In one of the most memorable, and likely most significant, moments in Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange used the Time Stone to look into the future and view every conceivable version of the timeline. Out of the 4 and a half billion futures that he viewed, only one of them ended with the assembled heroes defeating Thanos and saving the universe. It’s widely theorized then that as bleak as things are right now, Strange has set them on the one successful path.
But what if there are other positive futures which he didn’t foresee? This intriguing different way of looking at things was suggested by the folks over at ComicBook.com. They put forward that maybe many versions of the timeline result in the Avengers beating Thanos, but that these futures still involve the death of Strange. Therefore, he cannot view them.
This fits in with the way seeing the future works in 2016’s Doctor Strange. When the hero speaks with the Ancient One on the astral plane shortly before her death, she revealed that she was never able to see past this point in time, which means that this must be where she meets her fate. Similarly, then, the Sorcerer Supreme could not see into the alternate futures which included his own death by the same logic.
This is an interesting and compelling theory. However, it’s worth pointing out that Strange is dead by the end of Avengers: Infinity War. As we all assume this is the one good turn of events, how did Strange foresee it? Well, because he must’ve known what he was doing when he handed over the Time Stone, right? That either proves the timeline didn’t go as Strange planned or that the rules of foreseeing the future have changed since Doctor Strange.
It’s a lot to digest, to be sure, but all our questions about the future should be answered when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th.
