Not gonna lie, Doctor Strange was one of my least favorite movies. I just can’t bring myself to sympathize with his egotistical and arrogant personality. But, I did like him in Infinity War and I’m really excited for Multiverse of Madness!

This review contains spoilers so please tread lightly or watch the show first.

What If…? Episode Four: What If Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

Quick Recap 📝

After a successful surgery, Stephen Strange goes to a party with Dr. Christine Palmer, but they get into an accident resulting in Christine’s death. He journeys to Kamar-Taj and learns the Mystic Arts to cope up with his grief. Strange learns that the Eye of Agamotto can manipulate time, but is warned by The Ancient One not to mess with it as it can destroy the fabric of reality.

Doctor Strange uses the Eye to return to the night before Christine’s death but still fails to save her. The Ancient One explains that Christine’s death is an absolute point in time and preventing her death means Doctor Strange will not become a Sorcerer and can result in a paradox that can destroy the universe. Strange refuses to listen and escapes to the Lost Library of Cagliostro, where he meets O’Bengh.

Strange learns that he can save Christine by absorbing the energy of different magical beings. After spending centuries of absorbing creatures, a dying O’Bengh tells him that he cannot save Christine because he’s only half of himself. It was then revealed that The Ancient One managed to split Doctor Strange into two versions: the evil Strange Supreme, and a good Doctor Strange who accepted Christine’s death.

The Ancient One believes that the Good Doctor Strange can defeat Strange Supreme. But in a fight, Strange Supreme absorbs Good Doctor Strange. He uses his powers to save Christine, but she was disgusted by Strange Supreme’s appearance. As the paradox begins to destroy their universe, he begs The Watcher for help but the latter refuses, resulting in the destruction of their timeline.

Episode Thoughts 🧠

Holy moly was this episode dark!

First of all, I appreciate that most of the original cast members returned to lend their voices to their animated versions. I totally didn’t expect Rachel McAdams returning but hey, here we are.

doctor strange and doctor strange supreme
(L-R): Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange Supreme ©Marvel Studios What If 2021

This was the first episode where we see The Watcher directly interact with a character and it being Strange definitely makes sense. I really love how this episode sets up Multiverse of Madness in terms of the repercussions of messing up with different realities and timelines. What better way of conveying the consequences than the destruction of one universe itself right?

Related: Loki | Episode Five and Six (Finale) Review

Much like the live-action movie, the visuals in this episode were truly stunning! Although for me, what really sets this episode on top of the others was the emotional tone. Strange having to deal with his grief and the conclusion of his story was really bleak. He lost himself trying to find the love of his life. I definitely sympathized with this Strange better than the one in the movies and seeing him in his demise was striking.

I wonder if we’ll see another universe get destroyed in other episodes.

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Are you watching What If? What alternate storyline would you want to see?

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