Avengers: Infinity War: The history of the Infinity Stones
By Mike McNulty
Credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures; from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The Soul Stone
The last Infinity Stone has yet to appear and thus is the one Stone moviegoers know the least about. Although if one read the second Avengers: Infinity War Prelude comic book, Wong claims it may pose the “biggest threat.” Moreover, if the Soul Stone is anything at all like it’s counterpart in the comics, then we may have a very good idea already about what it actually does.
In the original comics, the Soul Stone, or Soul Gem, had the ability to absorb and imprison souls. While inside the Stone, those souls would be in their own paradise, thus preventing them from trying to escape. Likewise, whoever possessed the Soul Stone can access the memories of those imprisoned souls, including whatever knowledge and abilities they possessed during life. As if that weren’t enough, the Stone itself is alive and can control the dead.
So let’s say Thanos obtains all the Stones, including the Soul Stone, by the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Let’s also say that, as Gamora says in the second trailer, that Thanos does wipe out half the universe with a literal snap of his fingers. What if he just traps all those billions of souls inside the Soul Stone? Should this happen, then the Avengers have a chance of restoring all those souls back to life after defeating Thanos.
As for where the Soul Stone is, that’s been fodder for all sorts of wild speculation and fan theories. These have ranged from Heimdall having it (thus explaining why his eyes are orange), to it being the center of the vibranium meteor in Wakanda, to even suggesting it’s the orange planet shown in the first trailer. CBR even goes as far as saying it may not even appear until Captain Marvel next year.
Wherever the Soul Stone is, and what it can actually do, we’ll find out soon. After all, one can’t have an adaption of The Infinity Gauntlet without it.
Next: Avengers: Infinity War way-too-early death predictions
Avengers: Infinity War, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, will debut in theaters nationwide April 28, 2018.