The Soul Stone May Be The Avengers' Biggest Threat In 'Infinity War'

The past few Marvel Studios movies haven't contained any Infinity Stones, but we all know they'll be comin' in hot when Avengers: Infinity War drops this summer. We know where all of the powerful ingots are at this point on the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline...all except for the Soul Stone, the final piece of the puzzle. But now a new Infinity War prequel comic indicates that the Soul Stone may be the biggest threat the Avengers have ever faced.

ScreenRant points us to a page from a prequel comic called Avengers: Infinity War Prelude that is set within the timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this apparently canonical comic, Wong (played by Benedict Wong in the MCU) explains the Infinity Stones to Doctor Strange – and though even Wong, the librarian of Kamar-Taj, doesn't know the Soul Stone's location, he's aware of its immense power. At one point he tells Strange:

"Little is known about the sixth and final Stone, the Soul Stone. But if what is known turns out to be true, it could prove to be the biggest threat of them all."

Considering we saw a flashback of the Power Stone literally leveling an entire planet in Guardians of the Galaxy, the idea that the Soul Stone could be an even bigger threat must be unsettling for our heroes.

Black Panther writer/director Ryan Coogler recently explained that the reason he didn't want the Soul Stone to be in his movie was because they were already introducing the concept of vibranium in the film, so to introduce another "special thing" would have been too much to track. I assumed that meant that the Soul Stone wasn't located in Wakanda, but that's not necessarily the case. I've heard some claims suggesting it is there, and those theorizers point to the Infinity War trailer to back up their speculation. Why else would a huge battle break out in Wakanda if not because Thanos' minions are trying to retrieve the final Infinity Stone for their boss?

ScreenRant relays another piece of "evidence" for this theory. In the comics, the Soul Stone traps souls inside a "soul world," a pocket dimension located inside the stone itself. The theory goes that when Black Panther and Killmonger visit the ancestral plane in Black Panther, they might actually be visiting this soul world.

It's a compelling theory, but we'll have to wait until Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters on May 4, 2018 to find out if it's true. In the meantime, check out my breakdown of the locations and abilities of all of the other Infinity Stones here.