Avengers: Infinity War: This One Line Is More Important Than You Think
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.
One small line in Avengers: Infinity War could hold the key to understanding that shocking ending. As explained by The Cheat Sheet, Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) claim that he sees only "one" of 14 million possible scenarios in which the Avengers defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) could help to explain some of his strange actions in the movie's second half.
Infinity War features the MCU's most powerful heroes fighting to stop Thanos from attaining all of the Infinity Stones and wiping out half the life in the universe. However, their plan is thrown for a loop when Doctor Strange gives Thanos the Time Stone in exchange for him sparing Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) life. While Tony Stark is one of the Avengers' founding members, risking the fate of the universe for just one man seems a little suspect.
The move appears to have been a deadly one for Strange, who is wiped out after Thanos gets the Mind Stone and carries out his plot. When he dies, Strange tells Tony that "there was no other way," which, when combined with his statement from earlier that there was only one way for the Avengers to win, seems to suggest that giving up the stone was key to the Avengers' victory.
This could mean a few things. It could suggest that Tony will have a key part to play in defeating Thanos, and Strange was willing to do anything to get the mad titan to spare him. If you look at it in an even darker way, it could mean that Thanos getting all the stones and wiping out half the life in the universe was actually part of Strange's plan, a necessary sacrifice to defeat him once and for all.
The line could also suggest that Doctor Strange's death wasn't actually a death after all. In the character's standalone film, the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) tells Strange that she can never see past her own death. If Doctor Strange is able to see beyond the moment where he is apparently dusted by Thanos, it may mean that he wasn't actually killed off. This supports the theory that the Avengers are stuck in the Soul World, where they can be brought back from the dead for Avengers 4.
It'll be a while before we know for sure what's up with Doctor Strange's enigmatic words, with Avengers 4 not slated to hit theaters until May 3, 2019. For now, though, his mysterious lines have definitely given fans something to think about.