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They say (with certainty) that there was at time in 2012 when three infinity stones were definitely in New York.

But this is wrong.

Only two were there. They're simply making the assumption that the time stone is there because Dr Strange happened to live in New York. But for all we know, he didn't move to New York until 2013. For all we in know, he didn't receive the time stone until 2014. Etc etc...

Which is exactly what we discover in the film -- he didn't have it.

Thus, it becomes slightly convenient that Tilda Swinton just happens to be there... waiting at Dr Strange's apartment (before she ever met him) just as the Hulk shows up.

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Uhm. The Time Stone was with the Sorcerer Supreme, whomever that may be. And Swinton was at the New York Sanctum.

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Uhm... But they don't know any of that! None.

They just know about a magical wizard with a goatee.

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They know about the Mystics. What they didn't know was that back then Strange wasn't Sorcerer Supreme.

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Banner and Stark presumed Strange would be at the Sanctum on Bleecker St. in 2012.

He wasn't. They just got lucky.

Actually, they got ESPECIALLY lucky considering that, while the Sorcerer Supreme would have wanted to protect the Sanctum from the Chitauri, she might not have been wearing the Eye of Agamotto.

Still, it wasn't unbelievable luck. Besides, once the Ancient One understood the message from Strange, she'd have given over the time stone even if she'd had to back to Kamar-Taj to get it.

That's what made so critical that Strange surrender of the stone right in front of Tony who was telling him "NO."

Strange needed to do something that the Ancient One knew he'd NEVER do unless it was "the only way." And he needed it to be memorable enough for Banner to pass it along to the Ancient One in person.

Last point, though: this thread made me realize that, with all their planning, they should NOT have expected to get the time stone from Strange. They should've known, through easily accessible records, that Strange was still a surgeon at the time. Hell, they could probably have determined that he was in surgery at the exact moment they'd arrive.

Otherwise they're just piss-poor time travelers who could've learned a lot more from Doc Brown.

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