The Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded into unprecedented territory. It houses some of the most surreal places to visit, including, now, the multiverse. Ever since Sylvie killed He Who remains in the final episode of Loki, the timeline has been freed and the multiverse has been taken over. Some of these stories have been showcased for us in What If…? including one where Doctor Strange tries to change an absolute point in time and ends up destroying the universe. A new theory suggests the Doctor Strange created an Infinity Stone in this episode.
Reddit user u/LiangProton posted this theory on r/FanTheories:
“The theory is simple: the mind stone, soul stone, power stone, space stone, the reality stone are all dead universes. All collapsed in a Big Crunch to the point of a singularity. The Big Crunch is just a scientific hypothesis that assumes the universe would condense until a single point again, the opposite of the Big Bang.
And I think the infinity stones are the remnants of a Big Crunch. There’s very little evidence, but my main justification is in What If… episode 4. The Dr. Strange episode. In the episode, Dr. Strange destroyed his universe but he managed to survive in what appeared to be a purple glass shell protecting him from nothingness.
……..He was the only one who survived by hiding into a tiny crystal pocket of the remaining space-time. My interpretation is that he has no real size and that crystal shield thing is the power stone. All the energy and matter concentrated in his universe just became part of that shell and he’s at the center of it. The power stone would then become part of other universes, somehow.”
Doctor Strange created an Infinity Stone
The user also iterated how this could have already affected the MCU and the in-universe corroborating evidence we have for it.
“Well, the theory states that all the stones are the remains of destroyed universes and might even be sentient. Since what powerful beings that destroyed those universes would have survived. So, the soul stone and mind stone for instance have a will. They’re like a prison. So destroying them might have caused those powerful beings to be released. That evil Dr. Stange for instance would have been freed with Thanos destroyed the infinity stones. He’ll be an evil villain or a tragic hero.”
The theory seems pretty sound. It is iterated that the act of collecting all that power gave Strange Supreme the power to alter the very fabric of reality. But pull at one thread and the whole of reality begins to unravel. The time loop in the episode was really mind-blowing. Even before the absolute point was changed, the reality was dissolving into nothingness because it was preordained that Strange Supreme will succeed in changing Christine’s death. This is the very essence of the episode.
The multiverse is not something that exists out of the MCU. It is an explicit part of all that has happened before and all that is yet to come. This was the point that He Who Remains made with calling his own death inconsequential. The corroborating evidence that was given by the Reddit user only goes further to hammer that point home. It is stated that Infinity stones are remnants of universes long gone. Hence, it follows that they are condensed versions of all the power of those universes.
Reality is a Prism of Unlimited possibilities
It seems that Strange Supreme will be stuck in a prison of his own making. This means that all infinity stones could have been formed this way. The void created by the universe dissolving around him and his power to create a mirror dimension may have worked in tandem to create this small space of respite for Strange Supreme. Hence, it follows that someone outside this universe can use the now minuscule universe as a source of energy. After all, Strange Supreme is not alone in there, he still has all those mystic beasts lurking inside him.
This would make the remnant of his universe not unlike an infinity stone. The user suggests that this is how all infinity stones were made in the MCU. By some form of hubris of a being that thought too highly of themselves. Pride and obsession are a very dangerous combination, especially in the hands of brilliant men like Dr. Steven Strange.
Does this theory make sense to you? Let us know in the comments below and keep watching this space for everything Marvel, DC, and Hollywood.
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