The Doctor Strange Scene In Infinity War That Has MCU Fans Scratching Their Heads

Throughout his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's no doubt that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has made his fair share of questionable (and sometimes downright idiotic) choices — often at the expense of those closest to him. In his self-titled solo movie, he arrogantly gambled the entire fate of humanity on a power he didn't fully comprehend, and his appearance in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" saw the former Sorcerer Supreme almost destroy the universe because he decided to blindly use unstable magic to help Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland), get into college.

From what we've seen thus far of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," it appears Strange still hasn't learned his lesson — since, once again, he finds himself wrapped up in the chaotic collapse of reality and the Multiverse as we know it. To be fair, most of Strange's blunders outside of "No Way Home" have more to do with his own arrogance than his ignorance, though he has one line in "Avengers: Infinity War" that has made some fans question just how smart the former neurosurgeon actually is.

After Thanos' (Josh Brolin) cronies capture Strange, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and Peter Parker save him aboard Ebony Maw's (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) ship — though afterward, the three find themselves trapped in deep space. Strange then asks if Tony can fly the ship back to Earth, a moment that fans on Reddit have pointed out doesn't make much sense considering that Strange's most iconic power is his ability to create portals. "Why does he ask instead of just opening up one of his portals?" wrote u/namesduck_rubberduck. "It really bugs me."

Others chimed in to agree, asserting that the moment is only there to keep the plot moving forward. "Strange asked about flying the ship instead of opening a portal because the writers wanted Strange, Ironman [sic], and Spiderman [sic] to go to Titan, not back to Earth," said u/VVillyD. "Most likely reason – plot contrivance," agreed u/ericbkillmonger.

Still, other fans tried to defend his actions, claiming that Strange clearly could not open portals while traveling that fast or when he was too far away from the planet. Perhaps the most damning evidence against those theories is the fact that Strange and Wong (Benedict Wong) are able to portal everybody back to Earth at the end of "Avengers: Endgame" with no issues whatsoever. Whatever the reason behind this choice of dialogue, it certainly makes it seem like Strange wasn't exactly thinking clearly when he was first launched into space.