how many infinity stones are there

There are six Infinity Stones.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which popularized them through films
like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, the count is firmly six, each
governing a fundamental aspect of existence.
Core Six Stones
These gems—Power, Space, Reality, Soul, Time, and Mind—originated as singularities before the universe's Big Bang, later condensed into stones.
- Power Stone (purple): Amplifies physical strength and energy blasts; housed in the Orb.
- Space Stone (blue): Controls teleportation and wormholes; inside the Tesseract.
- Reality Stone (red): Alters matter and bends reality; the Aether.
- Soul Stone (orange): Manipulates life, souls, and consciousness; hidden on Vormir.
- Time Stone (green): Governs time travel and foresight; in the Eye of Agamotto.
- Mind Stone (yellow): Grants telepathy, mind control; embedded in Loki's scepter, later Vision's forehead.
Thanos collected all six in 2018's Infinity War to execute his universe- balancing snap, wiping out half of all life.
Comics Complexity
Marvel Comics lore expands beyond six, with up to eight core stones (adding Ego and Death) in Earth-616, and wilder multiverse variants hitting 24 distinct ones—like Continuity, Laughter, or even a "Dance" stone.
Forum fans on Reddit debate this endlessly, noting stones vary by universe (e.g., eight in Earth-1610 Ultimates).
"Zero, they're gems." – Playful Reddit quip, but comics confirm gems/stones interchangeably.
Cultural Impact
Since debuting in 1972's comics, they've defined epic crossovers like Infinity Gauntlet. MCU's six-stone arc peaked with Endgame's reversal, influencing 2026 merchandise trends. No major updates post-Endgame, though rumors swirl for Multiverse Saga cameos.
TL;DR: Six in MCU canon; more in comics multiverse.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.