A Prop’s Journey: How the Infinity Gauntlet Evolved Through Design

Avengers: Infinity Warshook Marvel fans to their core with a jaw-dropping ending. But besides the fact that half of humanity was wiped from existence, the film was done really well. Like with all superhero movies, fake movie props helped to bring the action-packed flick to life. And Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet is certainly a prop to remember. However, this masterful movie prop wasn’t made easily.

In the comics, which the Marvel movies are based on, the gauntlet is illustrated as a golden glove that is nice and shiny and glows almost magically when the six stones are finally attached to it. But in the movie, the gauntlet is depicted as much more daunting and menacing than majestic. The movie gauntlet is shown as darker and dirtier, making it seem quite threatening.

Like many fake movie props, the design for the gauntlet changed drastically during the filmmaking process. The prop designers had a few different designs for the gauntlet, all of which consisted of the same basics: a metal glove that could hold the six gems, one in the middle, one on the thumb, and four on the knuckles. Other than the standard idea, the variations of the gauntlet designed differed from each other greatly.

Anthony Francisco, a Senior Visual Development Artist at Marvel Studios, posted a few pictures of concept art for the prop on Instagram. He captioned the post saying, “I still can’t believe I got to work on this film!!”

The concept art consisted mainly of gold metal gloves but the stones varied in shape. Some of the designs combined gold and silver metals, giving the glove a more futuristic look. And fans sure appreciated being able to see the thought and care that went into giving the gauntlet such an intimidating look and feel.

Movie props have come a long way over the years. Something like the lightsaber fromStar Warsonly cost about $12 to make and is still one of the most iconic props in film history. But today’s props involve more effort and time, and the outcome is certainly worth it. Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet is sure to be one of the most memorable props in the Marvel universe, both due to its intriguing design and the chaos it caused.

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