The Silver Surfer crashes into Dr. Strange's sanctum and warns the sorcerer supreme that Thanos has gained control of the Infinity Gauntlet. With his new lackey, Mephisto, whispering in his ear, Thanos begins to test his new powers and pays a visit to his lover, Death. Warlock, Pip and Gamora are resurrected in the bodies of three people who have died in a car crash. Finding that Death still spurns his love, Thanos wipes out half of all life in the universe. As the cosmos reels with the loss of half of its population, the heroes of earth scramble to try and figure out what is going on.