It seems like an eternity since MCU fans have been trying to speculate Soul Stone’s location. It is the last Infinity Stone still missing. Is it under Odin’s eyepatch? Is it nothing else but the eye of Heimdall which can see the soul of every living being in the universe? Or is it indeed still hidden in Wakanda?
A number of fans have come up with a new theory, one that is in part inspired by the new Avengers: Infinity War promotional designs.
The fans have come to the conclusion that the Soul Stone is Tony Stark or within him.
Some idea related to this theory has been doing the rounds for some time, but, it is the latest Avengers: Infinity War promotional art which apparently links Tony to the Soul Stone. Another thing that hints to such a scenario is the video message that Howard Stark left for Tony in Iron-Man 2. The video showed Howard tell his son “ “What is and always will be my greatest creation, is you.”
The premise is that Howard might have managed to convert Soul Stone into Tony Stark, just like the other stones have been converted into Aether and Tesseract.
It is not explained as to how the Soul Stone might have reached Earth, but, it must be noted that Tesseract had been on Earth for several centuries, and at least in the Marvel Comics, the Infinity Stones are attracted by each other. In case, Soul Stone did land on Earth, the links that Howard Stark had with SHIELD imply that he is likely to be one of the scientists who would handle it.
There is another proof which backs up this theory, and that is the fact that Tony was born quite late in Howard’s life. Although it wasn’t so late that it would have become impossible to produce a child biologically, but, definitely late enough to wonder why someone like Howard Stark, whose life was spent on work and who hardly had any interest in familial ways, suddenly chose to have a child. One logical explanation is that his child was his work.
The other scenario that has been discussed is about the Arc Reactor being linked to the Soul Stone. This is a more unlikely scenario because Anton Vanko was a co-creator of the Arc Reactor. The supporters of this theory claim that Arc Reactor is the Soul Stone and that’s why Loki’s scepter couldn’t pierce it in The Avengers. However, we must not forget that the Arc Reactor in Tony’s chest in that film was not the real one, but, rather a miniaturized replica of his father’s work. Had it been linked to an Infinity Stone, it might have been revealed on screen already. Still, if tony happened to be the Soul Stone, then it becomes obvious why Loki’s scepter couldn’t control his mind.
Another version of this theory suggests that during Iron-Man 2, Tony Stark had created a new element and in the process, he unknowingly created the sixth Infinity Stone. This is the most unlikely of them all because, despite all his brilliance, Tony Stark is devoid of the sort of cosmic power that is commanded by the other Celestials who made the remaining Infinity Stones. Further, it is well-known that the Infinity Gauntlet always had six slots, so how is it possible that only five stones existed historically.
There are other bits of evidence for such theories, for example, the Arc Reactor powering Iron-Man armors makes sounds similar to the sounds created by the Tesseract-powered Hydra weapons built by Red Skull. Also, there is a scene in Avengers: Infinity War trailer which shows Tony moving, whereas his friends seem to be frozen, or certain dialog between Tony and Nick Fury in Iron-Man movies. All these things are scattered, out of context and by no means compelling enough to create a cohesive narrative.
The truth will only be known when Thanos lands in Avengers: Infinity War. The movie releases on April 27th. Black Panther is presently running in theaters. The last MCU film for 2018 will be Ant-Man and the Wasp releasing on July 6. In 2019, we will have Captain Marvel on March 8, Avengers 4 on May 3 and Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel on July 5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for 2020.