‘Avengers: Infinity War’: Why the Time Stone May Be the Key Connection to Avengers 4

Marvel fans have been scrutinizing every new piece of promotional material that’s been released for Avengers: Infinity War, looking for any and all insight into how the storyline of the film will unfold, and what kind of surprises we may be in for. The latest speculation has centered on the new IMAX Infinity War poster, which may reveal more than Marvel bargained for.

Fans quickly spotted a curious detail of Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet in the new poster artwork: there are three Infinity Stones pictures in it! Up until now, Infinity War footage had only revealed two stones in Thanos’ possession: the Space Stone which he takes from Loki’s Tesseract, and the Power Stone, which the Guardians of the Galaxy left in the Nova Corps vault on Xandar. Since the image of Thanos with three stones popped up, fans have been speculating like crazy about which one it could be.

That line of inquiry has led us to an interesting theory: A lot fans assume the third Infinity Stone that Thanos acquires must be the Time Stone, which his Black Order agents Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian are sent to take from Doctor Strange. However, based on what we’ve seen in all the Infinity War trailer footage, and other story details that have leaked, it seems that the Doctor Strange’s arc with the Time Stone could be a much more crucial story point than it initially seems to be; in fact, it could be the key connection between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4.

The Third Stone

Let’s start with the mystery of this Third Infinity Stone. A lot of fans think it could be the Time Stone – other think Thanos may reveal himself to be in possession of the lost Soul Stone, all along. Both of those theories are sound enough, but there’s also a much less-discussed option that makes a lot of sense: The Reality Stone.

The Reality Stone (or “Aether”) was last seen being delivered to the Collector’s museum in Knowhere, by two of Thor’s Asgardian comrades. Some Infinity War story leaks have already revealed that Benicio Del Toro’s Collector in fact appears in the film

– and trailers have confirmed that Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax and a few of the other Guardians indeed arrive to meet with the eccentric tradesman.

It’s not hard to imagine the chain of events, here:

• Infinity War opens with Thanos ambushing Thor’s ship carrying the last Asgardians away from Ragnarok.
• Thanos and the Black Order kill Loki, take the Space Stone out of the Tesseract, and either learn or are told where the Asgardians left the Reality Stone.
• The Black Order members split in two groups to attack the Time Stone in NYC, and Visions Mind Stone in Europe; Meanwhile, Thanos goes and gets the Reality Stone from the Collector.
• In the third act, the combination of the three Infinity stones allows Thanos to teleport into Wakanda (Space), cripple its defenses (Power), and create an entire army of Outriders (Reality) to attack.

It’s what happens with the Time Stone during all of this, that may reveal the crucial subplot that sets up Avengers 4.

Everyone Breaks

The idea that Doctor Strange loses the Time Stone early on in his encounter with The Black Order has always been a specious one. At the time that Infinity War takes place, Doctor Strange has presumably been Sorcerer Supreme for some time, and has a great deal more knowledge about universal threats, and objects of power like the Time Infinity Stone. That’s all to say: he probably would have a trick or two up his sleeve to protect the stone – especially when he learns their are extraterrestrial baddies after it.

Based on what we’ve seen in the latest Avengers: Infinity War trailers, it seems like a more likely scenario is Doctor Strange using his power to either seal away or hide the Time Stone, which would explain why we see Ebony Maw torturing him in a different scene. There has to be something that Ebony Maw wants to gain from the torture session, and the location or access method to the Time Stone seems like the most likely reason there would be.

As stated, Thanos will probably obtain the Space, Power, and Reality Stones from the aforementioned sources – but the Time Stone may not come into play into a very late, and crucial point, when Doctor Strange finally gives and breaks. Everyone eventually breaks under torture, and as the “Infinity” comic book storyline showed, Maw eventually does break poor Doctor Strange.

The Infinity Quest

Infinity War‘s “Battle of Wakanda” finale has already shown a pretty drastic showdown between Thanos and Captain America, and it may turn out that, against all conceivable odds, The Avengers and other MCU heroes actually win the day. However, in what could turn out to be a cruel twist, it may be the Time Stone that helps bring about the prophecy we first heard Thanos speak, in the first teaser trailer:

“In time, you will know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail all the same. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives.” –Thanos

That quote may turn out to be more literal than we ever guessed! If the Marvel heroes succeed in protecting the Mind Stone, then Thanos’ final bid to obtain the full Infinity Gauntlet may hinge on Ebony Maw getting his hands on the Time Stone. With the Time Stone boosted by the three other Infinty Stones that Thanos will presumably have (Space, Reality, Power), it’s conceivable that the Mad Titan could take a mulligan option, and travel back in time to collect the Infinity Stones from MCU heroes who are not nearly as powerful and unified as they are in modern times.

That scenario synchs up with the mysterious leaks we’ve seen from the Avengers 4 set, which involved characters from modern day, showing up in key scenes of the past. If Thanos is hopping through the history of the MCU to obtain the stones, then it would be up to the remaining MCU heroes pursue him, stop him, and protect the timestream. It’s a mission that would certainly be made possible through the combined power of the Mind and Soul stones: the MCU heroes could send their “consciousness” back in time to their younger selves, or appear as soul projections, like Doctor Strange on the Astral Plane. That would definitely foot the bill for what The Russo Bros tease will be a very different and unexpected Avengers 4.

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What do you think of this theory about the Time Stone connection between Avengers: Infinity War and the fourth film?? Let us know in the comments!

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is now playing in theaters. Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27, 2018. It is followed by Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.