Avengers: Infinity War Theory - Did Dr. Strange Trick Thanos With The Time Stone?!

‘You’re full of tricks, Wizard.’

It’s the last thing Thanos says to Dr. Strange before removing the fake Time Stone from the Amulet of Agamotto and crushing it. Dr. Strange is full of tricks indeed, from the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to the sling ring, but it wasn’t enough. Dr. Strange still fell at Thanos’s feet like all the rest, and chose not to use the Time Stone in the fight. Or did he? Perhaps Dr. Strange did choose to fight with the Time Stone, albeit differently to anything Thanos could have anticipated.

Ultimately, and despite making it very clear that he wouldn’t do so earlier in the film, Strange sacrifices the Time Stone to Thanos in a bargain for Tony Stark’s life. He hands it over to Thanos after seemingly disguising the Time Stone as a star. It’s a clever hiding place for sure, but what if there’s more to the sequence than appears on the surface?

What if the Time Stone wasn’t hidden as a star at all, but rather hidden in the future as part of a plan to bring Thanos down?

The evidence is more compelling than you might think. Let’s explore the possibilities.

For starters, let’s remind ourselves of what the Time Stone can do. We know it can create a time loop, reverse time in a localised area, slow time, and even look into possible futures. What about travel through time itself? Wouldn't the best way to keep Thanos with away from the Time Stone be to send it through time to somewhere he can’t get it?

Before we get drunk on speculation, let’s examine two unique elements to the moment when Strange hands over the Stone to back this theory up. Firstly, when Strange hands over the Time Stone, we see it glowing in the same way the other Stones do when in use.

The most obvious explanation is that the Stone is glowing because its powers are being used as it travels through time! Secondly, note how Thanos is initially unable to grab the Time Stone directly. Instead he seems to grab hold of its ‘aura’ and even throws Strange a mistrustful look as this happens, initially recognising that something might not quite be right. It doesn’t trouble him for long however, as the Infinity Gauntlet is able to harness the Stone’s power and he continues his quest for the final Infinity Stone.

The above evidence points towards the Time Stone travelling through time rather than through space into Thanos' clutches. Dr. Strange sent the Stone into the future, allowing the future Avengers to use its powers, before sending it back to Thanos before he knows the weapon in his gloved hand has already played a part in his own downfall in the future. This is why Strange needed Tony alive. The Time Stone travels through time, not space, meaning it will appear on Titan soon after the snap, where Tony will be.

Stark is one of the only people in the universe smart enough to understand what this means, and use the Time Stone to develop a technological way to combat Thanos, similar to how he used the Mind Stone in the sceptre to create Ultron.

Not only does all this make sense regarding Strange's action in Avengers: Infinity War, but it also matches up exactly with the information we have so far on Avengers 4.