With Thor rocking movie theatres around the world, much attention has been brought to Mjolnir, his magical and hard-to-pronounce hammer. This weapon stores an immense amount of power, and enables the wielder to do amazing things. However, it's not the only object like it in the Marvel Universe; there are other objects, when wielded properly, that are capable of wondrous acts of destruction.
The Eye of Agamotto
Doctor Strange is one of my all-time favourite characters; I love the juxtaposition of the mystical and martial arts alongside a seemingly "normal" man. Though he's privy to a number of different tools (like the Cloak of Levitation), there's one talisman that stands above all: The Eye of Agamotto.
While not literally the eye of the Vishanti god, the Eye is a talisman that belongs to the Sorcerer Supreme of this dimension and is available for their use. Agamotto himself was the first Sorcerer Supreme, so the naming is fitting.
It channels immense magical power, along with its sister orb. Both Doctor Strange and Brother Voodoo have been shown to invoke its power when dealing with similarly mystical sources, such as when the Scarlet Witch's delusional rampage threatened the safety of all those she held dear.
Its upper limits are unheard of, as the very nature of magical characters is that their powers are ill-defined. The Eye can be seen as a deus ex machina in the Marvel Universe; it is unpredictable, formidable and completely powerful.
== TEASER ==The Cosmic Cube
Though not quite a mystical weapon, the Cosmic Cube is dangerous nonetheless. It will likely have a prominent role in this summer's Captain America: The First Avenger.
While the Cube has always been associated with the Red Skull and his chicanery, its roots go deeper than that. In fact, there are a number of Cosmic Cubes that have been created by the otherworldly Beyonders. Our own Tom Pinchuk wrote a great guide to the Cube back in January, which he states:
At basics, that grants whomever holds it the nigh-omnipotent ability to reshape reality Earthlings and other species throughout the cosmos have created their own Cubes over the years and, after a certain amount of time and usage, whose appearance and personality is shaped by those who've wielded it. Thus, while human-used Cubes will become humanoid entities like the or , a Cube used by aliens like the will look like .
Similarly, if a person wields a Cosmic Cube, the resultant entity will be good. But if a wields one? Hoo boy…
That being said, the Cube is an object of immense power, but one with a purpose: the Beyonders created them to test people's desire and evolution process. The way I see it, they're simply stirring the pot of the people in the "lower" dimensions: see what they'll do with immense power they're given, and see if anyone has the cajones to stop them.
Luckily, Captain America always seems to be there to stop the Red Skull whenever he gets his hands on one, disregarding the fact that the Cube can quite possibly do anything. Hopefully that'll be the same case this summer in theatres.
The Ten Rings of the Mandarin
While the Mandarin is one of Iron Man's most prolific villains, he has been noticeably absent in the films. However, his influence still remains: mentions of the "Ten Rings" gang of terrorists were present in the first film and they were the financiers of Ivan Vanko's initial Whiplash suit in the second. However, the rings that the cartel were named for are objects of immense power and destruction wielded by a madman: not a good combination by any means.
The rings, in reality, were meant as a power source for an alien spaceship, designed by a race called the Makluans. This lizard species lost the rings when the ship crashed to earth, enabling the Mandarin to use them for evil.
Each of the rings (pictured above) has a different power, which have little to do with each other; they don't follow a specific "theme" which always bothered me. They suit literally every facet of the Mandarin's criminal empire, from inspiring loyalty in his followers to throwing down with heroes like Iron Man. They are extremely priceless and loyal to their master - they cannot be used unless he wills it, and they will teleport back to him if he is knocked out. This balances the odds, again, in Mandarin's favour, as his unbreakable control over the rings makes him a constant threat.
It's worth noting that the rings are now fused to the Mandarin's spine due to events in recent issues of Invincible Iron Man. An Annual issue in the same series takes a look into the personal life of the Mandarin through the eyes of a documentary film maker, giving the reader an intimate look into his life with the rings. The image presented is nothing short of what the reader expects: a madman with an immeasurable source of power.
These are just some of the greatest weapons in the Marvel Universe. There are other mystical and cosmic powered weapons out there. How do you think these compare to those?
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