underutilized cosmic villain from the comics. Plus, fans would be reminded of the terrifying impact the Mad Titan had on the entire universe during the Infinity Saga, as Thanos destroying the MCU’s Infinity Stones sets up the perfect god-tier movie villain.