It’s time to put on our best tinfoil Iron Man suits because there’s another wild Avengers: Endgame theory coming your way. We’ve already covered how trailer trickery makes it look like someone is missing from the Endgame line-up, but now some clever sleuths think they’ve worked out who the MIA Avenger is.
The Russo Brothers are definitely keeping fans guessing as the first two trailers haven’t given much away. Although we’ve seen Iron Man, Captain America, and the rest of the surviving Avengers in dire straits, there’s still no sign of ‘dusted’ heroes like Black Panther and Spider-Man.
When the Endgame trailer included some suspiciously large gaps in its latest drop, many fans guessed Captain Marvel is being hidden from the movie’s marketing (for now). However, is it someone else hiding behind a cloak of invisibility levitation.
According to a Reddit theory from MightyMary007, Doctor Strange is the Avenger who’s been removed from the Endgame trailers. Fans are reminded about Benedict Cumberbatch’s big Infinity War scene and when the Sorcerer Supreme used the Time Stone to explore the 14 million realities where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes go up against Thanos.
The odds are still stacked against as Strange revealed we only win in one of these realities. Instead of Strange simply watching all of them unfold, MightyMary007 suggests the Master of the Mystic Arts is actually living each individual possibility.
They noticed that the Time Stone glowed green when Doc handed it over to Thanos, suggesting it was being used somehow. MightyMary007 claims that Doctor Strange programmed the Time Stone to return him to Titan each time he fails (hence his creepy shuddering movement), then die in the current timeline and try the next reality without creating a paradox.
With Strange tipped to be a dimension and time-hopping hero, it makes sense that he’s the mysterious one popping up in the background of the Endgame trailers.
It fits neatly with the idea that Doctor Strange couldn’t have died in Infinity War because he was able to see past his own death. Remembering Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange, Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One knew her time was coming to an end because she couldn’t see any further into the future.
As it stands, Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange look like the likeliest candidates to have been edited out of the Endgame trailers. That being said, it could be literally anyone. For all I know, the Russo Brothers could be hiding a major role for Howard the Duck!
[Featured Image: Disney]