Alternate Realities and Time Travel: If Doctor Strange Had Gone Back in Time

The concept of time travel and its implications on the Avengers: Endgame storyline is a compelling one, especially considering the pivotal decision made by Doctor Strange. The Infinity War plot rule states that, no matter what Doctor Strange might do in the past, the outcome at the Snap is inevitable. This article aims to explore whether going back in time would have changed the course of events, providing insights from the movie's narrative and the principles of time travel theory.

Understanding the Time Travel Complexity

Doctor Strange, the Master of the Mystic Arts, faces a critical decision in Avengers: Endgame. He realizes that the outcome of the battle is overwhelmingly unfavorable, with only one out of 1,400,060,500 possible outcomes being beneficial to the Avengers. Despite the dire prediction, Doctor Strange chooses to sacrifice the Time Stone for Tony Stark's survival. However, what if he had taken a different path?

Time Travel and Its Consequences

One of the key statements from Avengers: Endgame is from Bruce Banner, who explains the complex nature of time travel. According to Banner, when you travel to the past, the past becomes your future, and the present becomes the past that cannot be changed by your future actions. This implies that traveling back in time, whether to alter the past or to witness it, leads to the creation of a new reality rather than altering the original one.

Illustrating this, when Loki disappeared with the Infinity Stone, a new timeline was created, rather than altering the original timeline. Similarly, if Doctor Strange had gone back to the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, it is highly likely that he would have created a new reality, regardless of his actions. This new reality would have echoes of his past, but any changes he made would result in a divergent timeline. The original timeline, where Thanos snaps and creates untold chaos, would remain unchanged.

Debunking the One Chance Theory

It is often argued that, given a chance, Doctor Strange could have eliminated Thanos and prevented the Snap. However, this argument is based on the plot rules of the movie. The Infinity War states that, no matter what actions are taken, the outcome is predetermined. This means that even if Doctor Strange had gone back to the beginning and eliminated Thanos, the Snap would still have happened, as per the predetermined outcome.

This predetermined scenario is referred to as the "one million in one" possibility, a phrase that encapsulates the near certainty of the Snap occurring. Despite the vast number of possible outcomes that Doctor Strange might have altered, the Snap would still occur, as it was destined to happen. This is a fundamental principle in the movie's narrative, ensuring that the timeline remains consistent with the established plot.

Implications and New Realities

If Doctor Strange had indeed traveled back in time, he might have altered various elements of the timeline. He could have eliminated Thanos, found an alternative way to stop the Snap, or even prevented the Snap from occurring in the first place. However, each of these actions would have led to the creation of a new reality, where the present day after Thanos' snap still existed. The creators of the movie have leaned heavily on the idea that the Snap was a necessary part of the story, reinforcing the need for the Avengers to gather all the Infinity Stones from various timelines to reverse its effects.

The creation of a new timeline through time travel does not negate the fact that the original outcome remains unchanged. Thus, even if Doctor Strange had traveled back in time, he would have entered a new reality where outcomes were different, but the Snap still would have occurred because it was part of the predetermined timeline.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the concept of time travel in Avengers: Endgame offers a fascinating glimpse into the intricacies of the multiverse, the predetermined nature of the Snap and the predetermined outcomes make it impossible for Doctor Strange to change the course of events pre-Snap. The movie's narrative adheres to these rules, ensuring consistency and coherence in the storytelling. The question of whether Doctor Strange could have gone back and changed the past to prevent the Snap remains a compelling one, but the answer, according to the movie's plot, is that he would have created a new reality where the Snap still occurs.