‘Avengers 4’ Fan Theory Reveals the One Future Doctor Strange Saw Where the Avengers Win

After the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel fans have been left reeling and wondering how Earth’s Mightiest Heroes could possibly hope to defeat Thanos. It turns out, the key might lie with Doctor Strange according to a brand new fan theory.

And if you’re wondering how Strange could possibly play a part in Thanos’ defeat given that the character was snapped out of existence, well, it turns out that was all part of the plan.

Doctor Strange used the Time Stone to examine all of the different timeline possibilities in hopes of finding the one future where the Avengers manage to defeat Thanos. And given his willingness to trade the stone for Iron Man’s life — after telling him and Spider-Man he wouldn’t hesitate to watch them die — means this was likely part of that one possible victory.

A new Reddit theory examines those plot points to posit future developments, positioning Doctor Strange and his sacrifice as a pivotal part of the Avengers’ eventual victory over Thanos. And, of course, it all has to do with Ant-Man.

It sounds like the plot of Avengers 4 is going as expected, given all of the fan theories that have cropped up regarding Doctor Strange’s visions of the future. But it doesn’t mean that this particular fan has cracked the code for the future of the Marvel Universe.

We’ll find out when Avengers 4 premieres in theaters on May 3, 2019.