Thanos was seen at the end of Avengers: Infinity War successfully collecting all of the Infinity Stones; thus giving him the power to wipe out half of all living things in the universe.
The subsequent carnage saw multiple Marvel heroes turning to ash – including Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) – but did he curse the Time Stone before surrendering it?
A new theory on Reddit has been 88% Upvoted since being shared overnight, with fellow fans heaping praise on it.
User Mynccx pointed to the marks on the villain’s forearm, wrist and palm after using the Time Stone to get the Mind Stone from Vision.
“This is because Stephen Strange cursed the gem,” wrote the theorist, “sabotaging it for the time when Thanos was inevitably going to use it to ‘Ash’ half the universe.
“Seemingly this is a long-shot but once the Snap occurs and we return to Thanos still wielding the Gauntlet, it is greatly damaged. Again this was part of Strange’s plan, with 14m+ outcomes [in which] Thanos aquires all six and achieves his goal.
“But to curse the gem to sabotage the titan’s power, this would lead the survivors on the path to an overall victory. The major proof of this in the damaged Gauntlet, highlights of green coming through the damaged parts of the Gauntlet [in] the colour of the time gem.”
They added: “Strange knew the one successful outcome so we can assume all of his actions where intentional and correct.
“Strange had two chances on which to curse the Gem. After the failed attempt of subduing Thanos and removing the Gauntlet, and while Stark is getting beat and stabbed(Strange is out of shot for long enough).
“As the stone is taken from Stange and entered into the Gauntlet something very odd happens, the runes burst around the Gauntlet – they are quick, obscure and barely visible but certainly there.
“This is a complete anomaly for what usually happens to all other stones; they are pulled towards the gauntlet and enter in a burst of light.”
Responding to the theory – which you can read in finer detail here – one fan said: “I like this a lot. Dr Strange was willing to sacrifice Tony and Peter to protect the stone. He basically takes the place of Adam Warlock, an ultimate chessmaster in a cosmic game against Thanos.
“The point of the Infinity War, in the original comic, wasn’t to best Thanos but was orchestrated by Warlock to serve as a distraction. He intended to let all the heroes get killed so the Silver Surfer could have an opening to snatch the gauntlet.
“If Strange is replacing HIM in this story, then losing the fight wasn’t just intentional, but mandatory to fool Thanos into thinking he won the stone- no strings attached.”
Of course we still have a while to wait yet before we know how exactly Avengers 4 will play out, especially as multiple actors who played fallen heroes are confirmed to be back in future capers.
Our only remaining visit to the MCU before its release is for Captain Marvel, which will introduce Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers in a 1990s-set tale.
Avengers 4 is out on April 26, 2019 in the UK.