The Tesseract Unveiled: Unraveling the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Most Powerful Artifact

Highlights

The Tesseract is a significant magical artifact in the MCU, originally introduced as the Cosmic Cube from Marvel comics.

The Space Stone is contained within the Tesseract, bestowing upon it the ability to create wormholes, open portals, and manipulate energy.

In order to enhance the plot development and avoid excessive complications, Marvel adapted the Tesseract into an Infinity Stone.

The Tesseract has been prominently featured in the MCU, making numerous appearances throughout its vast collection of movies. It initially appeared in Thor's end credits scene and went on to play a significant role in Captain America: The First Avenger and subsequent films. In the first phase of the MCU, the Tesseract held great importance and continued to gain significance in the later part of the Infinity Saga as an Infinity Stone.

Although the Tesseract originated as the Cosmic Cube from Marvel comics, it was not initially an Infinity Stone. This has caused confusion among fans regarding its true nature in the MCU. Marvel has not always provided explicit clarification on its abilities and power, leading to questions about the role the Tesseract fulfills. Is it simply the Cosmic Cube or is it also an Infinity Stone?

How Was The Tesseract Made?

When discussing the Tesseract, its story is influenced by different sources. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the Tesseract's origin differs slightly from its comic book counterpart. In the MCU, the Tesseract was formed during the creation of the universe, as the six singularities transformed into the Infinity Stones. Serving as a vessel for the Space Stone, the Tesseract allowed various individuals and civilizations throughout history to utilize its power. Initially held by the Asgardians, it was later safeguarded in Odin's vault before being brought to Earth and entrusted to a church in the village of Tønsberg. Unfortunately, it was subsequently stolen by Red Skull.

On the other hand, in the comics, the Tesseract, also known as the Cosmic Cube, was created by the Beyonders, cosmic beings with immense power that can manipulate reality itself. The Cosmic Cube served as a tool for the Beyonders to harness their powers and exert control over the universe. Its primary abilities included wish-granting and reality manipulation. At one point, it even caused chaos across multiple universes, although most of its effects were typically illusions.

What Are The Tesseract's Powers?

The Tesseract possesses an immense amount of power due to its containment of the Space Stone, although the precise parameters can be perplexing. It has the capability to create wormholes that enable interdimensional travel to any location in the universe. When directly touched by Red Skull, it transported him to Vormir. Loki utilized its teleportation abilities by using the Mind Stone within his scepter to remotely access the Tesseract on Earth, allowing him to create a portal. Erik Selvig harnessed its power to generate a colossal wormhole over New York, allowing the Chitauri to invade during The Avengers.

The Tesseract appears to possess an essentially infinite energy source as it taps into cosmic energy from outer space. This makes it suitable for powering large-scale objects like the Bifrost. Mar-Vell utilized a Tesseract-powered Light Speed Engine, which exploded, resulting in the cosmic force imbuing Carol Danvers with the ability to manipulate energy and transforming her into Captain Marvel. HYDRA also employed the Tesseract to power their vehicles and weapons. Handling the Tesseract typically required special equipment or gloves, unless the individual possessed significant power like Loki, Captain Marvel, Thanos, or, of course, Goose the cat.

Is The Tesseract The Cosmic Cube Or The Space Stone?

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Tesseract was transformed into a vessel for an Infinity Stone. Initially resembling its counterpart in the comics, it evolved over time to better fit the overarching story. Currently, it holds the Space Stone and is primarily recognized as an Infinity Stone.

Marvel's decision to make this transformation was wise, as maintaining the Tesseract as the Cosmic Cube would have given it excessive power. The Cosmic Cube possesses nearly boundless abilities, which would have posed challenges in writing the MCU storyline. By making it an Infinity Stone, the plot can progress smoothly as more Infinity Stones are introduced, while also simplifying its functionality and avoiding plot complications.