Why Doctor Strange Didn’t Use The Memory Spell On Thanos In Infinity War

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) used two powerful memory spells in Spider-Man: No Way Home but used neither in Avengers: Infinity War on Thanos (Josh Brolin) — why? MCU’s prime sorcerer got himself involved in Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) latest adventure after the wall-crawler asked him for some help. The young hero wanted people to forget that he was Spider-Man, asking Doctor Strange to undo Mysterio’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) malicious revelation at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. But while Doctor Strange was eager to help, things didn’t pan out the way they planned the first time he meddled in the situation. 

Since the future MCU Sorcerer Supreme no longer has the Time Stone, he had to find another way to accomplish Peter’s wish. Feeling guilty and sorry for Spider-Man’s predicament, Doctor Strange was forced to cast a dangerous spell despite Wong’s (Benedict Wong) warning. The enchantment was corrupted due to Peter’s repeated meddling as he wanted to change its terms while Doctor Strange was in the middle of executing it. But although the spell didn’t initially work, it could’ve, leaving many wondering where else using it could’ve been helpful, such as when the Avengers battled Thanos. 

With Marvel Studios establishing that Doctor Strange is able to cast the aforementioned memory spell, some MCU followers have recently pointed out that using it on the Mad Titan could’ve easily defeated the villain. All the sorcerer needed to do was make Thanos forget about his misguided goal to kill half of the universe for the sake of balance in Avengers: Infinity War. This way, the snap could’ve been prevented, while both Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) didn’t have to sacrifice their lives to ensure that the Mad Titan no longer poses a threat in the universe. It sounds like an easy way to resolve the problem, so why didn’t Doctor Strange do it? Based on what’s known about the MCU this far, it seems like a legitimate plot hole. If Doctor Strange was willing to cast the said spell to help Peter despite its risks in Spider-Man: No Way Home, surely, he would be willing to make the bet to ensure Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Infinity War. After all, he knew that the fate of the universe depended on it. That being said, there are also ways for Marvel Studios to retroactively resolve this plot hole. One potential option is to reveal that Doctor Strange didn’t know about the said spell during Avengers: Infinity War yet. 

Granted that it hasn’t been that long since the Infinity Saga when the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home took place, but it’s possible that the wizard has been working doubly hard to learn more about the mystic arts in an effort to become the Sorcerer Supreme — a title currently being held by Wong. Doctor Strange knows that he is destined for the role, but being snapped for five years paved the way for Wong to assume the position. Marvel Studios can go back to the idea that Thanos needed to win first for the Avengers to eventually defeat him, as well. Since Doctor Strange was the only one who knew of this in Avengers: Infinity War, he may have opted to not cast the memory spell and let things run their natural course. 

Finally, Marvel Studios can just leave this query and chalk it up to a storytelling slip. If that’s the case, maybe fans can simply accept it as one of the finer details in the MCU that doesn’t quite line up. In any case, both Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: No Way Home worked separately as great films from the franchise, and that’s more important for the universe’s sustainability moving forward than obsessing over its micro-continuity. 

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