MCU: Predicting How Thanos Will Gain The Infinity Stones (And How They Were Gained In The Comics)

Thanos' next stop after The In-Betweener was to the planet Tamarata, where he would find an Elder known as The Champion, a being who prides himself on fighting and destroying anyone or anything in his path. Such was the might of The Champion, that Thanos even compared fighting him to fighting The Hulk.

The two battled for ownership of the gem, and while Thanos knew he could not match his adversary in might, he simply tricked The Champion into hitting the ground with every ounce of strength he had, destroying the entire planet and leaving the Elder stranded in space. Thanos then simply traded passage to the nearest planet for The Champion's Power Gem.

In the MCU, The Orb is currently under the protection of The Nova Corps on Xandar, after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy. This stone is one of only two we see Thanos wielding during the Infinity War trailer, so we know he will retrieve it early on in the movie. Since Ronan has already failed to retrieve it for him, it is likely we will see Thanos make the trip to Xandar himself, ensuring success in his mission, destroying The Nova Corps, and possibly Xandar in its entirety, at the same time.

Since The Mad Titan may already be in possession of an Infinity Stone by the time he visits Xandar, and with Nova Prime and co. unable to count, once again, on The Guardians for help, the taking of The Orb should be a relatively simple task for Thanos.