By Danielle Broadway and Matt Silverstein
LOS ANGELES, Oct 22 (Reuters) - A replica of the Infinity Gauntlet, the powerful artifact featured in Marvel Comics and Marvel films, will go up for auction on December 8 in Abu Dhabi, Julien's Auctions and East Continental Gems said on Thursday.
The oversized glove, embedded with six gemstones representing the Infinity Stones, was made famous in the 2018 film "Avengers: Infinity War," in which the purple villain Thanos uses the gauntlet to wipe out half of all life with a snap of his fingers.
Infinity Stones are six supercharged gems that control essential aspects of existence in Marvel lore: Space, Mind, Soul, Reality, Power and Time.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe depicts a multiversal world through superhero films and television series featuring characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk and Scarlet Witch.
"You can buy it because you are a lover, a passionate fan of Marvel," Talia Friedman, who leads special projects for Julien's Auctions, told Reuters on Wednesday.
"You can love it because you are a passionate jewelry collector. You can love it because you want the trophy," she added, noting the item, which will be auctioned at Rosewood Abu Dhabi and displayed in Bahrain, could appeal to both comic book fans and art collectors.
The replica, created by East Continental Gems, contains six real gemstones: a ruby, garnet, sapphire, amethyst, emerald and yellow diamond. Each gemstone represents one of the Infinity Stones.
The December sale comes as Disney's Marvel franchise prepares for the release of the high-budget film "Avengers: Doomsday," which arrives in theaters on December 18.
(Reporting by Matt Silverstein and Danielle Broadway; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
