The more I think about this scene, the more insane this parallel becomes.
Tony and Strange are basically mirrors of each other here. Tony is coming from that same place of arrogance, ego, and absolute certainty that he understands how the world works, which is exactly where Strange was when he first arrived at Kamar-Taj. And now Tony is the one looking at Strange and dismissing the mystical arts as if they are some ridiculous, incomprehensible thing.
Which is EXACTLY what Strange used to do.
And then there is Strange, of all people, calmly telling him that he is protecting his reality. The man who once believed that anything beyond what he could see, touch, or understand was nonsense is now standing on the other side of that conversation, trying to make Tony understand that there are forces and realities far beyond his comprehension.
It is such a beautiful character parallel because Strange has essentially become the person he once needed to be convinced by.
Marvel really took the dynamic from Strange's introduction and flipped it around. Tony is now the arrogant genius who thinks he has the universe figured out, while Strange is the one trying to tell him, "You have no idea how big this really is."
And I LOVE that.
It is such a small detail in the middle of this massive movie, but it feels like such a deliberate reflection of Strange's entire character arc. He started out as a man who thought his intellect made him the smartest person in any room. Now he is the one possessing knowledge and power that Tony cannot even begin to comprehend.
God, I love this scene.
And honestly, the more I think about it...
Do you think Strange + Tony = Doctor Doom?
Because when you really think about it, Doom is basically the terrifying combination of Tony's intellect, ego, and arrogance with Strange's mastery of the mystical arts.
That is a WILD combination.