I was completely wrong about this: Iron Man greatly sacrificed himself to save trillions of lives. But in fact, he had NO IDEA about how to do it until a crucial detail appeared before him.
In fact, the entire Avengers team didn’t expect the final showdown to end with a snap from their side. During the Battle of Earth, their main goal was simply to keep the Gauntlet away from Thanos.
So, what was the detail that changed everything? And why was Iron Man the only one to figure it out?
Let’s dive in and find out!
Contents
The Avengers’ Attempt During the Battle of Earth
When Thanos arrived and the Battle of Earth unfolded, one might think the Avengers knew exactly what to do. However, the reality was quite the opposite—they were entirely passive.
As soon as Hawkeye arrived on the battlefield with Stark’s Infinity Gauntlet, the Avengers began to formulate their next move amidst the confrontation.
Captain America’s primary directive was simple: “Keep it as far as possible.” Meanwhile, Hulk reminded them of the urgent need to return the Stones immediately.
In the first stage, the Avengers’ plan for the Time Heist did not prepare for any unforeseen events, such as 2014 Thanos secretly chasing them back to the present.
After the Big Three Avengers failed to stop 2014 Thanos, the “returning” Avengers arrived to help balance the force. Among those, there is a notable case: Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange seemed to know that the Battle of Earth would occur right after the Time Heist but couldn’t divulge further outcomes for specific reasons.
At that moment, the only strategy the Avengers had was to keep the Gauntlet away from Thanos and pass it to Scott Lang’s time machine.
From that point on, they continuously passed the Infinity Gauntlet among themselves without a clear plan for its disposal.
The Detail Makes Doctor Strange Notice Tony Stark
The twist quickly emerged when Thanos destroyed Scott Lang’s time machine.
The Big Three—Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America—wrestled and struggled to prevent Thanos from taking the Infinity Gauntlet. The situation seemed hopeless and chaotic.
Amidst the chaos, Captain Marvel entered the fray. As the only one capable of hand-to-hand combat against Thanos, she engaged him directly.
During their intense battle, Thanos, unable to overpower her, removed the Power Stone from his gauntlet to use it against her.
Tony Stark witnessed Thanos detaching the Power Stone and realized that the stones could be removed from the Gauntlet.
This observation sparked the idea in Tony’s mind to swap the stones instead of trying to take the entire gauntlet.
Acknowledging Tony’s realization, Doctor Strange, who had foreseen this moment, signaled to Tony with a gesture, indicating that this was the path to victory. This crucial moment was pivotal in the battle’s outcome.
Thanos was taken by surprise, despite being the one who had detached the stone. He likely believed he could handle the power of the Infinity Stone with his bare hand, underestimating the significance of Tony’s action.
Therefore, it can be said that the real solution Tony Stark found was entirely incidental. Even though it happened quite late, it proved to be the most unexpected one for both sides.
Bonus: Does Nano-Tech Gauntlet Differ From Thanos’s Gauntlet?
It is evident that Thanos can handle the Infinity Stones with his bare hands, making it plausible for him to forcibly remove the Stones from the Gauntlet. But what about Tony?
First, it must be clarified that removing or detaching the Stones is nearly impossible for anyone but Thanos, unless you are strong enough to handle them with your bare hands.
In particular, with Thanos’s Uru Infinity Gauntlet, he seldom grabbed the Stones directly. Instead, he activated them individually through the gauntlet.
This could be due to the Uru material’s ability to absorb and redistribute energy, especially the magical properties of the Stones, which could make the stones stick tightly to the gauntlet.
In the scene where Thanos places the Mind Stone into his Gauntlet, the Gauntlet itself strongly pulls the Stone towards it, making it arguably very difficult to detach.
However, Stark’s nano-tech has a significant feature, as seen in his Mark 50 and Mark 85 Iron Man armors: the incorporation of nanoparticles for flexibility and adaptability.
The nanobots help users navigate the shape of weaponry and concentrate the density of the material, such as creating a shield in “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Because the Gauntlet is made using Stark’s nano-tech, when Tony grabbed Thanos’s arm, there was a small glitching sound—arguably when the nanoparticles activated to detach the Stones secretly while Tony distracted Thanos.
If we follow this argument, it could explain why Thanos didn’t expect Tony to detach the Infinity Stones and how Iron Man removed them so quickly without any overwhelming signal.
What do you guys think? Do the details above effectively showcase how smart and decisive Tony was? Share your thoughts!