Avengers: How did Gamora know where the Soul Stone was?

Thanos wanted the soul stone and had sent Gamora in search of it long ago. Gamora’s quest for the location of Soul Stone was not featured in any movie or comic book. It was only shown as a flashback in her sister Nebula’s memory.

The said incident occurred long before Thanos’s daughter became one of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Gamora did not reveal where or how she found the location of the stone to anyone except her sister. This explains why Thanos reached into Nebula’s memory to gather the information.

There is some explanation for the event in the non-canonical book, Thanos: Titan Consumed. However, the authenticity of the book is unclear. As such, readers and viewers will have to contend with Nebula’s memory of her conversation with her sister.

Disclaimer: This article may contain the author’s views.

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What is known about Gamora’s search for the Soul Stone?

Thanos reached the Soul Stone through Gamora (Image via Marvel)

Thanos had asked Gamora to pursue the soul stone. She accomplished her quest but did not inform her father. She told her sister that she knew about the presence of the stone in Vormir. Furthermore, she confessed that she had burned the map of the planet but memorized the data.

She fled the clutches of Thanos, who was seeking all the infinity stones, to avoid being questioned. However, Thanos got the information out to her sister and eventually reached out to her.

Since the event is in memory, the exact time and process are unclear. It seems that the event may have occurred before the green lady joined the Guardians since, otherwise, she couldn’t have accomplished the task without their knowledge. However, she managed to keep it a secret from her father until Avengers: Infinity Wars.

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How did the Green Guardian come to know about Vormir and the Soul Stone?

Neither the comic books nor the movies had any clear explanation about how Gamora got to know about the object of her quest. Some speculations and conjectures may give a description. These speculations involve the presence of the Red Skull in Vormir.

Since Red Skull was banished to Vormir and cursed to stay there in the vicinity of the Soul Stone but never possessed it himself, he may have orchestrated the discovery of the stone. He may have guessed that if Thanos took away the stone, he would be free of the curse and free to leave the planet.

As such, the stories do not explain how Gamora laid her hands on the map to Vormir containing the stone. It may be a deliberate move for Red Skull to make sure the map reaches her. The Red Skull, Johann Schmidt, knew the property of the stone, which he coined into the phrase – “A soul for a soul." This implies that obtaining the Soul Stone requires the sacrifice of a loved one.

Acquiring the Stones made Thanos all-powerful (Image via Marvel)

Thanos reaching Vormir alone would have been a waste of time. Gamora, on the other hand, did not want the stone for herself. However, if forced, she could guide Thanos to the planet. Moreover, among all his adopted children, Thanos loved this daughter the most. Sacrificing the green superstar would make Thanos worthy of the stone.

It all turned out the way General Schmidt had planned, and in the end, he was released from his imprisonment and free to roam the universe. After the destruction of the stones in Avengers: Endgame, all the souls, including that of the green superhero, may have been freed into the universe as well.

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What is a Soul Stone?

This super stone is the wisest gem to possess (Image via Marvel)

The comic book term for Soul Stone is "soul gem." It is the wisest and most sentient of the infinity stones, which calls for reverence. It collects souls but doesn’t destroy them. The souls remain trapped within the stone till it decides to revert living beings back into their animate state. Based on the level of power, it is the most powerful and was the most difficult to acquire too.