Amid all of the insanity that has taken place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years, the search for the Infinity Stones has sort-of anchored everything together. Fans have been trying to figure out where every stone is ahead of the release of Avengers: Infinity War, but one specific stone remains elusive: The Soul Stone. However, with a little more than six months left until the sprawling Marvel blockbuster finally debuts, the long-awaited trailer for the film seems to have suggested that the Soul Stone may be waiting on Black Panther's home turf.
Some major action scenes pop up throughout the entirety of the first official Infinity War trailer. In fact, you could call the whole thing one big action scene, and it would still feel like an accurate statement. That said, the central action scene that seems to serve as the primary focus of the trailer is the Battle of Wakanda, in which we see T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) lead an army of Wakandan soldiers along with Avengers heavy-hitters like Captain America (Chris Evans), and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Given the sheer size of the alien army that Thanos (Josh Brolin) sends to attack Wakanda, it stands to reason that The Avengers need to defend something powerful and important, and I would say that an Infinity Stone fits that description perfectly.
Building off of this theory, the possibility of the Soul Stone making its debut during the events of Ryan Coogler's Black Panther actually seems reasonably plausible, as well. We already know that much of the solo film's story will center on the history of the mystical and mysterious African nation, and the Soul Stone could offer a clear explanation for the spirituality of the Wakandan culture, as well as a rationale for T'Challa's abilities. As Black Panther is the last film to hit the silver screen before Infinity War, it makes plenty of sense to use the solo outing as a springboard for Wakanda and the Soul Stone, and then see that story culminate in Thanos' attack on the country.
The reason for this is simple: Thanos isn't looking to rule Earth or engage in conquest just for the sake of conquest. He has a clear mission in mind, and he will stop at nothing to get every Infinity Stone and complete his Infinity Gauntlet. We already know that he will come for Vision (Paul Bettany) at some point, and the New York sequences will presumably focus on his quest to get the Time Stone from Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong). Every location, character, and set piece in this first official trailer seems tied explicitly to one or more Infinity Stone, which means Thanos' decision to attack Wakanda is likely not an arbitrary choice. Everything about that colossal battle scene has "last stand" written all over it.
Whether or not Wakanda is hiding the Soul Stone remains to be seen, but we will likely get our next evidence one way or the other when Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018. From there, the MCU will come to a head when Avengers: Infinity War debuts on May 4, 2018.
