correct me if i’m wrong, but doctor strange doesn’t have the power to see the future, or even potential versions of it. this isn’t established by the mcu at all, and as far as i can tell, doesn’t have a basis in the comics. but you know what power doctor strange does have? the power to reset time in an infinite loop. 

doctor strange doesn’t look at every possible future and see that there’s only one way to beat thanos. doctor strange makes a time loop and lives through 14,000,605 different versions of time. the thing about the time stone, however, is that without it, strange can’t have a time loop, and therefore he can’t have ever lived through a time where he gives up the time stone. 

doctor strange lives through every single possible way the war could go without giving up the time stone. the only option left, the only thing strange hasn’t tried, is giving up the time stone. strange doesn’t know that this will work. he just knows its the only chance.

this explains why doctor strange changes so drastically in the movie. this explains why he gives up the time stone even though he said he would let tony and peter die first, this explains why he starts calling tony by his first name. this explains why he doesn’t just shoot peter quill so he won’t ruin their chances of taking the gauntlet. the only option is for thanos to get the stone.

doctor strange’s last words aren’t that this was the only way. his last words are “there was no other way.” he doesn’t know this will work. he just knows nothing else will.

I was thinking about this theory, and it reminded me of the Ancient One’s death scene in “Doctor Strange.”

45 seconds into the video, the Ancient One says that she has the power to see the future/potential versions of it. Seeing as Doctor Strange had the time stone up until he gave it to Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity war,” I think it’s safe to assume that he could, too.