All Kinds of Speculation

In the days that followed, Thanos had Ebony Maw, who could control others through speech, spread rumors across the universe.

One claimed he was about to collect all six Infinity Stones and rule the universe.

Another said he already had five and was preparing to seize the sixth on Blue Star.

Others described how brutally he would rule once he had all six Infinity Stones, and how he would wipe out rival powers.

He did it, of course, to draw the Three Great Empires and the Ten Great Alliances into the fray.

Only by pulling them all in and throwing the universe into chaos could he divide Death's attention.

She had the Multiverse to watch and could spare only so much attention for him. Once something else distracted her, he could teleport to the Zeus System, find Doctor Strange, and quickly take the Time Stone.

Then he would use the Space Stone to return to Blue Star at once and seize the Reality Stone.

With all six Infinity Stones, he would have leverage to negotiate with Death—or even ignore her.

Of course, he had considered whether Gamil was telling the truth.

But as an overlord of the universe, he could not remain under Death's control forever.

He had never intended to complete her task, either. This was his best chance to break free of her.

As the days passed, unease spread throughout the universe.

Word that Thanos had obtained five Infinity Stones spread far and wide. Everyone knew what all six would mean.

The universe would fall under his brutal rule, and no living being wanted that.

The Three Great Empires and the Ten Great Alliances stopped fighting and came together for their shared interests.

In just three days, they reached an agreement and formed a crusade fleet of ten