The Infinity Stones are cropping up across the galaxy and you just know everyone wants a piece of the action. Heroes and villains alike will clash in the pages of INFINITY COUNTDOWN by Gerry Duggan and Aaron Kuder. And make no mistake, things are about to get ugly during this five-part series, which kicks off March 7, following a one-shot prelude, INFINITY COUNTDOWN PRIME #1 (by Duggan and Mike Deodato), on February 21.

For a more in-depth preview into the upcoming struggle, Marvel.com spoke with Duggan and Kuder about why the stones are cropping up and now and the tempting sway they hold over the entire Marvel Universe.

Marvel.com: Why do you think the Infinity Stones hold such influence over the Marvel Universe, aside from their immense power?

Gerry Duggan: The Infinity Stones are dumb rocks that sometimes bang together yielding spectacular results. We’re more interested in what happens to the people holding them, and what happens after. Strictly speaking they’re wonderful MacGuffins, but we’ve all seen Thanos in his gauntlet armed with immense power. We’re telling a very different story.

Aaron Kuder: Without their power the stones wouldn’t be anything special. Even if each stone only had a lot of power (in the sense of energy sources), that in itself wouldn’t be all that interesting. It’s the unique nature of each stone, Time, Reality, Power, Mind, Soul, Space, and the way they become something greater than the sum of their parts that makes them the universe’s most powerful and dangerous items. Any one of them could give someone the master over that specific element, combining any two could conceivably make someone the most dominate creature in the universe.

Marvel.com: What’s causing the stones to reappear across the galaxy and who are some of the major players after them?

Gerry Duggan: The universe exists and so do the stones. They’re the source codes for the Marvel Universe. They can be destroyed, but they must reappear elsewhere. The stones are different now, and they work differently. It’s a mystery as to the why. The mystery will be solved later in 2018.

Infinity Countdown #1

Marvel.com: In the first issue we’ll see a race to the Power Stone, which has grown to the size of a building. Why is that?

Gerry Duggan: It’s a very good question. One that will be answered at least later in INFINITY COUNTDOWN. Obviously it is different than we’ve seen it before, but then again, the Marvel Universe is different since we’ve last seen the stones.

Marvel.com: What’s the worst case scenario in this series if these stones fall into the wrong hands?

Gerry Duggan: Since I’m writing it the argument could be made they’re already in the wrong hands. But I think you’ll see the answer to your question play out in INFINITY COUNTDOWN.

Aaron Kuder: Worst case scenario? Death would be a mercy.

Marvel.com: How big of a scope did you want the story to have?

Gerry Duggan: This is the biggest story I’ve told on the Marvel stage, and I’ve told some pretty big stories in the last five years. I hope readers will enjoy reading it as much as we’re digging it behind the scenes. Sure, some big, heavy stuff is going to happen, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

Aaron Kuder: It’s a pretty huge cast of characters, that’s for sure… And it is spread pretty widely across the stars. No corners left untouched.