The shadow Thanos had cast still lingered in the hearts of everyone in the Main Universe.
Because that man had truly brought them five years of grief.
And if not for Iron Man's final sacrifice,
they would likely have become part of the past, buried alongside the universe.
Whether it was Wong, Doctor Strange, or Ant-Man, all of them regarded Thanos with immense caution and concern.
But it had to be said,
at this very moment, hearing that Thanos was on the Earth across from them
was undeniably good news.
"Though it may not sound right to say this, they have the Infinity Stones over there. This is our chance!"
Doctor Strange said over the comm channel.
"Everyone, listen to me. The same person in different worlds can have vastly different experiences and personalities."
Take Tony Stark, for example. Without what happened in Afghanistan, he would most likely have remained a flamboyant playboy.
In What If...?, a Tony who had been rescued before the missile blast even returned to America and increased his involvement in the arms trade.
But that was not what Doctor Strange meant.
His tone shifted. "So we cannot project the people over there onto the familiar figures we know."
"We cannot judge whether they are good or evil."
"Therefore, I suggest we observe for now. Then, when Iron Man over there snaps his fingers, we charge in and take the Infinity Stones."
"That way, we neither affect Thanos's fate nor lose the initiative."
"Most importantly, we must prevent the people over there from using the Infinity Stones to cause irreversible damage to our universe."
Doctor Strange spoke from the heart.
Because he had seen far too many versions of himself from Parallel Worlds.
Some had been incomparably obsessive, some self-centered to the extreme, and some had