How did Doctor Strange see the winning outcome in Avengers: Infinity War?

Question

In Doctor Strange we see that the Masters of the Mystic Arts can see into the past and the future, and we know that the Ancient One was able to see into the future as well, but only up to her death. She said herself that in all the possible futures she was never able to get past that point.

So if this is true for the Ancient One, then how did Doctor Strange figure out how Thanos was gonna die/everyone would stay alive in the end if he died before it happened? Does it have something to do with directly using the Time Stone?

Answer 1

There doesn't seem to be any contradiction with what we see Doctor Strange do and the quote by The Ancient One. This is the conversation in Doctor Strange:

The Ancient One: I've spent so many years peering through time, looking at this exact moment. But I can't see past it. I've prevented countless terrible futures and after each one there's always another, and they all lead here but never further.

Strange: You think this is where you die.

The Ancient One: You wonder what I see in your future?

Strange: No. Yes.

The Ancient One: I never saw your future, only its possibilities. You have such a capacity for goodness. You've always excelled, but not because you crave success but because of your fear of failure.

_{Doctor Strange}

The Ancient One is looking into her future and can't see past the point where she dies for her own future. However, she can see past the point in Doctor Strange's future and see his possible futures. This is in line with what we see him do in Avengers: Infinity War in that he looks into the possible futures for the whole team and how they win not necessarily his own future.

Doctor Strange: [panting] I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.

Peter Quill: How many did you see?

Doctor Strange: 14,000,605.

Tony Stark: How many did we win?

[Strange stares intently at Tony for a moment]

Strange: [pause] One.

_{Avengers: Infinity War}

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It's also worth noting that Strange uses the Time Stone to see into the future whereas it appears that The Ancient One doesn't use it and so this likely plays a part in it too.

Answer 2

It's not difficult at all. See, when Dr. Strange returned after Hulk had a conversation with Captain America that they have to return the Stones from where they brought those. Again Ant-Man suggested that the van had a way to the Quantum Realm. And assuming Hope, Hank and Janet were snapped before Doctor Strange and he had seen that, it's the same van in which Scott got trapped.

So being as smart as he is, I guess he can put easily two plus two together to figure out what the Avengers planned in that timeline. And how did he know about 5 years having passed? Not difficult at all, because once he was resurrected from the snap, he could easily see for one or two weeks ahead and surely he will find a hint that 5 years has been passed.

Even if he was only able to see the time duration when he was alive it's not difficult at all to figure out the strategy and course of actions of the Avengers.