Doctor Strange’s Spider-Man: No Way Home Mistake Was Set-Up In Infinity War

In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange makes a questionable mistake, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe previously set it up in Avengers: Infinity War. The No Way Home trailer features Peter Parker (Tom Holland) dealing with the fallout after everyone learns he's secretly Spider-Man. To change the situation, Parker turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Because Parker is having a hard time, Strange decides to perform a dangerous piece of magic to erase Spider-Man's identity from everyone's memory. Unfortunately, things go wrong, and the spell creates a rift in the Multiverse. Now, villains from past Spider-Man films are breaking into the MCU, and Spider-Man is the only one who can stop them.

The fact that Strange even performs the spell is odd. Wong (Benedict Wong) warns Strange against the spell in the trailer, saying it's too dangerous. Though Strange tells Wong he won't go ahead with it, he gives Parker a wink and performs the spell anyway. The move is so odd that fans are theorizing that Strange was secretly replaced by a Skrull or an alternate version of himself in the No Way Home trailer. A new episode of Marvel's What If...? showing a potentially evil version of Doctor Strange just adds evidence to the theories of an alternate Sorcerer Supreme.

Though Strange's move seems reckless, Marvel already set it up in a previous MCU film. In Infinity War, Doctor Strange firmly establishes that he's unwilling to give up the Time Stone to Thanos (Josh Brolin). "If it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to let either of you die," he tells Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in the film. Later, after seeing only one way for the Avengers to beat Thanos, Strange willingly trades the stone for Iron Man's life. It's an odd move, and it doesn't pay off until Stark says, "I am Iron Man," and snaps Thanos away for good in Avengers: Endgame. Strange's decision in Infinity War seemingly made him even more impulsive.

Spiderman No Way Home box peter steals from Doctor Strange

Strange already had a god complex, so saving the universe doesn't help that. Since first appearing in 2016's Doctor Strange, Strange played by his own rules, bending the laws of nature when he wasn't supposed to and thinking every move he makes is infallible. Anyone besides Strange would've advised the Sorcerer Supreme against giving the Time Stone to Thanos. However, Strange went ahead and did it anyway. The plan saved billions of lives, but it didn't help much with Strange's ego. Because of Infinity War, Strange is now perhaps even more rebellious when it comes to rules.

While Strange seems like he's making a mistake, there could be something else going on. It doesn't make much sense for Strange to mess with dangerous spells simply because Parker is having a hard time. However, it also didn't make much sense for Strange to give up the Time Stone in Avengers: Infinity War until Endgame was released. Because of that, there could be more at play when Strange ends up making his supposed error in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It's a strange move even for Strange, but he could still justify it.

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