'Avengers: Infinity War': Is Coulson the Soul Stone?

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are searching high and low for the final Infinity Stone, the Soul stone, but what if the Soul Stone has been in front of fans all along?

Could Phil Coulson, agents of SHIELD, be the Soul Stone?

The idea is more of a thematic one than one based on hard evidence. Throughout Marvel's first phase and into Marvel's The Avengers, where Coulson nobly sacrificed himself to galvanize the Avengers, Coulson was the heart and - wait for it - the soul of the Avengers. Perhaps that role was a literal one as well.

While there are no previous examples of the Infinity Stones becoming living beings, there's nothing that says they can't. In fact, a similar theory based on the idea that Tony Stark may be the Soul Stone is already in place, though that one is at least based on an interesting line from Howard Stark.

Then there are Coulson's many adventures after his death that also pose a problem. There was a time when Coulson's resurrection may have been used as evidence to support this theory. Perhaps "Tahiti," that magical place, was even a version of Soulworld. However, we've now seen that same Kree technology used to bring back others, including Tess and - on multiple occasions - Yo-Yo, on Agents of SHIELD. Coulson was even possessed by Ghost Rider, however briefly, and you'd think that might cause some sort of reaction with the Soul Stone.

Moreover, there's the fact that the television side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become increasingly detached from the cinematic side. Coulson may have started off in the movies, but he firmly belongs on the television side of things now and there have been no signs that Marvel Studios has any real interest in making use of Marvel Televisions' characters. Coulson would obviously be the one if it was going to happen, but the way the fifth season of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is progressing suggests that Coulson will be kept busy with an entirely different cataclysm from the arrival of Thanos and the Black Order.

Still, the filmmakers have teased that Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel will have pay off for every Marvel Cinematic Universe plot thread since the first Iron Man movie. Bringing back Coulson in some shape or form - possibly even Soul Stone-shaped - would fit into that mission statement, especially if season five turns out to be the last for Agents of SHIELD.

Avengers: Infinity War opens on April 27th. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

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