“Precisely,” Strange says, firm; and it’s oddly nicer to be agreeing with Orlov on these topics rather than his demonic doppelganger.

And he could probably leave it be, let sleeping dogs lie, but— now that the door’s open for once, there’s an opportunity to ask. And Stephen Strange has been accused of being many things, but incurious isn’t one of them. So he pauses for only a moment, before ripping off the band-aid:

“What got you to make that choice, the first time? To leave the Order.”