Avengers: Infinity War Will See Wakanda Fend Off Thanos To Protect Vision, Not The Soul Stone

With each day that passes, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Soul Stone isn’t in Wakanda, after all.

Director Ryan Coogler essentially confirmed as much soon after the release of Black Panther, noting that he was more concerned with T’Challa’s standalone adventure than the cosmic MacGuffins that form the basis of Avengers: Infinity War. And rightfully so.

But the lack of tangible intel relating to the sixth and final Infinity Stone does beg the question: will Joe and Anthony Russo choose to shelve their most dangerous ingot until Avengers 4? It certainly seems so, after the latter filmmaker clarified to Entertainment Weekly that the powers of Wakanda have leaped to the defense of Paul Bettany’s Vision, not the elusive Soul Stone.

It makes sense, too, as planting the Soul Stone in Wakanda would’ve raised some possible continuity issues within Black Panther, so perhaps Marvel’s final piece of the cosmic puzzle will be left on the sidelines until 2019.

Chalk that up as innocent conjecture for now, though, as Anthony Russo merely outlines Vision’s role in this particular tidbit:

Cap makes the decision to bring [Vision] here to Wakanda. Earth is making its last stand to keep the stone from Thanos. It’s the best place to make your last stand. Vision is a living MacGuffin. Obviously, that raises the stakes because Vision’s life is in danger, and his life is in conflict with Thanos’ goals, so something’s got to give.

“Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses. And get this man a shield.” Avengers: Infinity War is poised to whisk viewers back to Wakanda and its bustling metropolis on April 27th. And we couldn’t be more excited.