Thread:BEJT/@comment-32744140-20191201104858/@comment-26838855-20191201134900

I wrote this blog to just start from scratch and assess every single piece of evidence, dissect it all, address the problems, what is most plausible, what is most supported. I've found the last 7 months of this discussion so stressful and frustrating on the wiki, it's been a really rubbish experience, so I had to write it all up to make sure I reached sensible and fully-assessed conclusions, and just have something to refer people to.

And came to the conclusion that yes, the writers are correct. I mean, it makes sense, the film presents it the way it was written by definition.

The problem of time being changed before the stones are removed is the only problem of any significance with the writers' explanation (which I don't even like calling the writers' explanation, it should just be called "what the film says"). And I agree with you, it's a problem.

However, the other explanations are way, way more problematic, as is explored in the blog above.

A potential solution to this single writer problem can be found in this section. It involves assumption, sure, but any explanation involves some assumption unfortunately - and this is easily the Occam's razor path of least assumption. And it makes sense.

That assumption about how to return the stones without splitting the timeline again is a big one. Firstly, someone arguing this is taking the point of view that Smart Hulk is talking about how time travel creates alternate timelines in his scene (which he isn't necessarily). In which case, you are accepting that "time travel always creates alternate timelines". Secondly, very little time passes before Nebula brings Thanos to 2023 (why would she wait, giving more chance to get caught?). Thirdly though, Bruce specifically promises the Ancient One there and then that they will be able to return the stones once they're done and undo any damage. He cannot promise that if they don't have that ability. It would just be very fortunate if then they managed to find a way to do that after the fact.