There were a lot of speculations about how Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame could play out in the MCU. The numerous speculations came in the form of educated guesses from the Infinity Gantlet comic book event, upon which the entire MCU had based itself on. Something similar could happen with Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars
In the comic book event Infinity Gauntlet, Nebula possesses the Infinity Stones, deciding to exact her revenge on Thanos. However, despite sprawling speculations about who would take her place in the narrative (or even if Nebula herself will follow in the footsteps of her comic book counterpart), we got Tony Stark snapping away Thanos’s army and sacrificing himself to save the world.
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A similar speculation is now plaguing Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars, ever since it revealed its title, has driven speculations towards the creation of Battlworld, one that can happen only in the presence of Doctor Doom or The Beyonder in the MCU. Given that neither of these characters has been introduced in the MCU, there is a lot of speculation that they might be in the wings, ready to show up, now that it seems the franchise will change course.
However, the storyline that someone takes the power of the Beyonder and uses it to craft Battleworld might not come to fruition, but instead give way to a sacrifice in the same vein as Tony Stark’s gambit to save the universe. For a multitude of reasons, it must be Stephen Strange who makes the sacrifice.
Not only has Stragne taken a larger role in the universe, but the sorcerers in general have been busy recruiting heroes to defend Earth from threats. Wong, now Sorcerer Supreme, has taken it upon himself to assemble heroes to fight on Earth’s behalf, while Stragne is busy helping Clea fend off an incursion in her home dimension. Given that Strange was the one who led Tony Stark to his death, it is fitting that he sacrificed himself for another reason. Thanks to films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we now know that there were multiple ways to slay Thanos, none of which included time travel or the death of Iron Man
This sets up Strange’s arc for guilt, redemption and selflessness in a similar way to Tony Stark, given that the incursions are largely Strange’s fault for tampering with the multiverse. Therefore, it would be a fitting development if the character finds itself with the power of the Beyonder, sacrificing himself for the greater good.
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What could prompt Doctor Strange to sacrifice himself?
Iron Man was in part motivated by Peter Parker to sacrifice himself fighting Thanos. He wished to secure the future for his daughter, for the next generation of heroes and for everyone dear to him. Doctor Strange will never take the back seat when it comes to fighting the good fight, but there is also the fact that Strange is not above sacrificing himself when it comes down to it.
Given that there is always a failsafe every time he goes out (be it time travel, time loops or alternate bodies that he has possessed), Strange has also been shown to be corrupted by the Darkhold, making him selfish and all-consuming. While Strange might descend to this, the Darkhold could also erode the spell that keeps Peter Parker’s identity a secret from him.
This could remind Strange of the sacrifice the young hero made, which had a profound effect on him. Further, he could also remember the willingness of America Chavez to sacrifice herself, prompting him to take on the power of the Beyonder and save the multiverse, even if it kills him.
Hence, in doing so, Marvel can make a simplified narrative, without having to worry about multiple threads, in the same manner it treated The Infinity Saga. Strange’s death would come full circle, mirroring Tony Stark’s and absolving him of all his mistakes, as he takes the Beyonder’s powers to restore the multiverse or organise it into one universe.
