Comic books often have the advantage of exploring their universe more and more with every issue. Every creator puts their own spin on the story and alters the rules at their will. in the process, their universe gets further enriched and sometimes, convoluted. Movies cannot do this. Due to this, often much information remains unexplained. Marvel’s MCU suffers from the same. In creating its rich story structure and characters, there are many powerful artifacts that are not explained at all in the movies or shows. They are sometimes not even called by their actual names. Here we look into the top 5 of these artifacts, and their actual story as presented in the comics.

6. Casket of Ancient Winters

Referred only as the “source of power” of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim by Odin in the movie –  Thor, the ‘Casket of Ancient Winters’ is a very powerful relic in the Marvel universe. It is capable of producing and projecting an infinite icy wind that can freeze whole landscapes and plunge an entire world into an ice age. It was captured by the Einherjar of Asgard and sealed in Odin’s Vault before being stolen by Loki. However, it was destroyed during Ragnarok along with the whole of Asgard. In the comics, the Casket had the power to bring about “Fimbulwinter,” a great winter that preceded Ragnarök.

The artifact originally belonged to the Frost Giants of Jotunheimv(one of the nine realms under Asgard). In the battle between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants, Odin decided to take the Casket of Ancient Winters with him. This deprived the planet of the one thing it needed for the Frost Giants to survive. Without the artifact, the place was left in the cosmos to decay and it eventually died. In the comics, however, it is said that another artifact called ‘Gem of Infinite Suns’ could reverse the effects of the Casket. However, in the MCU the exact origin, history, powers, and weakness of the Casket are not explained well.

5. Necrosword

First appearing in the second issue of Thor: God of Thunder comic series, Necrosword is an all-powerful weapon that fell from the sky and allowed Gorr to murder and enslave the gods. It was revealed in Venom #4 that the weapon was created by an ancient deity known as Knull, All-Black – the original Symbiote. However, MCU took a different route for this weapon. In What If…?, we learn that Hela’s blades from Thor: Ragnarok were called Necroswords (as opposed to Nighswords in comics). Although the shape-shifting vibes of her sword do evoke some Symbiote vibes, it was never clarified.

Later when Gorr makes his appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, he gets possessed by another ‘Necrosword’. This sword derives its powers from the Shadow Realm and showcases shadow magic. It corrupts the minds of its wielder, as it does with Gorr. However, it too has no clear connection with Symbiotes. This all appears like a great mess, and Marvel has left it all hanging loose, inviting several speculations and theories by fandom.

4. Infinity Crusher 

In Marvel’s What If…? Season One, episode Nine titled ‘The Watcher Broke His Oath?’, Gamora used an artifact to destroy the infinity stones. This device is known as – The Infinity Crusher. The Infinity Crusher has the ability to destroy Infinity Stones by detecting their presence and placing itself on top of them. It has mechanical legs which allowed it to move. It was said to be made by Eitri after melting Thanos’s Infinity Gauntlet. Gamora had previously used it to destroy the Infinity Stones of her native universe. However, when it does not work against the Infinity Ultron it is revealed that the Crusher was limited to only being effective on the stones from its native universe.

But since Gamora’s introductory episode was moved to Season 2 due to COVID-19 delays, Gamora was introduced in medias res in the first season. So many things felt sudden and out of context, Infinity Crusher being one of them. Hence, it is still a mystery. Surprisingly, this device does not exist in the comics and also awaits its appearance in the live-action MCU.

3. Twilight Sword

The next weapon on our list is – Twilight Sword. Haven’t heard that before? It is the big fiery sword that Surtur wields in Thor: Ragnarok. The sword was so powerful that Surtur was able to destroy the entire Asgard with it. The Twilight Sword was a weapon of tremendous power and durability. Its primary feature was its ability to launch large streams of flame that could burn through most materials. The sword is never called by its real name in the movie, but it has a very rich story in the comics.

Actually, the Twilight Sword, also known as the Sword of Doom, was reforged by the Fire Giant Surtur using the “Burning Galaxy” with the life force of the planets in it powering the sword, to set the universe afire. It helped Surtur to channel his fiery powers. Surtur along with his Twilight Sword resided in the Muspelheim, the realm of eternal fire and the home of Fire Demons. However, no explanation is given about the sword’s origin and powers in the MCU.

2. Mandarin’s Ten Rings

Probably the biggest mystery of all is the origins of Mandarin’s ten rings and Kamala Khan’s magical bracelets in the MCU. The hints and clues given in the MCU so far indicate that these two are somehow connected in their powers or origins. In the comics, Mandarin finds the rings from a crashed alien ship. They are actual ‘rings’ and were worn on the fingers by the Mandarin. Each one of them had amazing sets of powers. It was later revealed that each ring contained the soul of a long-dead legendary Makluan cosmic warrior, trapped in a phantasmal state limited by their respective device.

However, in the MCU, the ten rings (as large as bracelets, and worn on wrists) were found by Xu Wenwu (Shang Chi: the Legend of the Ten rings). They granted him enhanced strength and immortality. They were said to be ‘very old’ and ‘alien in nature’. That is all for their origin. Maybe, a more clear answer will be given in a future potential sequel to the film.

1. Kamala Khan’s Magical Bangle

Similar to Mandarin rings, in Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan is shown to receive her powers from a magical bangle that was passed on by her great-grandmother. In the comics, Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel) is actually Inhuman and was granted her powers from the Terrigen Mist like all the Inhumans. But, in the MCU this is not the case.

Here she is shown to be a mutant, and her bangle was the key to unlocking her ability to control the photonic energy of the mysterious Noor dimension. It could also enable Kamala to time-travel. In the flashback of one of the episodes, it is shown that her great-grandmother found it at an ancient crash site from a blue alien-like dead being (possibly a Kree). Again, no clear origin is explained for the bracelets. Maybe the upcoming movie  –The Marvels could share some light on it.