Doctor Strange and 14,000,605 Possible Futures: Why Only Molinists Can Use This Analogy

In 2018, I published a blog post titledAvengers: Infinity War & Possible Worlds, unpacking what I saw as a striking parallel between Doctor Strange’s use of the Time Stone and God’s omniscience through the lens of Molinism. A year later, in Avengers: Endgame, Middle Knowledge, & the Destruction of the Problem of Evil, I revisited that analogy and expanded it into a forceful theodicy: if Doctor Strange can heroically allow temporary suffering in order to bring about the ultimate good in a multiverse of possibilities, then perhaps God can too—perfectly and eternally so. Since then, many readers (and critics) have interacted with this pop-culture-based analogy. This issue came up during my debate with James White. Another divine determinist on YouTube tried to use this analogy to explain Calvinism. Most recently, I engaged in a friendly back-and-forth with an Open Theist named Michael who questioned whether Doctor Strange’s foresight qualifies as an example of middle knowledge. That conversation sparked this post—a follow-up to my earlier work and a clarification of the analogy’s real value. So here’s the central claim I want to defend:

Doctor Strange’s scan of 14,000,605 possible futures works

only

as a Molinist analogy. Neither Calvinism nor Open Theism can make proper use of it without breaking it.

Let’s break down why.

What Is Middle Knowledge?

Molinism affirms that God has three logical moments of knowledge:

1. Natural Knowledge – God knows all necessary truths and all possible worlds (everything that could happen).

2. Middle Knowledge – God knows all feasible worlds, which include what free creatures would do in any possible circumstance.

3. Free Knowledge – God knows the actual world—the world He has chosen to create (all that will happen).

Middle knowledge stands between natural and free knowledge. It includes

true counterfactuals of creaturely freedom

, known logically prior to God’s decree to actualize a world. This is precisely what Doctor Strange is doing in

Infinity War

and

Endgame

. He uses the Time Stone to access a massive array of

possible futures

and discerns which one leads to victory—without violating anyone’s freedom. Then he freely chooses to act in a way that helps bring about that one specific future. Sound familiar? It should. That’s middle knowledge in action.

Why Molinism Fits

When Strange says, "This is the only way," he’s not gambling. He’s not merely hoping that things work out. He’s saying that, of the 14,000,605 possible paths he evaluated, there is

one

in which the good guys win—a single

feasible world

where every free agent acts in a way that leads to ultimate victory. Strange doesn't

causally determine

 Iron Man to sacrifice himself. He doesn't override Peter Quill’s emotions or Ant-Man’s choices. He simply knows what each person

would

freely do under certain conditions, and he acts in light of his knowledge. This is what makes the Strange analogy such a helpful illustration of Molinism:

• It preserves libertarian freedom (no one's choices are forced upon them).

• It illustrates God’s sovereignty through the selection and actualization of a particular world.

• It provides a model for theodicy: the best feasible world might include temporary suffering to achieve eternal good.

Why Calvinism Collapses the Analogy

In Calvinism, God determines

everything

that happens—including the internal desires and choices of every creature (Strange did not use his powers to do this). Moreover, on this view, there is no need to "scan" multiple futures. There is only one future: the one God unilaterally causes. So if Doctor Strange were a Calvinist figure, the entire 14-million-future exercise would be pointless. The moment he uses the Time Stone, he would see

only one possible outcome

because all events would be fixed by his choice and decree. Thus, the Calvinist cannot use this analogy without turning Strange into a divine puppet-master rather than a sovereign guide who respects and allows freedom.

Why Open Theism Collapses the Analogy

On the flip side, Open Theism denies that God knows future free decisions because such decisions have not yet been made. For the Open Theist, God knows

what might happen

, but not

what would happen

in specific circumstances. In that case, Strange isn't seeing true outcomes at all—just probabilities. He can't say

"this is the only way"

with confidence. He'd be crossing his fingers and hoping the Avengers make the right choices. But that’s not what happens in the movie. Strange

knows

the path. He gives up the Time Stone. He tells Stark there’s only one way. And he lays down his life to make it happen. That’s not Open Theism. That’s informed action based on true counterfactuals. Again, that’s Molinism.

The Ancient One & Possible Futures

Michael appealed to the Ancient One’s inability to see past her own death as an argument against this analogy. But that distinction actually

strengthens

my case. The Ancient One represents natural knowledge: she sees many possibilities but doesn’t know which path will unfold. Strange, on the other hand, transcends this limitation (The Ancient One says that "Strange is meant to be the best of us"). He finds the one feasible path to victory and chooses to act accordingly. That contrast reflects the movement from mere natural knowledge to middle knowledge.

Why This Matters

No analogy is perfect. But when it comes to illustrating how God can be both sovereign and allow human freedom, this one hits closer to home than most. It helps laypeople understand the core intuitions of Molinism. And it provides a theodicy that resonates:

maybe suffering exists not because God lacks power or knowledge, but because this world—like the one Strange selects—is the best feasible world for achieving the greatest eternal good.

Calvinism collapses the freedom. Open Theism collapses the knowledge. Molinism preserves both. Stay reasonable (Isaiah 1:18), Dr. Tim Stratton