The Soul Stone Resurrection Theory | Countdown to 'Avengers: Infinity War'

"I'm the goddess of Death. What are you the god of again?"

Time's up, Marvel fans. The first showing of Infinity War happened last night in L.A. at the film's world premiere and spoiler-free (and spoiler-filled) reviews are showering the film in acclaim. This will be a spoiler free post, don't worry about that, but be warned: Forbes and Vanity Fair have published major Infinity War spoilers so if you want to go in fresh stay away from YouTube comments and chat forums. This post does contain speculation, but I haven't seen or read into the spoilers for Infinity War, so whether this does or doesn't come true within the movie isn't known to me. 

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's get this final Countdown to 'Avengers: Infinity War' entry under way. Today I'm gonna discuss a popular fan theory regarding the elusive Soul Stone, the only Infinity Stone yet to appear within the MCU. According to comic lore, the Soul Stone has the power to capture and resurrect lost souls. While the Soul Stone may not even appear within this movie (it could be saved for next year's Avengers 4) it is worth speculating who Thanos could bring back onto our screens - and for what purpose...

The following is a list of 5 potential candidates for resurrection, along with possible reasons for them being brought back.

5. Hela

The last time we saw Hela she was...well...dead. The goddess of Death met her end as Ragnarok destroyed Asgard, but many have speculated she may return for Infinity War. In the comics Thanos is infatuated with Lady Death. Lady Death is a female character who serves as the physical embodiment of death - think "glam grim reaper". While there is no Lady Death character that we know of within the MCU, many feel it would make sense to introduce Hela back into Infinity War, the Norse goddess of Death filling that position nicely and serving as a love interest for the villain. 

Quicksilver

Quicksilver died in Avengers: Age of Ultron in an effort to save Hawkeye. Bringing him back could be used by Thanos as a way to control the Scarlet Witch (his twin sister and powerful member of the Avengers). If Thanos was to hold him hostage, or even torture her brother, Scarlet Witch could easily be manipulated into wreaking havoc onto her teammates, serving for an emotional and disturbing character arc for the two. Furthermore, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (the man behind the lycra) has admitted to having originally signed a multi-film contract under Marvel, something that wouldn't make sense unless he's due for a return. 

Red Skull

Red Skull appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger. The Nazi war-criminal was, during the film's climax, absorbed into the Tesseract and never seen again. We know that the Tesseract is the Space Stone, one of Thanos' coveted Infinity Stones, and so his location could easily be detected by the Mad Titan if he wanted some back-up. If the Red Skull was killed by the Space Stone rather than teleported, though, bringing him back with the Soul Stone could be a sure-fire way to torment and intimidate Cap - but more on him later... 

Agent Coulson

Agent Coulson was a staple character in the early days of Mavel. After being murdered by Loki in Avengers: Assemble, the S.H.I.E.L.D agent hasn't been acknowledged in the MCU since. The Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D revealed that the character had been revived with alien technology, but since 2013 when the show first aired it has become obvious that, while linked to the MCU, Marvel TV isn't entirely canon. It's better to think of the TV division as more of a parallel universe. If, then, Coulson is really dead within the movies, who better to bring back and use as bait for a group of Avengers he himself helped to form?

Agent Peggy Carter

The WW2 spy and co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D famously fell in love with Steve Rogers (Captain America) during their time with the U.S. military. After he 'died' at the end of The First Avenger she went on to work with Hank Pym (as seen in Ant-Man) and help to run S.H.I.E.L.D until her diagnosis with Dementia. In Civil War we saw her funeral, but in Infinity War - the movie which is rumoured to be killing Captain America - what would be more tragic that the reuniting of two past lovers swiftly cut short by a fatal blow. Carter would be Thanos's perfect bait.

So what do you think? Would you like to see anyone come back? Or do you think that this film is crowded enough as it is? Let me know in the comments below and make sure to check out the rest of the Countdown to 'Avengers: Infinity War' Series right now!

Written by James Green