Avengers: Infinity War gave us a lot to ponder on. The scene with Doctor Strange was exceptionally memorable. The way Strange used the Time Stone to look into the potential future timelines numbering in the range of 4 and a half billion is something that is way beyond our imagination. Whatever Doctor Strange saw, he realized that out of all these timelines, there was the only one which had enough juice to allow the Avengers to win. Thanos ended up killing Strange and the rest with his Snap after getting hold of the Time Stone from Strange, but it is widely believed that Strange wantonly handed over the Time Stone to Thanos, realizing that it was the only way.
Fans believe that Strange has set the course for the right timeline to happen after reviewing the choices that could potentially lead to any other timeline and its consequence. But there is a counter theory. This theory claims that Doctor Strange failed to look into some other timelines that could also have led to an easy victory. Presenting – New Fan Theory claims Doctor Strange missed considering some timelines in Infinity War!!
What if there were other versions of the future timeline that Strange could not see? Remember what the Ancient One said in Doctor Strange. As the Sorceress Supreme, she could use the Time Stone to look into the future but only till the point of her own death. Beyond that, the Time Stone would not allow her to see anything else.
What if there are other potential future timelines in Infinity War that Strange could never see, timelines that could have led to a victory for the MCU heroes pretty easily because he was dead in them? Since the Time Stone cannot show you events beyond the point of your own death, the theory holds some water.
The Ancient One and Doctor Strange, the former and current Sorcerer Supreme respectively, are bound by the same laws of magic. They will only see what fate would allow them to. The Ancient One is well experienced in sorcery, way more than Stephen Strange ever could. This means that if she could not do it, Doctor Strange also cannot circumvent the rules of the mystical arts. Fate is something not even the Sorcerer Supreme can outrun. Strange would remain blind to these timelines since, in these scenarios, he dies and never makes it see the good guys being victorious.
Although, there is one MAJOR flaw in this theory! Doctor Strange never made it alive after Infinity War as well. In the timeline that he saw the Avengers winning the battle against the Mad Titan, he too was one of the heroes who fell to the Snap. So if he cannot look beyond the point of his own death, then how did he theorize that this is the only timeline where the Avengers win?
This counter theory not only claims that Doctor Strange may have screwed up but also reveals a major plot hole. If a sorcerer cannot use the Time Stone to look beyond his own death, then how did Strange come to know that Avengers will win and this is the only “Endgame” since he is already dead in this one?
What do you think about this theory? Is it really Doctor Strange’s fault that many of the heroes died in Infinity War? Was there a timeline where the heroes never died and Thanos actually ended up being bested? Maybe there is a timeline where Thor actually went for the head? Who knows? Perhaps Avengers: Endgame holds the answer.
The last Avengers movie to be released under the MCU banner was Avengers: Infinity War. The official film synopsis for the movie reads:
Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artefacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.
