Avengers: Infinity War - Mysteries Answered

2. Why Did Doctor Strange Willingly Cede The Time Stone?

Avengers Infinity War Doctor Strange
Marvel Studios

In the context of Infinity War, yes, Doctor Strange is largely responsible for ensuring that Thanos is able to complete his task of wiping out half the life in the universe. He gifts him the Time Stone when Stark is on the verge of being killed, but this wasn't a moment of weakness from the Sorcerer Supreme - it's all part of the plan.

Prior to Strange, Iron Man, Spidey and the remaining Guardians' encounter with Thanos on Titan, the good Doctor takes a moment to reflect upon the task at hand. He uses the Eye of Agamotto to look into the future in hope of finding just one future - out of a possible fourteen million - where they could overcome Thanos.

He finds it, but he dares not inform his comrades of how they achieve it in fear of jeopardising their one hope. There's nothing to indicate that Strange reversed his position of prioritising the eye over the lives of Tony and Peter either, so there must be an ulterior motive at play. This makes the Sorcerer Supreme an integral figure for the upcoming Avengers 4, and while he didn’t look completely content in his death, this is clearly the group’s best shot at reversing the unthinkable.

Also interesting to note was the Russo Bros' prior tease of Civil War's B.A.R.F. technology, which could hold the key to defeating Thanos and explain those earlier, decidedly spoiler-ific set photos for the next sequel.

Advertisement
Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.