‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Director Explains How the Soul Stone Works

One of the biggest mysteries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe revolved around the Soul Stone, though it was finally solved in Avengers: Infinity War. But fans still have questions about item, and how its power works in the continuity of the movies.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo shed some light on the nature of the Soul Stone and its capabilities while addressing fans at a recent screening of Infinity War for Collider, revealing some new details about the MacGuffin.

“The Soul Stone obviously has the ability to manipulate your soul, the essence of who you are,” said Joe. “One key moment where it’s used is where Doctor Strange turns into multiple Stranges and then Thanos uses the Soul Stone to eradicate all the fake Stranges and momentarily shoves Strange out of his own body, and Strange has to pull himself back in… Of course when Thanos goes to the Soul Stone itself, to speak to his dead daughter, he obviously has an ability to resurrect, conjure the spiritual representation of the people who are dead.”

Many fans have wondered and about the nature of the Soul Stone, especially because it has not been heavily featured in other Marvel movies like its siblings. The object has been shown to have dominion over the living and the dead, through Thanos’ snap and the aftermath when he interacts with the younger version of his adopted daughter Gamora.

But the mystery of the Soul Stone was one of the hardest scenes for the Russos to crack, as they admitted during the screening event.

“It was really when, the point where we decided that the movie was Thanos’ movie, we needed the lowest moment of the film to belong to him, so that’s when we started to develop the Soul Stone story. How could we create pain? How could we dimensionalize him so he went on this journey during the film,” Joe said.

Of course, many fans would be loath to remember the scene in which Thanos sacrifices Gamora in order to finally obtain the Soul Stone, but it had to happen in order to push the story forward. And while it might forever alter the course of the Guardians of the Galaxy, there’s a chance that Gamora’s death could be reversed by the time the credits roll on Avengers 4.

We will find out when the movie premieres on May 3, 2019.