Dr Stephan Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, settles himself on the rock of an alien planet and draws his focus inward. They have time for the moment, and peace, and he must take the opportunity to learn what he can. Any clue that can help them succeed in a task that seems impossible.
After he first wore the Eye, he researched it as much as possible, reading everything he could find, practicing those simple spells he could. The spell he is about to try is not one he has practiced. He has tried lesser versions, but the knowledge he seeks, the chains of causality he must follow, are of such a scale that a mortal could not survive alone. It is advanced magic, deep magic, desperate magic. For when you speak to an Infinity Stone, none know how it may answer.
Eye of Agamotto, shard of Infinity, I call on thee. We stand at a crossroad in Time, and I seek your guidance. Help me trace the web of the future. Help me find the path.
Ask.
How can we defeat Thanos? How can we stop him?
What do you know?
Thanos wants to use the Infinity Gauntlet to destroy half of all life
Thanos already has the Power, Space, Reality and Soul Stones
Thanos is strong, and with every Infinity Stone he adds, he gets stronger
What does winning look like?
Stop Thanos getting the Time Stone
he tortures the others until I release my spell and give it to him
or he finds a way to break my spell
or he destroys my body, destroys the amulet, and the Stone is not bound by the spell
or, or, or…
Impossible
What does winning look like?
Stop Thanos getting the Mind Stone
he overpowers Wanda and takes it from Vision
or he uses the Time Stone to get past Wanda's defences and takes it from Vision
or it is removed from Vision and he finds wherever we try to hide it
or, or, or…
Impossible
What does winning look like?
Stop Thanos from Snapping
Thor strikes him, but the blow is not fatal and he Snaps
or Thor strikes at him, but one of the Stones deflects it, and he Snaps
or Thor is too late, and he Snaps
or, or, or…
Impossible
What does winning look like?
But, if he Snaps, that's it. Half the life in the universe gone. That's not winning, that's losing.
What does winning look like?
It's not an acceptable outcome. There must be another way, something we can do.
What does winning look like?
But, what if that's not the end of the game? Can we… can we reverse the Snap?
One future.
One. Only one, but it's a chance. What makes that future different? What saves us?
Tony Stark lives.