The Infinity Gauntlet is one of the most powerful weapons in the Marvel Universe, and the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards coined a much better name for it. With the Gauntlet, the user can do practically anything, limited only by their imagination. For such a powerful object, the name “Infinity Gauntlet” feels underwhelming, but in 2012’s Fantastic Four #605.1, an alternate Reed Richards gives it a new, and better, name.
Fantastic Four #605.1 is written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Mike Choi. The issue runs down the origin of the Council of Reeds, a congress of Reed Richards from across the multiverse. One of them, as seen in a flashback sequence, possesses his universe’s equivalent of the Infinity Gauntlet. A villain in his world, he uses the Gauntlet to vanquish his enemies.
He reflects on using it, and at one point calls it “the God Hand.”
The saga of the Infinity Gauntlet has stretched across the Marvel Universe for over 50 years, since the introduction of Adam Warlock’s Soul Stone in the early 1970s. In time, more Infinity Stones appeared, and in 1990’s Thanos Quest, the Mad Titan fought the Elders of the Universe. As he defeated each one, he took their Infinity Stone. Assembling the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos then proceeds to use it to kill half the universe’s population. Even after Thanos’ defeat, the Infinity Stones continue to be a source of woe for the Marvel Universe.
There is no denying the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. In addition to Thanos using it as a means of murder and destruction, the Gauntlet has been used for more noble and constructive purposes as well. Early in Jonathan Hickman’s run on the Avengers, the Illuminati reassembled the Gauntlet. Captain America then used it to move another universe and keep it colliding with ours.
Although the Infinity Stones are now scattered across the Marvel Universe, someone can always gather them together once again, and unleash their power. The Infinity Stones, when used together, can achieve almost anything the user desires.
With such power behind it, the name “Infinity Gauntlet” can be viewed as a little lacking. Beyond the word “infinity” in the name, there is no indication of what the Gauntlet can do. The name does not fit, but an alternate Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, gave it the perfect one: the God Hand.
This name works better, as the Infinity Gauntlet basically turns its user into a god. The name “Infinity Gauntlet” also has negative connotations thanks to Thanos, but the name “the God Hand” is more neutral, and a better indicator of its power.