“Congratulations you’re a prophet.”
That’s Doctor Strange there, biting back at Thanos mid-way through Avengers: Infinity War as the MCU mega-villain mourns the fall of Titan – despite him offering a “solution” in the form of genocide.
It’s a textbook example of Philosopher Thanos, who spent much of Infinity War attempting to justify his own (heinous) actions as he seeks to assemble all six Infinity Stones. He succeeds, of course, laying the groundwork for the ultimate counter-attack in Avengers: Endgame.
But for all of the Mad Titan’s egotistical ramblings, much of that dialogue is actually a reflection of Thanos himself. So when Josh Brolin’s über-villain taunts Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that they “could not live with their own failure,” he’s really projecting, as the Mad Titan never really got over his failed attempt to rescue Titan.
There’s another moment of foreshadowing towards the final third of Avengers: Endgame (h/t Reddit user u/venkrish), too, when the Mad Titan refers to the Avengers as “arrogant,” only to fall victim to his own arrogance moments later. See for yourself below.
If nothing else, it’s standout moment from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s script, which somehow managed to piece together the grand tapestry that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe and tell a coherent (and entertaining story). Credit must go to Joe and Anthony Russo, too, who helped establish Thanos as the ultimate MCU villain.
He’ll be a hard one to beat, particularly as we move into Phase 4 and the bar has been raised so high. Up next for Marvel is the long-awaited release of Black Widow, before moviegoers are whisked into the far reaches of space for The Eternals, a cosmic-fuelled epic set to take place over 7,000 years. And you thought Avengers: Endgame played fast and loose with time…
