The Disney+ series Loki served as the transition from the Infinity Saga to the next overarching storyline of the franchise. The Infinity Stones dominated the MCU’s Phase One to Phase Three plotlines, with the Tesseract being the most recurring object, having passed from HYDRA to Loki, and then eventually to Thanos.
However, the comic book history of this item is far different from what mainstream fans are used to, making the story of the Tesseract entirely different in printed media. Exploring the background of Loki’s most favored object in the MCU will make fans truly realize just how much the series changed in its adaptation from the comics over to live-action.
10 Its Name In The Comics Is The Cosmic Cube
For film fans, the Tesseract is one of the objects that made Thanos a highly formidable MCU villain, but the comic book version didn’t call it that. Introduced in Tales of Suspense #79 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the object is known as the Cosmic Cube in the comics.
In fact, the name “Tesseract” first became exclusive to the MCU, following which it was also adapted into the animated series Avengers Assemble. As far as the comics are concerned, calling the Cosmic Cube the Tesseract is incorrect.
9 The First Version Was Created By A.I.M.
The crime organization known as Advanced Idea Mechanics is credited to be the creator of the first Cosmic Cube. In Tales of Suspense #79, A.I.M. developed it for their plans of world domination, but the object was so unstable that one of the co-creators, MODOK, lost his senses under its influence.
The Red Skull, after finding out about the Cosmic Cube, was successful in empowering himself with the object. But Captain America fooled the Red Skull into thinking Cap had been subjugated, resulting in the Cosmic Cube falling into the ocean after a scuffle between the adversaries.
8 The Cosmic Cube’s Main Power Is Reality Alteration
In the MCU, the Tesseract contains the Space Stone and thus is used to travel instantaneously from and to any location in the universe. However, the comics have a different interpretation of the object’s purpose.
Here, the Cosmic Cube’s ability is to grant the wielder a form of reality-bending. The cube can be used to transform anything however they see fit, as seen by Thanos in Captain Marvel #31. Its capability has since been altered based on which version of the cube it is, expanding its powers to mind control as well.
7 There Are Multiple Versions Of The Cube
There isn’t just one version of the Cosmic Cube, but a whole number of them. Unlike in the MCU where only one Tesseract exists within each universe, there have been multiple iterations of the Cosmic Cube that have varied in origin.
A.I.M. created another Cosmic Cube in Avengers #386, with Red Skull recreating the original in Super-Villain Team-Up #16, and the Kree and Skrulls also having their own versions of the object. The Skrull cube actually came before all others chronologically.
6 The Tesseract Is Technically The Cosmic Cube From Another Reality
The MCU is only just getting into the multiverse in Phase Four with the Disney+ series Loki, and it’s not common knowledge that the cinematic universe actually has had its assigned numbering for a long time. As it is, the MCU is Earth-199999, making it part of the many Marvel universes out there.
As the Cosmic Cube is chiefly part of the prime Earth-616 universe, and also part of the multiverse, it means the Tesseract can theoretically crossover into the comic book universe. All in all, the Tesseract is essentially the Cosmic Cube in another reality since everything is included in the multiverse.
5 A Cosmic Ring Was Forged Out Of The Cube
In Marvel Team-Up Vol. 3 #20, a new superhero known as the Freedom Ring came to be, having come into possession of a ring that was made out of the Cosmic Cube. The power granted to him was the ability to alter the reality of anything within a 15-feet radius.
This ring was created by the villain known as the Ringmaster, who had crafted it out of a shattered fragment of the Cosmic Cube, before it ultimately came into possession of Curtis Doyle who went on to become the Freedom Ring.
4 Kobik Was Created Out Of The Cube
The Cosmic Cube has had a sentient manifestation in the form of the character known as Kobik. She was created when S.H.I.E.L.D. got hold of various Cosmic Cube fragments in Captain America: Sam Wilson #2, only for these to merge together.
Thus, Kobik came into being as a child, and she was unable to understand who she was and her purpose. Due to her status as a Cosmic Cube, Kobik had incredible powers of changing reality that were only limited by her own imagination.
3 Multiple Cubes Were Gathered To Create A Cosmic Egg
In the story Infinity Crusade, the female version of Adam Warlock’s goodness known as Goddess came to be following the Infinity War. She was convinced she could bring true peace by force, and combined as many as 30 Cosmic Cubes to create a Cosmic Egg.
This object had reality-changing capabilities that were outrageously powerful, largely because the egg was formed with cubes from multiple other realities. The Cosmic Egg was eventually drained of its power by Thanos and Warlock after defeating Goddess.
2 Tesseract Is A Character In The Comics
The Tesseract name isn’t alien to the Marvel comics universe, as there’s a character called Tesseract. Hailing from Earth-1610, he is fully aware of the multiverse, and his power is to combine the strength of all his incarnations across the various universes.
Tesseract does have a connection with the Cosmic Cube as well. Reed Richards came across him when Tesseract was held at the Baxter Building in Ultimate Fantastic Four #50, and Richards freed him by using the Cosmic Cube to teleport Tesseract away.
1 The Tesseract Is Unrelated To The Infinity Stones In The Comics
Among the things the MCU left out about the Infinity Stones is that the Cosmic Cube was never part of them. The MCU adapted it to show that the Tesseract contained the Space Stone, but the comics have the Cosmic Cube as an independent entity from the Infinity Gems.
It is debatable whether a Cosmic Cube could rival the combined power of the Infinity Gems, as the Cosmic Egg had the same basic function but lacked the essence of a soul that the Infinity Gems did. Within the comics, the inside of Cosmic Cubes contains a semi-sentient will that is created as a blend of the many characters that wield them.
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