Avengers: Doomsday is getting closer and closer, which means more and more theories continue to pour out from longtime fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We have already heard so many ideas of what could possibly happen in the upcoming blockbuster, from Steve Rogers actually being Loki in disguise to a Tobey Maguire appearance to Hulk being used as a weapon by Doom. These are all plausible and would make for interesting, though unlikely concepts. That said, there is one new theory out that impacts Avengers: Doomsday and the way we look back at past films.
People have been rewatching the MCU ahead of the new film and that took them to Avengers: Infinity War. In that movie, Stephen Strange was one of the key players in his biggest role in an Avengers project to date. He sets a lot of things in motion that lead to Thanos’ victory, but also his ultimate downfall. However, a new theory suggests that Strange may have actually been acting as an agent of Doctor Doom or even just as someone who might not have had the best interests of Tony Stark in mind. If true, it changes Avengers: Infinity War in a big way.
The most famous scene involving Doctor Strange in Avengers: Infinity War sees him meditating on Titan and explaining to his fellow heroes that he was looking forward in time to over 14 million possible outcomes of the battle against Thanos. He says there’s only one fight where they win, which some don’t believe after multiple viewings. The idea that there was only one way for the heroes to win feels like a bit much and it could be that Strange was lying. The theory, posed by @DODCNotes, is that Strange picked this timeline because it was the only one where both Thanos and Tony Stark die.
There’s a possibility that Strange was working for Doctor Doom. He likely didn’t meet Doom, someone from another universe, before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, but what if he stumbled upon him while looking into the future? We have seen through Strange’s use of the Time Stone in his first solo outing that a lot of time can pass while he uses it. He could’ve been looking through the future for decades or more, similar to Loki spending centuries in a single episode of his own series. There’s a chance he saw Doom arrive in one of them and maybe even interacted with him.
Even so, it’s hard to believe that Strange would align himself with someone like Doctor Doom. That could change if he learned what Doom looked like. Strange noted multiple times in Avengers: Infinity War that he’d willingly sacrifice Tony or others if it meant Thanos didn’t get the Time Stone. He was ready to lose a few lives to save everyone else, which goes against what he ultimately does in the end by giving up the stone. It could be that he saw Doom, believed it was Tony, and wanted to ensure that future never came to be.
Another way to look at the theory that Strange wanted to get rid of both Tony Stark and Thanos, and one that feels more believable, has nothing to do with Doctor Doom. If you watch back the scene where Tony and Stephen argue on the ship en route to Titan, Strange seems to realize how far Tony is willing to go to get Thanos. Tony lays out how Thanos has been in his head for years and his desperation to take him down is palpable. It’s also the reason Tony created Ultron.
Strange says that he will not hesitate to let Tony, Peter, or anyone else die if the universe depends on it. The theory suggests that Strange understood how dangerous Tony would be to the world. The man who created Ultron and was smart enough to solve time travel in a weekend is a major threat to the multiverse. If Tony survived Avengers: Endgame and had access to the Infinity Stones, there’s no telling what he would do to try and put a “suit of armor” around it all. Strange might’ve even witnessed a future where that happens.
Looking back at Avengers: Infinity War, it feels like the heroes would’ve beaten Thanos before any kind of Snap when they nearly had the gauntlet removed on Titan until Peter Quill intervened. If you notice, Strange is oddly quiet during that scene. Others try to stop Quill and, as someone who knows the outcome, you’d think Strange would’ve done more. Perhaps he allowed them to lose there because if they’d won, Tony would remain alive with access to the Infinity Stones.
Doctor Strange may not have been working for Doom, but he’d want to protect the multiverse from a threat like Tony Stark. There’s a chance this plays into Avengers: Doomsday, as Doom could mention it as a possibility or, if his face gets revealed during the film, Strange could note that this is the kind of thing he always wanted to prevent.
Do you think Doctor Strange lied in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
