Scepter

TALK PAGE

"You question us? You question HIM? He, who put the scepter in your hand, who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated?"

- The Other to Loki

The Chitauri Scepter, sometimes refered to as Loki's Scepter, is a scepter that served as containment device for one of the Infinity Stones. It was wielded by Loki in the invasion of Earth, who received it as a gift from Thanos.

Loki's Weapon
"You've got the glow stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"

- Tony Stark to Loki

The Chitauri Scepter was a Chitauri weapon that was powered by an Infinity Stone. The stone gave the scepter the ability to fire energy blasts and manipulate others. The stone had been in the possession of Thanos, who entrusted both it and the scepter to Loki of Asgard, along with an army of Chitauri warriors, under the condition that Loki travel to Earth to secure the Tesseract and prepare the planet for subjugation under his rule. Loki arrived on Earth through a portal jump-started by the Tesseract, arriving in the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility, and used the scepter to quickly defeat a unit of armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were present. Loki proceeded to use the scepter's powers to control the minds of agent Clint Barton and scientist Erik Selvig before escaping the facility. Loki continued to carry the scepter during his activities on Earth, using it to establish a mental link to speak with The Other, and using it during several altercations with The Avengers. After being captured and imprisoned on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, the scepter was stored in a science lab on board, where it was observed and studied by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. During an argument among the Avengers members and Nick Fury, the scepter was revealed to be slowly affecting their minds, increasing tensions and turning them against each other until an immediate threat put them back in focus.

Upon escaping from his holding cell on the Helicarrier, Loki regained the scepter, which he later used to stab agent Phil Coulson through the heart when Coulson attempted to stand against him. Loki continued using the scepter to fight against the Avengers in New York after opening a portal for the Chitauri to invade Earth, until he lost it shortly after fighting his brother Thor. Near the end of the battle the scepter was picked up by Black Widow and used to activate a fail-safe that closed the portal being generated by the Tesseract. Following the invasion, Black Widow turned possession of the scepter over to S.H.I.E.L.D.

In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Possession
The scepter was placed in the facility called S.H.I.E.L.D. S.T.A.T.I.O.N. to be researched by S.H.I.E.L.D. One of its researchers, Nicholas Cooper, was very enthusiastic about working with the scepter, but his colleague Mark Smith did not share his enthusiasm. Smith explained how he wanted to be a field agent, but as he was deemed psychologically unstable, he was transferred to the science division.

Eventually, Smith's displeasement with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leadership allowed him to be recruited into HYDRA by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Strucker's first order to Smith was to retrieve the scepter.

While Cooper developed a new groundbreaking theory about the scepter's connection to the Tesseract, Smith, along with a HYDRA colleague, burst into the room, stealing the Scepter, and killing Cooper in the process.

In HYDRA's Possession
"What we have is worth more than any of them ever knew. We've only scratched the surface and already..."

- Wolfgang von Strucker

The scepter was transported to the HYDRA Research Base in Sokovia, where Strucker and his scientists began to study it, and powered up a large number of Chitauri Guns using it. As Strucker was not completely satisfied with the results, he ordered his lead scientist Doctor List to gather volunteers among the rioting population of Sokovia for experiments with the scepter. Although many volunteers died as a result, the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff gained extraordinary powers.

By the time of the Battle at the Triskelion, Strucker and his scientists realized that the Scepter's powers were far greater than they originally thought.

In Tony Stark's Possession
When the Avengers invaded and captured Strucker's fortress, Tony Stark discovered the Scepter in the secret laboratory. Once the Scepter was transported to the Avengers Tower, Stark began experimenting on it, aiming to unlock its secrets before Thor takes it to Asgard. Three days later, the gem inside the Scepter successfully connected with Stark's Ultron Program, thus creating the new artificial intelligence, Ultron. The new person immediately took control of Stark's equipment, building himself a robotic body from the damaged parts of Stark's Iron Legion robots. The robots then attacked the Avengers, and though they were defeated, one of the them escaped with the Scepter, while Ultron hacked into the internet and moved his consciousness to the computers at Strucker's fortress, where he made himself a new, more advanced body.

In Ultron's Possession
Ultron later broke the Scepter and the jewel within it, so he could take the Infinity Stone from it and use it to empower a perfect body for himself, a mixture of vibranium and the living tissue.

Capabilities
"Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." "I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

- Captain America and Nick Fury

The scepter, in its main form, has a golden handle and a black fitting which holds the Infinity Stone encircled with silver blades. It allows its owner to open rifts through dimensions using the Tesseract as a gate key, fire powerfully destructive blast of blue energy, communicate across space through a form of astral projection, and bend the will of others by controlling their hearts.

The scepter can be transformed at will by its user, changing between at least three distinctly different forms. In its main form, the scepter has two blades encircling the Infinity Stone, an elongated blade over the stone and a shortened blade underneath, as well as having a shortened handle, measuring approximately two feet in length overall, making it ideal for close-quarters melee and firing accurate energy bursts. When carrying it into battle the scepter can be transformed into a spear-like form with a much longer handle, lengthening to approximately six feet, and more pronounced blades, including an additional pronounced blade underneath the gem. In some situations, the scepter can even be disguised as an ornate walking cane, approximately three feet in length, taking on a strait, slender appearance, removing the blades and leaving the blue gem as an ornament to give it a regal appearance.

The scepter functions as a formidable weapon, its sharp blades being able to violently impale and slash enemies, besting most in combat with ease. It is made from extremely durable materials as it was even strong enough to match Thor's mighty hammer Mjølnir in close-quarters combat.

When using the scepter to control another person the user places the blade tip against the person’s heart and the Infinity Stone produces a blue, wisp-like energy which is transferred into the person’s body where it the spreads up to their head, notably affecting their eyes, turning them a florescent blue color. People put under the scepter's control will often regain their individuality after receiving a significant blow to the head, as a temporary loss of consciousness will allow their normal mental state to "reset" and return. In some situations the effects of the mind control can be negated outright if the energy from the scepter is unable to diffuse into the target's body, such as when Tony Stark's Arc Reactor absorbed the energy instead.

Through the stone's power, the scepter is also able to link the consciousness of its wielder to that of another person, as evidenced when Loki used the scepter to mentally communicate with The Other. This form of astral projection appears to have no real limits on distance, as Loki and the Other's conversation had been all the way from Earth to far off space. During this conversation The Other was able to cause Loki pain through the scepter, implying that the former had access to the stone's power.

While the scepter was in HYDRA's possession, Wolfgang von Strucker commented that the scientists studying it had only just scratched the surface, implying that the scepter's capabilities are more diverse than originally perceived.

Trivia

 * The Scepter was first confirmed as holding one of the Infinity Stones in the teaser trailer for the upcoming film Avengers: Infinity War.
 * An identical scepter appears in the animated series Avengers Assemble where it is used by Loki.