Avengers: Infinity War Directors Explain What The Soul Stone Actually Does

Though most of the Infinity Stones had a fair bit of history prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the Soul Stone stands as a mysterious exception, serving as the subject of much speculation prior to the release of the year’s biggest film, and at least as much in the aftermath. But as the fans continue to wonder what role this MacGuffin might play in next year’s Avengers 4, directors Anthony and Joe Russo have offered some clues to the object’s potential.

Earlier this week, filmmaking pair hosted an Infinity War screening and Q&A, where the Avengers 4 details may’ve been in short supply, but they at least offered a few further insights on their last feature. Among the many topics that came up in the Russo Brothers’ discussion was the nature of the Soul Stone, and according to /Film’s Peter Sciretta, the co-directors provided the following summary:

“The Soul Stone has the ability to manipulate your soul and your essence of who you are. [Thanos] uses the Soul Stone to pull Strange out of his own body when he’s multiple Stranges. Thanos also uses the soul stone to talk to his dead daughter.”

Infinity War co-writer Stephen McFeely touched on the Doctor Strange moment in the commentary track for the film’s home release, observing how Thanos used the Soul Stone to determine who the real Sorcerer Supreme was after Stephen divided himself into multiple forms.

As for the Mad Titan’s exchange with the late Gamora, this post-snap scene has already fueled plenty of speculation that Thanos’ victims are all trapped inside the Soul World, and the Russo Brothers’ recent answer will no doubt be taken as further evidence for the theory. We’ll find out if the fans are on the right track with this idea when the Avengers: Infinity War sequel hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.