
out of all of the infinity stones in the MCU, only the reality stone (the Æther) and the power stone are extremely dangerous to touch. i have a theory about the power stone’s original container; specifically the Orb. (not the second Orb seen in the end of GOTG vol 1) The Orb is an ancient artifact predating the universe’s creation in conjunction with the creation of the six infinity stones. it housed the power stone, the most physically dangerous stone of the six. (the purple one 🟣) The Orb is one of the only artifacts able to contain the power stone’s power effectively without the said container or medium falling apart or disintegrating at a molecular level due to the power stone’s nature. Ronan’s weapon of choice could have possibly contained the power stone, but we haven’t seen the long term effects on the said weapon. same for the infinity gauntlet and the nano-gauntlet. so with that out of the way, we can say that the Orb is the only artifact that we currently know of in the MCU capable of concealing and containing all of the power stone’s power without leakage and has withstood the test of time. (keyword: ancient) (it also works via a series of complicated concentric locks)
the Orb however seems to have a ton of holes and indents over the surface and the inside of the Orb is slightly visible through some of the holes. my theory is that over the course of millions if not billions of millennia, the power stone eroded the Orb and slowly ate through the container. despite the Orb being the only currently known artifact capable of withholding the power stone’s power 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, the power stone was too much for the container and slowly eroded and compromised the structural integrity of the Orb over billions of millennia. hence why it has so many holes and indents on the surface. that’s all for my theory; do feel free to leave your thoughts below!