Despite being one of the most celebrated films by fans, Avengers: Endgame is not safe from criticism and scrutiny from the most conscientious fans. And many believe they have found a plot hole in the Russo Brothers’ film. But no, they are not right, and Doctor Strange is.
As is common in any high-impact film, especially one that concludes such a monumental saga, fans scrutinize every detail and theories of all kinds keep appearing. In this case, some believe they have found what could be considered a plot hole: why doesn’t Doctor Strange cut off Thanos’ arm and destroy the Infinity Gauntlet? If he was able to do it with Cull Obsidian in Infinity War, why not use the same tactic with Thanos in Endgame?
At the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, we see how Doctor Strange and Wong used portals to sever Cull Obsidian’s arm and get rid of the threat. That visually impactful scene led many to wonder why the same tactic was not repeated against Thanos in the sequel, Avengers: Endgame. The idea is tempting: cutting off the mad titan’s arm and stripping him of the Infinity Gauntlet, isn’t that what they needed to do to win?
An Inevitable Fate
First, we must remember that Doctor Strange, in Infinity War, had already looked at all possible solutions to the conflict. As we know, in the movie, the Sorcerer Supreme observed more than 14 million possible scenarios, but only one of them led to victory. This information is crucial to understand his actions. Strange does not act impulsively or without considering every possibility. In that one future where the Avengers can win, every step must follow a very specific order, from Tony Stark’s death to Peter Quill’s bird signal. Trying to cut off Thanos’ arm, although it may seem like a viable tactic, was not part of the action plan that would lead to victory. In fact, that would probably have altered the course of the battle in unpredictable ways.
On the other hand, the script itself and the creators of the film explain that, although the technique worked with Cull Obsidian, the circumstances are completely different. First and foremost, Thanos is not just any enemy. His power, even without the Gauntlet, is overwhelming. Thanos is an immensely resilient creature, capable of withstanding the fiercest attacks, as demonstrated in his confrontation with Thor. If we think that cutting off his arm would be enough to defeat him, we are underestimating the magnitude of the villain. Moreover, the Infinity Gauntlet imbued with the power of the Infinity Stones is not just a physical artifact; it is an extension of Thanos’ will.
The Directors’ Explanation
In this regard, the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, the Russo Brothers, have explained in several interviews that the reason behind Doctor Strange’s apparent lack of direct action is precisely the inevitability of the future he saw. It is not a flaw in the movie’s logic, but a strategy devised based on what could actually work to stop Thanos. Trying an arm severance would not only have been ineffective, but could have triggered a time loop or activated a defense mechanism of Thanos that would have made him even more lethal.
“Thanos’ skin is nearly impenetrable, we don’t know if Doctor Strange had the ability to do it. If he hadn’t cut it in time, Thanos could have snapped. Doctor Strange realized this problem during his millions of simulations.”
Furthermore, as suggested in various theories, Thanos, with the Gauntlet in his possession, could have used his reality-manipulating ability to prevent that tactic from working. The Stones’ own ability, which could have rewritten reality to adapt to any threat, would have countered the attempt to sever his arm. And even if the arm-cutting tactic had worked on paper, it cannot be forgotten that Doctor Strange was following a path already laid out to ensure victory and narratively functions as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Therefore, theories suggesting a “plot hole” are nothing more than oversimplifications. What some see as a lack of logic is actually a result of Doctor Strange’s strategy, who, just like in his confrontation with Dormammu, knew that the path to victory lay in a single tactic that inevitably passed through Iron Man’s final actions to achieve Thanos’ defeat. If you are one of those who has not yet seen Avengers: Endgame or simply wants to relive this epic conclusion to the Avengers saga, remember that the entire MCU saga is available on Disney+.
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