Those who attended the Marvel Studios presentations at the D23 Expo and Comic-Con International saw footage of Thanos employing the staggering might of some of the Infinity Stones. However, that only scratches the surface, as the Russo brothers will ensure that before all the Stones are assembled in the Infinity Gauntlet, the audience will have an idea of the scope of power at hand.
“Each gem has its own special power,” Joe Russo told Screen Rant. “We had to put a lot of thought into how we would represent those powers so it was clear to the audience. Not only are you dealing with a lot of characters, you are also dealing with the stones, the gems, and there’s a lot of them. So for people to keep track of all of it, we had to get really specific. I won’t divulge how we use the Reality Stone, but we do use it.”
In the comics, the Reality Gem (or Stone) allows users to manipulate reality and even revive the dead. The Infinity Stones have been altered so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the Reality Stone  changed to the “Aether,” a parasitic lifelike force that bonds with a host, allowing the person to use concussive blasts and the ability to convert matter. Now in the possession of The Collecter, the Reality Stone debuted in Thor: The Dark World, where the Dark Elf Malekith harnessed its abilities during an alignment of the Nine Realms with the intent to destroy the other worlds and restore his people to power.Thanos, who appears to be more versed in unlocking the Stones’ full potential, appears poised to unleash his wrath upon Earth. That could allow the Russo broths to deliver a Reality Stone that’s similar to the comics, with the Mad Titan bending reality to his will and reshaping the universe.
As it stands, five of the six Infinity Stones, including the Aether, will have to be retrieved by Thanos and the Children of Thanos (aka the Black Order). The others are the Tesseract, or Space Stonem on Asgard; the Mind Stone in Vision’s forehead on Earth; the Power Stone, or the “Orb,” with the Nova Corps on Xandar; and the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto on Earth. The location of the sixth, the Soul Stone, is still unknown, although it could appear in November’s Thor: Ragnarok or next year’s Black Panther.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War boasts a sprawling ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland and Anthony Mackie. The film arrives in theaters May 4, 2018, with the untitled sequel opening May 3, 2019.