Avengers Infinity War ending EXPLAINED: THIS hero knows how to beat Thanos in Avengers 4

Thanos may demand our silence but it is no great spoiler to reveal that the end of Infinity War is devastating.

Marvel said it was going to be bad. It was far, far worse.

We were braced for some tough moments in Infinity War and the Russo brothers never pretended there would not be casualties but by the end of Avengers 3 we were left stunned and shocked in our seats.

There is still hope, though, and eagle-eyed fans will have spotted the key moment earlier on in the film when only one out of the entire range of heroes revealed that he or she knew how to beat Thanos and defeat his plans..

WARNING SPOILERS FROM HERE  

The Russos have repeatedly stressed that Avengers 3 and 4 stand alone as separate movies. 

Originally billed as Infinity War Parts 1 and 2, they are theoretically self-contained to some extent and tell complete stories. 

Except everyone who has seen the latest Marvel blockbuster knows that it ends on such a huge cliffhanger, leaving so many story threads in such an impossible situation that Avengers 4 will have to revolve around trying to fix it. 

And now it has been revealed Doctor Stephen Strange is the only man who knows how.

LAST CHANCE TO AVOID MAJOR SPOILERS

After Thanos has united all six Infinity Stones in the Gauntlet he finally fulfills his ultimate plan and erases half of all life in the universe. This includes a huge number of Marvel heroes, including the man who allows it all to happen. 

During the conforntation on Titan, Doctor Strange manages to trick Thanos with a fake Time Stone, but then seemingly willingly hands it over with relatively little pressure. This is the only moment in the entire movie when Thanos could have been thwarted.

Even worse, the possession of the Time Stone enables Thanos to undo the hearbeaking destruction of the Mind Stone when Scarlet Witch kills Vision.

Doctor Strange did this on purpose and he already revealed why.

Many of the heroes are given the chance to save their friends or loved ones by trading an Infinity Stone to Thanos. They all refuse. Thanos may have four Stones when he meets Doctor Strange but he no longer has the magic assistance of his right-hand man, Ebony Maw.

Doctor Strange might have died but he could not have been forced to give up the Time Stone, nor would he have traded it for anyone’s life. He chose to do it and this is crucial.

When he jumps forward in time to review the millions of possible outcomes in the fight against Thanos, Tony Stark askes him: “How many did we win?”

Doctor Strange replies “Only one.” 

Strange has seen the only way to defeat Thanos and this must include the Mad Titan possessing all six Stones. However awful the ending of Infinity War it is absolutely ncesessary as it sets up the single path to eventual victory and salvation.

We only have to wait another year to find out how on Earth that is remotely possible…

AVENGERS INFINITY WAR IS OUT NOW, AVENGERS 4 IS OUT ON APRIL 26, 2019.