This 'Avengers: Infinity War' Time Travel Theory Is Blowing Fans' Minds
It's safe to say that most fan theories about the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War are probably futile. The plot and the many directions its mashup of superheros could take are so under wraps that apparently Benedict Cumberbatch, aka Doctor Strange is possibly the only cast member who has read the movie's entire script. Cumberbatch confirming this tidbit has given fervent fans fuel in a new theory about what Infinity War could include. If you're trying to crack the code behind the movie's storyline, this Avengers: Infinity War time travel theory could be your perfect solution.
Bustle reports that the elements seen in Marvel's 2016 movie Doctor Strange could be the key to understanding a massive component of Infinity War. While the concept of time travel was rarely seen in other Marvel films, Doctor Strange introduces the Time Stone, one of the sought-after Infinity Stones. Cumberbatch's titular character tracks down the Eye of Agamotto amulet, which contains the Time Stone and allows the wearer to control time. Of course, as any time travel movie preaches, no one should mess around too much with the Time Stone, as it could seriously affect the space time continuum.
Strange ends up using the Stone's powers to keep himself and Dormammu in a time loop until the villain gives in to Strange's request that he leave Earth. We know that Strange is due for an appearance in Infinity War, but after revisiting his original movie, fans have wondered if the Time Stone will play a part in his storyline.
Cumberbatch's admission that he has read the entire script has kicked up speculation that he had to do so because, in Infinity War, Strange is tasked with time traveling to help find the other Infinity Stones. In an interview with Good Morning America, Cumberbatch hinted why he was allowed access to the entire storyline:
I had to sort of understand what the context was. Strange has this wonderful role in it and I'm trying to kind of hold the multiverse together, so I kind of needed to know what goes on in between those brackets.
Of course, there are also clues within the franchise that instead of actual time travel, Strange's role could just tie into flashback footage, which the Avengers series has used before. Bustle points to Tony's Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing technology as an example of what could put Strange in past or future scenarios. The technology allowed Tony to revisit the last memory of his parents, which could lead to Strange in charge of using the system to the Avengers' benefit in Infinity War.
Fans willing to embrace darker possibilities have also suggested that time travel won't affect the plot until Infinity War's own sequel in 2019. The Infinity War trailer has teased about the potential fatalities of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor (as the Marvel contracts of each actor behind these superheroes are reaching an end), but fans have even gone as far as theorizing that both the Avengers and Earth are destroyed in Infinity War. If this is the case, could Doctor Strange be everyone's saving grace and use the Time Stone in the next film to change the Avengers' outcomes?
No matter the specifics of each fan's theory, Doctor Strange and time travel seem to be at the core of many guesses.
It looks like the Avengers definitely have multiple timelines or dimensions to deal with in the last two films. We'll have to wait and see if Doctor Strange plays as much of a role in the mystery as Cumberbatch suggests.
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on Friday, April 27.
