The story begins with the multiverse superheroes entering the Central Universe. Among all the superheroes, the earliest to arrive was Doctor Strange, and they were also the most numerous.
It's not that they were so enthusiastic, but rather that they had no choice but to come. Compared to other heroes of The Avengers, Doctor Strange is the most accessible to the multiverse. Even before Battleworld opened and all other superheroes were trapped in their individual universes, many Doctors Strange had already observed the existence of other universes and conducted inter-universal travel.
This is determined by the nature of magic, as the way magic observes the world is closer to the essence of the cosmos. Therefore, when they master this ability, it is easier for them to discover the existence of cosmic barriers, and then through research, break through these barriers to explore the secrets beyond the universe.
In this situation, many Doctors Strange had long considered the issue of the multiverse. They knew that communication between multiverses was inevitable, and all individual universes were destined to form a society to interact in a more stable manner. Sure enough, Battleworld appeared.
Wherever there are people, there is conflict, and a society formed between universes will inevitably be full of deception and turmoil, just like the international community. In this situation, every Doctor Strange wants to influence the situation and give his universe an advantage.
So they came here not just to fight, but because they believed that their vote was important and it had to be cast for the right person so that the multiversal society could have a future.
And when they arrived at the Central Universe, the first thing they did was not prepare for war, but hold a meeting.
They decided to use this meeting to select a leader who would lead the other Doctors Strange into this war.
Of course, this process wasn't smooth, because most Doctors Strange wanted to be the boss themselves and didn't want to take orders from others. Almost everyone voted for themselves, making it impossible to elect a leader.
After discovering this, they began personal speeches, trying every means to gather votes and persuade others to choose them. When they found that this didn't work either, they started using threats to form factions, and it even almost escalated to a full-scale brawl.
Technically, the Supreme Magician should decide by fighting, but Strange certainly couldn't let so many Doctors Strange start fighting here. How can you punch yourself before the war begins, making a laughing stock for the other side?
There's competition among different superheroes too; no one wants to be the one dragging others down. If the other superheroes and their coordinates perform well and cooperate smoothly, wouldn't this group of Doctors Strange be a big disgrace?
So Strange didn't participate in the election at all. He spent the entire time trying to mediate, hoping they would stop this pointless bickering, but in fact, it was of no use.
Still, that being said, Stephen Strange is a very stubborn person; otherwise, he wouldn't have caused the universe to collapse by repeatedly traveling through timelines just to revive his girlfriend. Even those who didn't save their girlfriends at least participated in the exorcising action. In many matters, he doesn't listen to others' advice. He has his own logic, and once decided, he absolutely won't change, no matter what.
In team cooperation with The Avengers, although this personality isn't great, it's not fatal either. Anyway, there are only a few things he's obsessed with; just go along with him. If the ability is strong enough, an obsessive personality can be tolerated, as there are quite a few very tolerant people within The Avengers.
However, it's not the same when all the coordinates gather together. You're stubborn, and so am I, a group of obstinate characters huddling together, facing the same issue with the same opinion and not yielding an inch, stalemating the situation.
No one wants to be the one to take a step back, and even if one person does step back, it wouldn't help; everyone has to give a step. Clearly, there aren't enough reasonable Doctors Strange in the multiverse, so they are here butting heads, passively resisting work.
However, this standstill, which benefits no one, fills everyone with anger. Everyone is complaining about why others can't step back, like a slowly leaking gas that will explode at the slightest spark.
And Asgard's forward base was that spark.
In most universes, Earth's relationship with Asgard is not good. Even before Ragnarök descended, Loki frequently invaded Earth, sometimes stealing something, sometimes causing trouble. Even though Thunder God Thor stands on Earth's side, it's quite annoying.
Moreover, many universes view Asgard calling Earth a barren land, and many Aesir look down on humans with their noses in the air, almost never leaving a good impression on Doctor Strange.
Abandoning the outpost humans originally built to go to Asgard's base is something they can't understand at all. And when they learned that the person in charge of Asgard's base was actually Loki, they exploded on the spot.
Good grief, letting the God of Mischief manage the base, are you crazy or am I crazy?
Loki from other universes often acts as a turncoat, leading the Chitauri, Dark Elves, and Thanos. In the comics, he takes the Hulk to fight Thor, then persuades Norman Osborn to target his brother, calling him a black sheep. Even a horse wouldn't want to hear such nonsense. And now you want him to manage the most crucial frontline base in the war? How is this different from outright surrender? Isn't this making a mockery of others' efforts?
The Doctor Stranges, already annoyed by internal conflicts, collectively erupted and started blaming Strange.
"I dare say this is the stupidest decision you've ever made, no exception!" The Prime Universe Doctor Strange was the leading voice, saying, "No matter what enchantment this universe's Loki cast on you, involving him in the war in such a crucial position is a huge mistake! Everyone else's efforts will be ruined by you!"
"Don't I know what kind of person Loki is?" another Doctor Strange immediately chimed in, "He's an evil, cunning scoundrel! He'll do anything evil you can imagine, even selling out the world's interests. He might surrender to Batman, or even lead the base straight into a trap!"
"Exactly! He would absolutely do that!"
"That's right. If he can treat his own brother so cruelly, what good can you expect from this madman?!"
"He's a born bastard! Odin didn't choose him for a reason; he has no sense of duty and is inherently evil. Do you really want someone like him to lead humanity to victory in the war? Are you out of your mind?!"
"Enough!" Strange took a deep breath and said, "You say the Loki of your universe is inherently evil and irresponsible, but since the war started, what have you done? This is no longer the preparation phase, it's a real fight now. The front line has already gone through two rounds of conflict, and you're here arguing. Do you have any sense of responsibility?"
"We were prepared to join the fight when it started, but you suddenly told us to go to Asgard's frontline base, and the one in charge is Prince Loki, so we didn't go. Don't try to shift the blame onto us!" the Prime Universe Doctor Strange said, "There's no way we can work with those Asgardians who only know how to charge in recklessly. They'll only mess things up. Then, the God Clan will cause chaos at the front, and Loki will betray us in the rear. How can we fight like that?!"
He stepped forward, glaring at Strange and said, "You should understand what this war means to me. Humans and the God Clan are ultimately different, incapable of mutual understanding, and just end up hindering each other in cooperation. This mode of operation simply doesn't work. Even if Thor manages the base, the outcome won't be good. If they act as a surprise force against the God Clan, that might work, but we can't be under their command, it will ruin everything."
Strange had many things he wanted to explain, like using the Asgardian base managed by Loki for logistics doesn't mean handing over command to Asgard; or that the Loki and Thor of their universe are different from those of other universes; or that the humans and Asgardians have previously cooperated seamlessly with no issues of mutual hindrance.
But he explained nothing in the end because he understood himself. Even though he had never experienced hardship living in the Central Universe and had achieved everything he wanted, there hadn't been much change in the stubbornness rooted in his personality. Thus, he couldn't demand that the Doctor Stranges from other universes change their minds instantly.
Ultimately, every person's personality is tied together by the straws they can clutch at during countless dangerous moments. Even the seemingly negative parts of their personality have saved them at some point or another, perhaps many times. If not long-term conditioned, these traits wouldn't have been preserved.
When someone develops habitual thinking, blaming them for being obstinate is meaningless. From a psychological perspective, understanding the conditions and environment that give rise to habits is most important; if you don't understand, there's no way to break them down.
Forced methods are useless because if you're trying to change traits they once depended on for survival with force, any resistance they offer would be akin to actions of self-preservation. Supported by their survival instincts, such behavioral patterns won't change and will only escalate, worsening the situation.
Strange understood more than anyone why the others were so extremely sharp and distrustful. At this time, beating them up would only worsen the fracture of the group, not to mention the impact it would have on the frontline battlefield.
Although Strange had acquired this common sense through years of psychological assessment activities, he was, after all, just a surgeon and completely clueless about how to solve the problem.
So, Strange had no choice but to call Shiller. Shiller had just finished resting, and after taking on two more jobs, was preparing to shuttle back and forth between the Triangulum Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy.
He really liked this job; it was like delivering packages, providing timely positive feedback, and since he had changed his appearance, most people no longer looked at him like they'd seen a ghost. They were even polite, greeting him, making work enjoyable and relaxing.
When he received Strange's call, Shiller was near Sky Island, the capital of Andromeda, picking up cargo boxes that had been knocked over earlier by Polaris when moving items. He needed to locate and organize all the boxes, then deliver them to the base in the Triangulum Galaxy.
"So they're really not willing to go to the base?" Shiller asked while counting the boxes, "Where are you now? At the original human outpost?... Not far from there? Then just stay put, wait there."
Shiller switched the communicator to another hand and said, "There's an old saying in China: 'One learns by doing things once.' Have them experience Batman's prowess; it'll naturally turn out fine."