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Can Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility, the elder wand and an orb of resurrection compare to the cosmic might of Marvel’s Infinity Stones?
“The Tale of the Three Brothers” from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows portrays a cheated Grim Reaper who fashions three powerful artifacts for three men who think themselves clever. The first receives the Elder Wand, which makes any wizard unbeatable in a head-to-head duel. The second is the Resurrection Stone, which can recall loved ones from beyond the grave. Finally, the third is the Cloak of Invisibility, which shields the wearer from physical or magical detection.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Infinity Stones are heirlooms from previous, compressed realities, forged in the heat of the Big Bang. Each of the six Stones grants dominion over one aspect of the universe: Mind, Soul, Time, Space, Reality and Power. Given the realm of potency within their respective realities, which set of artifacts is more powerful?
The Deathly Hallows’ Strengths and Weaknesses
In Harry Potter, the Deathly Hallows were sought after by adventurers, historians and cultists who all believed that by collecting all three, one might attain the mantle of Master of Death. No one person was ever in possession of all three at the same time but at least two individuals, Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, did have physical possession of each of them at one point or another. There is an argument to be made that when united the Hallows may grant abilities heretofore unseen, considering that according to Beedle the Bard, they were created by the manifestation of Death.
Dumbledore wasn’t convinced that the Hallows were actually crafted by Death itself. He thought it much more likely that the Brothers Peverell constructed each of the powerful talismans themselves but history, myth and their objective power convinced others that they had a more profane origin. This could be significant because it brings into question whether they were manufactured by mortal wizards with mortal limitations or an immortal deity with unlimited reservoirs of arcane might.
Assuming the latter and taking the story at its word, one could examine each item’s performance to determine the heights of their power. The Elder Wand, for instance, is powerful but does not confer invincibility and it determines its own destiny. Being somewhat sentient, the wand is fickle in nature with an agenda all its own. Given the wand’s bloody history, it seems fair to describe it as more cursed than blessed, like many things that tickle Voldemort’s ambitions. The Resurrection Stone, as described in the original tale, brings back a mimicry of the person retrieved from Death’s kingdom. As such, it cannot truly bring people back to life.
Though the Invisibility Cloak seems to do its job pretty well, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets it is clear that Dumbledore can somehow sense Harry and Ron as they’re hiding in Hagrid’s cottage. Even if he had known that they had gone to see the groundskeeper, knowing exactly where they were standing inside his home implies that Dumbledore had some means of detecting them. Though powerful in comparison to other items of magic in the wizarding world, each Deathly Hallow is seemingly flawed.
The Infinity Stones’ Strengths and Weaknesses
The Infinity Stones from the comics are much more powerful than the ones from the MCU, so the MCU Stones seem better suited for a fair comparison. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos took advantage of each stone’s unique potential when battling the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. He distorted the fabric of reality by creating alternate versions of weapons or playing with the molecular fabric of living organisms that defied the fundamental physical laws of the universe. He also brutalized the Hulk, who is arguably Earth’s strongest individual in the MCU, as a pastime. The Space Stone took him instantly from one point in the universe to another and the Time Stone allowed him to reverse the flow of time itself so that he could capture a destroyed Mind Stone. Once united, he infamously wiped out half the universe with a snap of his fingers.
At the same time, there is a major physical toll to using the Infinity Stones in concert. Using the Infinity Gauntlet in full severely damaged both Thanos and the Hulk and outright killed Tony Stark.
Winner: The Infinity Stones
Even without a direct calculation of relative power within their respective universes, it’s clear that one set of relics is, if nothing else, more reliable than the other. Even with all caveats, disclaimers and cautionary hedging, the Infinity Stones are way more powerful than the Deathly Hallows, although the cost of using them can be much greater.
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