One Doctor Strange line from 'Infinity War' basically sets up 'Avengers 4'
Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.
14,000,605.
That's how many possible futures Doctor Strange viewed during his sojourn through time on the surface of Titan. And, he told Tony Stark, of all those many futures, only one had a happy ending for everyone except Thanos.
It's an important moment that's easy to forget about in light of what happens next. Thanos shows up on Titan. The best battle sequence of the movie then ensues (don't @ me), as Tony, Strange, Spider-Man, Nebula, Star-Lord, Mantis, and Drax gang on on the big guy.
It doesn't turn out so well. Thanos has the immediate upper hand thanks to his cosmic glove, and even though the combined ingenuity of the heroes almost brings him down (Star-Lord, you absolute dumbass), the Mad Titan wins in the end.
We all know what happens next. Thanos speeds off to Earth, where he smacks down every single Avenger in his path, kills Vision, and claims the final Infinity Stone for himself. Cue everyone you've come to love over the past 10 years turning to dust.
Before Strange disappears from existence, he says something important to Tony: "It was the only way."
Maybe it was obvious to you what he meant. But Avengers: Infinity War is so big and busy that it's easy to lose track of the smaller details. Like the one where Strange saw only a single happy ending in all those millions of potential futures.
Thanos won because that was the way it had to be. Strange knew that. Infinity War ends in a dark place, with half the universe wiped out in an instant.
Finding out the "how" and "why" of it all will have to wait until Avengers 4 arrives in 2019. But don't stress about all the "dead" heroes. They'll be back. It's all part of the plan.
Topics Marvel
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
