The truth about the Soul Stone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was finally revealed in Avengers: Infinity War, but some of the fan theories that arose in the months prior were better than what we got in the Phase 3 movie. The Soul Stone was the last of the Infinity Stones to appear in the MCU, not showing up until Thanos (Josh Brolin) finally embarked on his quest to collect the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Infinity War in 2018. Even now, there is a huge amount of mystery surrounding the Soul Stone, and its true nature hasn’t really been revealed.
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Thanos and Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) found the Soul Stone on a previously-unseen planet, Vormir, referred to as “the dominion of death.” Why it was on Vormir and why — unlike the other Infinity Stones — it demanded a sacrifice in order to be obtained has not been explored. Marvel Studios has never explained why the Soul Stone held a special significance among the other Infinity Stones, but this lack of exploration and meaning has been divisive. Many fan theories in the lead-up to Infinity War posed much stronger possibilities for the Soul Stone, and we wish some had come to pass.
6) Heimdall Had the Soul Stone
One of the most prominent theories concerning the location of the Soul Stone before Avengers: Infinity War named Heimdall (Idris Elba) as the holder of the gem. Heimdall was able to see through vast distances across the Nine Realms into the souls of any individual he pleased, and the Soul Stone’s golden hue could have caused the gold coloring of Heimdall’s armor and eyes. Some suggested that the white-eyed vision of Heimdall in Avengers: Age of Ultron could have been from after Thanos acquired the Soul Stone, thereby removing Heimdall’s powers, but this was indeed not the case.
5) Odin Used the Soul Stone to Give Heimdall His Powers
Another theory also focuses on Heimdall, but suggested that the Asgardian protector of the Bifrost did not have his gifts until Odin (Anthony Hopkins) used the Soul Stone on him. Odin may have acquired the Infinity Stones at some point in Asgard’s history, unbeknownst to other MCU characters, and could have used the Soul Stone to imbue Heimdall with his abilities, indebting him and tasking him with protecting Asgard. This again explains why Heimdall’s eyes are the same color as the Soul Stone, but it seems the gem didn’t have anything to do with Idris Elba’s MCU hero at all.
4) The Soul Stone Was Lost in Time
Another popular theory explained why we hadn’t seen the Soul Stone before Infinity War by suggesting it may have been dislodged in time. The theory posited that Thanos would have embarked on a journey through time, perhaps after acquiring Doctor Strange’s Time Stone, to find the Soul Stone and complete his mission. Of course, this wasn’t far off in the end, as the Avengers embarked on the Time Heist in Avengers: Endgame to acquire the Infinity Stones from various historical time periods, but this time-twisting narrative had nothing to do with Thanos originally claiming the Soul Stone.
3) Odin Didn’t Want to Sacrifice Hela for the Soul Stone
When Thanos did track down the Soul Stone on Vormir, the ghostly Red Skull (Ross Marquand) revealed that he’d need to sacrifice something he loved to claim it. Another theory claimed that Odin might have embarked on this quest years prior, while he and his daughter, Goddess of Death Hela (Cate Blanchett), were waging war against the Nine Realms. However, upon learning he’d have to sacrifice his daughter to claim the Soul Stone, Odin may have refused and given up his conquest, instead choosing to become a benevolent ruler, much to Hela’s chagrin. This might have been caused their division.
2) The Soul Stone Had Been Kept in Wakanda for Millennia
We weren’t introduced to the secretive African nation of Wakanda until only two months before Avengers: Infinity War, so another theory suggested the Soul Stone might have been held at the heart of its technologically-advanced city. This could have explained the Wakandans’ access to the Ancestral Plane — being able to visit with the souls of their ancestors. Since Wakanda is home to a mountain formed from a crashed meteorite of cosmic vibranium, it seemed very possible the Soul Stone could have crashed in Wakanda, too, but this was not the case.
1) Adam Warlock Could Have Been Born With the Soul Stone
In Marvel Comics, the Soul Stone is primarily embedded in Adam Warlock’s forehead. Will Poulter’s debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 omitted this detail, however, instead making him a product of the High Evolutionary and the Sovereign, with the gem in his forehead acting as a power source for his abilities. It’s not the Soul Stone, but it would have been incredible if this aspect of Adam’s Marvel Comics history had been retained in the MCU. This could have marked Adam Warlock’s debut five years before Vol. 3, and could have made him even more powerful and significant.
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