What Happened To The Infinity Stones In 'Avengers: Endgame'? The Russo Brothers Have Answers

Much like Thanos himself, a non-stop news cycle about the Russo Brothers answering questions about their latest movie is...inevitable. Following Avengers: Infinity War, the filmmaking siblings spent what seemed like weeks answering every question under the sun about the film. Now, it's time for them to do it all over again for Avenges: Endgame.

During a recent Q&A, attended by /Film reader Will C, the Russos took a question regarding those darn Infinity Stones. Specifically, what Thanos does to them at the start of the film. Find out below. Spoilers follow.

Endgame is a complicated movie, full of potential contradictions, paradoxes, and all sorts of shenanigans. During a Q&A, the Russos were pressed for an explanation regarding the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame. Specifically – what Thanos does to them when the movie opens. If you're not paying close attention, you might assume Thanos destroyed the Stones when the surviving Avengers catch up with him. And yet, later in the film, the Ancient One tells Hulk that the stones are "essential to the flow of time."

If that's true, how could Thanos destroy them? The answer: he didn't. As the Russos pointed out in their Q&A, Thanos actually says he reduced the Stones to atoms – which means that the Stones still exist on "an atomic level." You can't touch them, you can't use them, but they're still out there. Somewhere.

Whatever you may think of the convoluted-ness of Endgame, this answer shows that the Russos and their writers actually do sit down and think about all of this stuff, and try to hash it out. The Russos even say this is the sort of question that pops up in a writers' room, and then everyone has to pitch ideas in order to make things work, and avoid any major plot holes. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. But it's good to know there's at least some sort of plan in place to avoid any overly-nonsensical moments.

And now we can all take comfort in knowing we won't have to worry about those dang Infinity Stones any longer. After all, Endgame was the end of the Infinity Saga. It's time for some other MacGuffin to focus on. Unless they make The Infinity Saga Part II: Electric Boogaloo.