Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a point where a lot of things are going on at the same time. We see some Universes thriving while others are being eradicated in front of our own eyes. After the events of today’s episode of What If…? we have realized that we are helpless in the demise of our favorite character. Episode 4 was about Dr. Strange and his addiction that he liked to call adoration. The episode was titled What If Dr. Strange lost his heart and not his Hands. One could have never predicted such a dark ending to the episode but that is exactly what we got. A Grimm reminder that not all things can end well when especially not when people ignore warnings and pursue their own desires over the well-being of everyone. The episode also highlighted why The Watcher cannot intervene in the affairs of the Multiverse.
Dr Steven Strange is a brilliant man, he has the intellect to rival the greatest minds in history. In fact, he has used his mind to rival the greatest in history. But today’s episode was a testament to his hubris and his delusions. It was a perfect example of what happens when someone brilliant stares into the void and the void wins. Steven loses his mind to the point that he ignores all the warning signs foretelling his own downfall. People come and tell him that the path he is on will be his own undoing, but he ignores the warnings. Even The Watcher contemplates that he should intervene but then decides against it.
The Planned Intervention
“He is on the wrong path, I can intervene, but the fate of his universe is not worth risking all the others, and anyway, I doubt that he’d listen”
The exasperation in The Watcher’s voice is unmissable. He has probably seen realities even worse than this and has now reached the point where he can no longer be bothered to try to change things. After all, we have to remember that The Watcher has tried to help Richards before in the main Marvel Multiverse and ended up convoluting things beyond repair. So he has been chastised and chewed out by his own creed and he no longer risks the fate of the multiverse to help save one Universe. This is quite concerning as it seems that he wants to desperately scream at Evil Strange to change his ways but the man seems already lost.
By the time The Watcher fixates his gaze on Steven Strange, he is already on the path of becoming Strange Supreme. The man is absorbing Mystical Beings at an alarming rate. This brings out the concern in The Watcher’s voice while he witnesses the atrocity. No one can stop the downfall once it has started, The Watcher knows this so he warns from a distance and does not directly intervene. However, Strange Supreme ignores everyone and everything in his pursuit of madness and ends up destroying everything he had ever held dear.
The impossibility
Strange Supreme pleads “ You…. You are a God, You can undo this, help me, punish me, just fix this”. The Watcher replies,” I cannot help you, if I could undo this and punish you instead, I would, but saving your universe is not worth sacrificing all the others”. This is a nod to the fact that Strange Supreme is powerful enough to perceive The Watcher and ask for his help but he cannot get The Watcher to help him. Simply because it is logically impossible for The Watcher to help him. Just like it is not advised to tamper with an absolute point in time, similarly, it is not ideal to mess with the fate of universes in the multiverse.
We had been warned from the start that messing with the flow of time can have disastrous consequences. Not only does the Universe start to unravel when a paradox is created but the Multiverse may follow suit if The Watcher chooses to intervene. It is quite strange to see such a thing pop up but we believe that the entire episode was a callback to Mordu and his statement, ” The bill always comes due.” We may see this play out in more detail in Multiverse of Madness. There is also the possibility of a confrontation between Strange Supreme and The Watcher. We cannot wait to find out. Do you think we are right or just shooting in the wind? Let us know in the comments below and keep watching this space for everything Marvel, DC, and Hollywood.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for more content.
