Doctor Strange Secretly Met Kang – Theory Explained

Using time travel to defeat Thanos during Avengers: Endgame should have been against the rules of the Time Variance Authority; however, one theory suggests that connection between Doctor Strange and the head of the Time Variance Authority could explain this apparent pothole. With Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness and Loki season 2 both on their way and promising to explore the multiverse in more detail, there may be answers soon about whether or not there’s any truth in this idea. This theory could also provide the perfect setup for Kang the Conqueror stepping into Thanos’ shoes as the next big MCU villain.

The MCU’s phase 4 follows on from the decade-long Infinity Saga and the final defeat of Thanos. Ever since, the MCU has leaned heavily on the multiverse concept — a set of parallel universes where, for one reason or another, things worked out differently. Loki explores this idea in some detail, showing the world of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), who track down and “prune“ anyone who strays from the timeline they’re supposed to follow. Spider-Man: No Way Home takes things a step further, as Doctor Strange breaks the multiverse itself. These stories see both Loki and Peter Parker meeting up with very different versions of themselves from other parts of the multiverse. It looks likely that these stories are setting the stage for the next big MCU conflict.

During Infinity War, Doctor Strange used the time stone to look through all possible realities to try and find a way to beat Thanos, and Endgame showed that their only way to do this was to use time travel. This feels contrary to what the TVA is doing during Loki, but He Who Remains explains to Loki and Sylvie that this was meant to happen. The Avengers’ time travel was part of the sacred timeline that the TVA is intended to protect. But why? One way to explain this is if Strange traveled to the End of Time himself to meet up with He Who Remains and struck a bargain. After all, if Strange can make a bargain with a god-like primordial being like Dormammu, surely he could do the same with He Who Remains.

The villain of Loki, He Who Remains, is a version of one of Marvel’s toughest villains, Kang The Conqueror. He isn’t the same person but a variant, sharing the blue, green, and purple color scheme familiar from the comics. As Loki showed, anyone in the multiverse can have variants and, considering how one of Loki’s own variants turns out to be an alligator, this means that the recluse who secretly runs the TVA might be a very different Kang to one who may enter the MCU later. After season 1 of Loki ended with Sylvie killing He Who Remains, Kang’s entrance is now inevitable, but this Kang will not necessarily be the same person with whom Strange made a bargain. He might think the entire thing an insult, or consider anyone with the power over time travel a threat. After all, the purpose of the TVA and the timekeepers is to try and prevent Kang and his conquering from ever existing. This would also explain why Jonathan Majors is set to appear in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, not as He Who Remains but as the fearsome Kang.

As arguably the most powerful sorcerer in the MCU and the keeper of the time stone at the time, traveling to meet with He Who Remains is well within Doctor Strange’s abilities. It also makes sense that he would be able to do so without anyone else noticing. Whether he stopped time while he was gone or he simply used astral projection to travel, no one is paying attention to him using the time stone until he’s already finished. The question then becomes, what kind of bargain might Strange have made to stop the timekeepers from intervening during Endgame? Whether or not this theory turns out to be true, the multiverse aspect of the MCU is certain to develop further during Loki season 2 and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.