8 Theories About Where The Soul Stone Is In Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War is now - and doesn't it feel good to say it? - just a few weeks away. Thanks to the selection of trailers, various leaks and illuminating pieces of merch, we've managed to pull together a pretty comprehensive overview of the long-awaited movie event. But we still have one major question going in that we haven't got an answer to: just where is the Soul Stone? The other five Infinity Stones, the all-powerful items that Josh Brolin's villain will aim to accessorize his Infinity Gauntlet with in the film, have all been accounted for in previous installments. Just to jog your memory, those are the Space, Reality, Power, Mind and Time Stones. But that pesky Soul Stone, which is said to be the most potent of them all, is nowhere to be found. All we know is that it's orange in colour. There's also a widely-circulated fan theory that the locations of the Infinity Stones spell out the name Thanos, which could give us a clue as to its whereabouts. For instance, T is for Tesseract (Space), A is Aether (Reality), N is Necklace (Time), O is Orb (Power) and S is Scepter (Mind). That would mean the Space Stone is linked to something beginning with H. With those things in mind, we've brought together some of the most intriguing fan theories about the location of the Soul Stone. Once you've read through them, make sure to leave your own ideas in the comments section below. Thanos Hid It In Nebula Here's a theory that flips the whole search for the Infinity Stones on its head. We're all assuming the Soul Stone will be the one that Thanos is after the most, but what if it's actually the only one of the Infinity Stones he already has hidden away? What if the Mad Titan used his adoptive daughter Nebula to house it? This theory comes from Redditor @thunderman175 and runs with the fact that Thanos routinely upgraded Nebula with cybernetic enhancements during her upbringing. It's possible that the Soul Stone was inserted into her body during these procedures. The idea is that it can also be supported by that T.H.A.N.O.S. theory. If A becomes Amulet (for the Eye of Agamotto) and H stands for Host (the Aether needs a host), then N could be Nebula. We do agree that makes more sense than the dubious NNecklace theory. Likelihood: Nebula plays an important role in "The Infinity Gauntlet" storyline in the comics, so there is that on this theory's side. However, would Thanos really prefer Gamora over Nebula if she was the receptacle of such a prized possession? Surely, he would dote on her or at least keep her close? It's In Norway Back in Thor: Ragnarok, Thor and Loki track their father Odin down to a cliffside in Norway. There, he passes away, vanishing in a golden/orange haze. This could just be what happens to Asgardian royalty when they die - perhaps it signals their passing to Valhalla? - but some fans think the colouring of Odin's disappearance could be important. It could be a clue that the Soul Stone is in Norway, with Odin having been hoovered up by the Infinity Stone upon his death. Thor also later has visions of his father throughout the film, which could be a product of the Soul Stone. The clincher here, though, is that Iron Man 2 featured Norway as a "hot spot" that S.H.I.E.L.D. was keeping an eye on. Another of their hot spots was Wakanda, a reference that eventually paid off eight years later. Likelihood: I can see the thinking here, but it's worth remembering that Ragnarok's visit to Norway only came about during the film's reshoots, as director Taika Waititi thought that the original New York location of Odin's death wasn't a grand enough setting. Maybe we're putting too much faith in the folks at Marvel, but we have a feeling they've had a plan for the Soul Stone longer than that. Heimdall Has It Sticking with the Thor franchise for a moment, one of the oldest theories surrounding the Soul Stone is that Heimdall has it in his possession. Idris Elba's Asgardian has always been depicted as a supremely wise being - perhaps tellingly, he can apparently see all souls throughout the cosmos. And then there's the distinctive orange colour of his eyes and his golden armor. This is the big one that supports the T.H.A.N.O.S. theory. Could the H stand for Heimdall? The character has been around since Phase One, so it's possible the folks at Marvel Studios have been playing a very long game here. Likelihood: We're pretty darn sure Heimdall is in Infinity War, so there's that. However, wouldn't he be on the Asgardian refugee ship which we know Thanos attacks at the beginning of the film? It looks like only the God of Thunder survives this encounter, so wouldn't that mean Thanos has the Soul Stone from then on, which he definitely doesn't? Still, this is one of the more convincing theories around. It's In The Quantum Realm It's quite commonly thought that the Soul Stone might not even appear in Infinity War, at all. It's possible that Thanos ends the film with five out of six Stones and the final one eventually turns up in Avengers 4. If that's true, maybe that's because the Soul Stone will only be found in the interim between the movies. Say, for instance, in Ant-Man and the Wasp? Handily, the first Ant-Man already introduced somewhere that would be perfect to hide something you didn't want to ever be found - the Quantum Realm, the other dimension that can be accessed if you shrink to a sub-atomic level. We know that the sequel will revisit the place as Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet Van Dyne will be rescued from there. The Quantum Realm was also glimpsed in Doctor Strange, revealing that sorcerers can access it. Perhaps the Ancient One hid the Soul Stone there hundreds of years ago... but Scott Lang accidentally brings it back with him? Likelihood: It would be a clever move by Marvel to make use of the fact that Ant-Man and the Wasp is sandwiched in between the two Avengers movies. And we do know that screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus had to ask director Peyton Reed and his team to do certain things to set up Avengers 4. Adam Warlock Has It Ever since we knew that the MCU was building up to a quest for the Infinity Stones, comic book fans assumed Adam Warlock would enter the fray at some point. The heroic super-powered alien is tied into the mythos of the Infinity Gems, as they are called in the comics - in particular, the Soul Stone is housed in his forehead, much like Vision and the Mind Stone. It didn't look like this would happen... Until a post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 featured Ayesha of the Sovereign creating Adam. Director James Gunn has already played down this theory, but he would do that, wouldn't he? As for where the Soul Stone could come into it, maybe the Sovereign's gold skin comes from exposure to the gem? Likelihood: Comics fans would like to believe this theory, but if Adam is going to be involved, it will be a tall ask to introduce another important character into the mix when there are already so many to juggle as it is. Then again, that's always been the MCU way (see Age of Ultron and Civil War). The T.H.A.N.O.S. theory also holds up with this idea. In the comics, Adam is also known as Him. It's The Meteorite That Hit Wakanda In the run-up to Black Panther, Marvel fans were pretty darn confident that the Soul Stone was going to turn up in the film, seeing as it was the final MCU entry before Infinity War arrived. As it was, it was a lot more standalone than we were expecting and there was nary a mention of the last Infinity Stone at all. But maybe it was actually hidden in plain sight all along? In the beginning of the movie, we learn that Wakanda was imbued with its copious supply of vibranium and unique flora when a meteorite plowed into the Earth billions of years ago. Obviously, the big obstacle here is that the meteorite was depicted as purple in the flashback. However, it's worth remembering that the yellow Mind Stone appeared blue before it was removed from Loki's scepter. Also, bear in mind that orange sand every Black Panther is submerged in that allows them to "visit the ancestral plane" and meet with dead loved ones. It has the Soul Stone's colour and that sounds a lot like a power that Infinity Stone might bestow. Likelihood: This one would neatly explain why the Soul Stone's location is such a mystery. Even Thanos wouldn't be able to locate it if it was buried under an Earth nation millennia ago. And there's got to be a reason the final act of Infinity War is set in Wakanda, right? Sure, it could be Marvel simply knowing that Black Panther was going to be a hit so they made sure to give the hero a major role, but what if there's more to it? It's Hidden In The Past Let's think outside of the box for a minute. Maybe we shouldn't be considering "where" the Infinity Stone is but "when." The Infinity War prelude comic confirmed that the Soul Stone hasn't been seen for a long, long time anywhere in the universe. So perhaps Thanos will need to travel back to the past in order to retrieve it from some point in history? He'll have a way to do that, too, if he gets his hands on the Time Stone. And we know that Thanos sends the terrifying Ebony Maw to torture Doctor Strange into handing over that Stone in Infinity War. We don't have any confirmation that Strange gives in and the Mad Titan does get his purple hands on the Time Stone, though. Perhaps Earth's Mightiest Heroes themselves use the Time Stone to travel through history and find the Soul Stone? Set photos for Avengers 4 have pretty much confirmed that the film will revisit the events of several past MCU movies, most notably The Avengers. Likelihood: Avengers 4 being structured around our heroes reliving the major moments of the past ten years of the franchise in order to find the final Infinity Stone would be a very neat and fitting storyline, so we're leaning towards there being some truth to this theory. Iron Man IS The Soul Stone We've saved the most high-concept theory until last. What if Tony Stark is actually the embodiment of the Soul Stone? What kickstarted this idea is this intriguing piece of promo art for the film that gives us a big hint as to who’s connected with the Soul Stone. While the rest of the hero-Stone pairings in the piece make sense with what we’ve seen in the MCU so far, it’s a bit of a revelation that Iron Man has something to do with that enigmatic sixth gem. One idea has it that the Arc Reactor is powered by the Soul Stone, but another theory goes even further than that and suggests that the man himself is the gem. Think back to Howard Stark’s comment to his son in Iron Man 2: “What is and always will be my greatest creation, is you.” So what if he wasn’t being sentimental here and was hinting that Tony was artificially created from the Stone? The thinking goes that, just as S.H.I.E.L.D. got their hands on the Tesseract, they also came into contact with the Soul Stone, which the genius Stark Sr. experimented on. Other bits of evidence include the fact that Howard and Maria Stark had Tony fairly late in life. Likewise, Howard – either the young playboy portrayed by Dominic Cooper or John Slattery’s workaholic – never seemed like he was interested in becoming a father. It’s also worth bearing in mind that Tony recently learned he was adopted in the comics. Likelihood: Thematically, this revelation would be perfect as what is Tony Stark if he's not the soul of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Logically, though, this theory is just plain bonkers and would probably leave us all scratching our heads. But, hey, it has a nice ring to it and there is that promo art to consider. Stranger things have happened.