Disney Plus & Marvel’s What if…? Series is back with another episode. This time focusing on Doctor. Strange. His character is proved crutial to the upcoming events of the next Marvel movies. So, it is not a surprise that Marvel is focusing on Doctor Strange for it’s latest episode.
As you recall, the episodes in the What if..? Series reimagine noteworthy events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What the viewer is left with is a multiverse of infinite possibilities and infinite stories to tell. Doctor. Strange fits this series as he is now apart of the multiverse and plays a critical role in maintaining the sacred timeline. Let’s explore what would happen if Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands.
Episode 4: What if Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?
- Dr. Christine Palmer (his heart) died in the car crash that was meant to injured Doctor Strange.
- Strange uses the timestone, Eye of Agamotto, to go back to save her. But, no matter what he tries, her fate is still the same. Her death is a fixed point in time. She must die.
- “Love can break more than your heart. It can shatter your mind.”
- Unable to accept her fate, Strange tries to acquire more power and learns to absorb othe beings. By doing this, he hopes to acquire greater power. The Sorcerer Supreme succeeds with the power of absorption.
5. The watcher, “He is on the wrong path. I could intervene but the fate of his universe is not worth the safety of all others”
6. However, he learns that he is only half of a man because The Ancient One split him into two. Because of that, there are now two Doctor Strange that co-exist in the same timeline.
7. The Ancicent One reminds Doctor Strange, the one who stayed that the other half of him that left to acquire more power is dangerous. And as a result, “Evil” Strange is destroying reality by attempting to save Christine.
8. So, he battles his other half in hopes to convince him to drop his quest to save Christine. But this Doctor strange is too far gone and defeats the former Doctor Strange and absorbs him.
9. Now, fully formed, he attempts to save Christine and is able to bring her back. But, by then the universe has become destroyed around him. And in order to change a fixed point, he began changing into a monster .
10. Christine is not happy to see him. Realising what he did, Doctor strange pleads with the watcher to change the course of events. Now, he wants to save the world he has destroyed.
11. The watcher reminds him that it’s too late and that he should not mettle with time.
12. Heartbroken, Strange could only watch as his reality collapsed around him and once again, he lost Christine.
Conclusion:
This episode is a cautionary tale regarding, time manipulation, power, and the multiverse. It is precurser to the events that will follow after the Loki series. Now that the multiverse is open and the sacred timeline not restored, reality is changing. Yet, here the watcher reminds us that even good intentions can become dangerous. That acceptance is usually the better option and that fate will always play out as it should in regards to absolute points.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man with the help of Doctor Strange attempt to alter time. But, if this story is right in its forewarning, mettling with time can only make things worse. And if Doctor Strange can destroy reality, he may be the only hope to keep it from collapsing all around him and restore the multiverse.
