What If? Episode 4 is now available on Disney Plus, providing Marvel fans with yet another look at what could have happened to the MCU if the movies went down a different path. This time around the episode focuses on Dr. Strange, the Sorceror Supreme. Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role for the voice-over which makes for a strong start, but how does it progress? Is What If? Episode 4 worth watching? This is the GameRevolution review. Warning: spoilers below!
What If? Episode 4 Review: “Dr. Strange’s tragic Groundhog Day”
What If? Episode 4 is a tragic love story that sees Dr. Strange lose his heart instead of his hands. It’s a compelling lesson in what could have happened if the Sorcerer Supreme used his powers for selfish gain and is a must-watch for any Marvel fan.
In the Dr. Strange movie, the character loses his hands and can no longer perform as a traditional doctor. This sends him down a path of learning the mystic arts and ultimately becoming the Sorceror Supreme. In What If? Episode 4, we see the doctor follow a similar path, however it is inspired by the death of his love, Christine Palmer.
In this universe, Dr. Strange can’t get over losing Christine and becomes determined to bring her back from the dead. However, try as he might with his newly-acquired Time Stone, her death is an Absolute Point. She simply must die and this is emphasized by a brutal montage of “final destination” death scenarios.
Determined to do the “nigh impossible,” Strange refuses to listen to the warnings of the Ancient One, hunting for a way to alter the Absolute Point of Christine’s death. This leads him down a dark path, where he absorbs the powers of countless mystical creatures. He does this for centuries, steadily growing in power.
It turns out that the evil Dr. Strange is not the only Dr. Strange in this universe. In her final encounter with the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One split Strange into two different versions of himself. She did this to not only limit his power but to also ensure that a good version remained to fight the evil version when the time came.
Both versions of Dr. Strange fight and, surprisingly, the evil version wins. He is able to reverse the Absolute Point and rescue Christine, but it comes at the cost of the universe’s stability. Strange finds himself trapped, trying in vain to prevent the universe from collapsing around him.
What If? Episode 4 is the best yet, providing a compelling alternate Dr. Strange origin story that goes down a very dark path. Though he is evil or “misguided,” Strange’s motivation by lost love is a tragedy that the audience can empathize with. The twist ending is the cherry on top of a must-watch episode that Marvel fans will no doubt enjoy.
What If? Episode 4 ending explained
At the end of What If? Episode 4, evil Dr. Strange beats good Dr. Strange. The evil version absorbs the good variant and brings Christine back from the dead. However, her revival comes at the cost of the universe collapsing in on itself.
With the Absolute Point of Christine’s death having been altered, the universe is no longer stable. As the world crashing down around Dr. Strange and the newly-revived Christine, the Watcher chooses to interact with Strange, saying: “Meddling with time and events only leads to more destruction.” The Watcher then leaves Strange to his fate.
It’s a sad ending that deviates away from the MCU’s Dr. Strange origin story.
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