‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Director Teases Doctor Strange’s Big Plan

In true Marvel fashion, the most recent Avengers film left fans with more questions than answers. The blockbuster gave fans the first-half of the MCU's epic climax, and Thanos commandeered the feature as he continued his quest to collect all the Infinity Stones. Now, one director on the film is opening up about that choice Doctor Strange made at its end, and his comments may validate one popular fan-theory.

So, this is our obligatory spoilers warning. If you have not seen Avengers: Infinity War yet, do not read below this paragraph. Major spoilers for the film lie below! We repeat: MAJOR spoilers for the movie lie below. You've been warned.

As you might already know if you saw Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange had lots of fans confused by its end. The hero is a no-nonsense kind of guy, and Stephen Strange made it clear that he was not one to be buddy-buddy with Tony Stark. Despite Iron Man and Spider-Man saving the man from Ebony Maw, Doctor Strange said he would not hesitate to protect the Time Stone in lieu of either hero should Thanos make him choose. However, the man went against that promise in the end.

At the movie's climax, fans watched as Thanos was about to kill Tony, but Doctor Strange interfered. The sorcerer said he would trade the Mad Titan his Time Stone for Iron Man's life, and the deal was made much to Tony's horror. After collecting the stone, Thanos rushed off to get the Mind Stone from Earth, and his full collection made it possible for Thanos to snap half of the universe from existence.

Naturally, fans are still not over the controversial move, but Joe Russo recently sat down with some lucky fans to address the hero's decision in a roundabout way. Today, the director visited students at the University of Iowa as Russo graduated from the college years ago. It was there fans were able to ask questions to the director about Avengers: Infinity War, and one student in attendance took to Reddit to summarize the panel's highlights.

According to the fan, Russo did address why Doctor Strange gave up his Infinity Stone to Thanos despite his oath to protect it. The student said the director "highly alluded" to the hero's final line as Doctor Strange told Tony his sacrifice was the only way. Russo also mentioned the scene wherein Doctor Strange saw into millions of futures to see how Thanos could be defeat and only found one. If the fan took the statement right, then Russo seemed to hit that Strange's sacrifice was done to achieve victory longterm, and such a statement aligns with what fans have been theorizing.

After all, it would make sense for Doctor Strange to make such a sacrifice if it led to Thanos' defeat in the end. The timeline where the hero saw his team win against the Mad Titan might have required Tony to live, making his trade with Thanos a necessity. If that is the case, then fans should expect big things from Iron Man once Avengers 4 hits theaters and hope the hero can reunite Doctor Strange with the Time Stone.

Are what did you make of this controversial moment in Avengers: Infinity War? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

Marvel Studios' Black Panther is still in theaters, while Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters this weekend. It will be 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.