Doctor Strange’s Curse of Knowledge: A Multiversal Burden
Doctor Strange, one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), endures a curse far worse than both Tony Stark and Thanos. While Thanos and Tony share a curse of knowledge, Doctor Strange’s experience is on a whole different level. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos mentions this curse, but he is unaware of Strange’s own burden.
During the Battle of Titan, Thanos divulges his motivations to Doctor Strange, revealing his past on Titan and the tragic fate that awaited its inhabitants due to overpopulation. In order to save the universe from a similar destiny, Thanos sought to eliminate half of Titan’s population randomly and dispassionately. Tony, too, experienced a similar curse, predicting the doom of his own planet unless he intervened. This led to his creation of a suit of armor around the world, which inadvertently resulted in the creation of Ultron and the endangerment of Earth.
However, Doctor Strange possesses knowledge that surpasses both Thanos and Tony. He used the Time Stone to view 14,000,605 possible futures and saw only one where Thanos could be defeated. This means that Strange witnessed the deaths of millions of timelines and trillions of inhabitants, all while being unable to intervene due to the Masters of the Mystic Arts Code. Unlike Tony and Thanos, Doctor Strange alone carries the weight of this knowledge, keeping it to himself and never revealing the details to the other Avengers.
Furthermore, Strange’s intervention in alternate universes has had dire consequences. He unknowingly caused incursions, leading to the erosion of barriers between realities and the elimination of entire universes. In Earth-838, Doctor Strange’s search for a way to defeat their universe’s Thanos resulted in his own execution by the Illuminati. With this experience, Strange now understands that he cannot save countless lives, no matter how much he desires it.
The quote by Doctor Strange, In the grand calculus of the multiverse, their sacrifice means infinitely more than their lives, carries even more weight considering the immense burden he carries. While both Tony and Thanos sought to prevent doom, Doctor Strange’s curse of knowledge is far graver and more daunting.
In conclusion, Doctor Strange’s encounter with the curse of knowledge surpasses both Tony Stark and Thanos. He witnessed the deaths of millions of timelines and trillions of inhabitants, unable to intervene. The consequences of his actions include incursions and the erosion of barriers between realities. As he grapples with the impossibility of saving lives, Strange’s burden weighs heavily on him. This curse of knowledge highlights the true magnitude of his sacrifices.
