While teaming up with Iron Man, Doctor Strange tells the hero that if the future situation boils down to saving him or Peter Parker, or the Time Stone, then he would not hesitate to save the stone from Thanos. Both, Iron Man and Spider Man implicitly agree with him, knowing that the world must be saved at all costs. However, as we know, this is not what happened. During a showdown with Thanos in which the villain almost kills Iron Man, Doctor Strange hands over the stone to save Tony Stark’s life.
This moment was certainly a shocking one as we know how dangerous Thanos gets with each stone he acquires. In fact, if he had not had the Time Stone, he would not have been able to acquire the Mind Stone from Vision either. So, the question arises, why did Doctor Strange allow Thanos to take the stone without even putting up a fight? The answer lies in something Doctor Strange said earlier, “We’re in the endgame now”.
While fighting off Thanos, Doctor Strange travels across multiple dimensions to see all possible outcomes of the fight against the villain. When Iron Man asks him about this, he says that there is only one outcome in which they win. Could it be that letting Thanos have the Time Stone would lead to a ripple effect that ultimately lets the Avengers win in the future? It seems likely. After all, if you knew about the one outcome that counts as a win, then wouldn’t you do everything you can in order to make it possible?
Doctor Strange knew that giving the Time Stone to Thanos would result in countless deaths. But he also knew that the ripple effects of these actions would lead to further actions that help destroy the villain. So, when he saw a chance to make things happen, he surrendered the Time Stone to Thanos and let the team enter what he referred to as ‘The Endgame’ – the final chapter of their fight against one of the most formidable villains in MCU!