In Avengers: Endgame, Iron Man sacrifices himself using the Infinity Stones to stop Thanos and with his ambition to reset all life in the universe. However, it was too much to hold the Infinity Stones for any human and the power of it leads to his death, as prophesied by Doctor Strange Avengers: Infinity War.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange used magic to determine the number of universes the heroes defeated Thanos. When Iron Man asked him about the number of universes they won, Strange reported only one. He stated he couldn’t tell Ironman how in that universe they won, however a theory suggests that he lied. This raises questions about why Doctor Strange claimed they only won in one universe, and if he wanted to ensure Iron Man’s death.
Doctor Strange Is Linked To Iron Man’s Sacrifice
Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Endgame. Image Credit: Marvel Studios
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness explores the magical Doctor Strange’s ability to take drastic actions for the greater good, as demonstrated in the film’s opening act when an alternate version of Strange aims to kill America Chavez for her reality-hopping powers. Later in the film, it was also revealed that the Illuminati of Earth 838 killed their version of Doctor Strange for actions that saved their Earth from Thanos.
Stephen Strange, from any universe, is likely to sacrifice one for the greater good if necessary. However, at the end of the film, Wong attempts to convince Doctor Strange to take Chavez’s powers and kill her, but Strange doesn’t follow through, possibly to avoid repeating his actions with Ironman, that is kill one to win a battle.
A theory that was posted on TikTok and shared on Instagram by Dylan, questions the lie Strange made of only a single way to defeat Thanos. As it was proven on Earth 838 they did defeat Thanos and it was not Iron Man who defeated him. Instantly, this shows there was more than one way for Thanos to be defeated and the odds of only 1 in 14 million would suggest a near-impossible crisis to solve.
The theory also suggested that Doctor Strange made sure that Iron Man sacrificed himself in Endgame. saw instead was many various universes where Iron Man had caused more damage than good. Doctor Strange might have seen many alternate futures where Iron Man damaged the world more than helped it. Therefore, he orchestrated the outcome of Avengers: Endgame to ensure Iron Man could never be a threat to the future.
Is The Universe Safer Without Tony Stark?
Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. Image Credit: Marvel Studios
Tony Stark’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame was a heroic and selfless moment, but it also suggests that he and the other Avengers were often fighting villains created by him. Stark Industries’ involvement in creating weapons of war and the tech he designed were used by Obadiah Stane and Ivan Vanko to become villains. Tony’s decision to spurn Aldrich Killian motivated him to become a villain. Quentin Beck became Mysterio after Stark rebranded BARF technology, and Adrian Toomes became Vulture after Stark founded Damage Control. His creation of Ultron led to a major catastrophe and the Sokovia Accords, which he supported.
Iron Man did a lot of good, but it’s apparent that his genius and futuristic thinking also created problems in the MCU. That could be why Doctor Strange influenced the idea that there was no other way for the Avengers to beat Thanos as they were mere seconds away from taking the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos on Titan moments before Strange gave up the Time Stone. Instead, it is possible that Strange found multiple realities where Thanos was defeated, but more threats emerged that they couldn’t stop Tony Stark.
It isn’t too difficult to imagine that Tony Stark would create even more powerful but dangerous tech if he survived. But that wouldn’t be an issue if he was not around anymore. This could mean that Strange found a sequence of potential events that led to the safest universe, one where Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame also eliminated future threats.
