The fourth series to premiere on Disney+, Marvel's What If...? is the studio's first official foray into the animated Marvel universe. Based on the comic series of the same name, the show guides audiences through alternate realities of the MCU, where events play out differently from the established timeline fans have familiarized themselves with over the last decade.
One of the traits that What If...? is known for in the comics is how events always spiral out of control and lead to catastrophic endings. The animated version of this follows a similar trajectory, with most episodes—like Doctor Strange's—closing on a tragic cliffhanger. In his quest to become Strange Supreme, Doctor Strange absorbs several monsters to gain the powers that will ultimately enable him to "break" his reality.
13 Starting Small With A Garden Gnome
After getting thoroughly thrashed by the same tentacled creature that debuted in What If...?'s premiere episode, Doctor Strange acknowledges that he will have to take creatures' cosmic energy by force.
Being practical, Strange decides to start small, summoning a Garden Gnome as his first victim. While the gnome himself isn't anything out of the ordinary, he might be a reference to Asgard or a "pocket" dimension known as Otherworld.
12 Next Came The Giant Cockroach
While known for their uncanny ability to survive any catastrophe, cockroaches are usually met with disgust among humans. Strange is no different, initially claiming he draws the lines at bugs (although he'd go on to absorb some later on). Although Strange refuses to absorb this particular bug, he does borrow its cape indefinitely, which becomes Supreme's de facto Cloak of Levitation.
The insectoid itself bears a resemblance to Kyouhukou, a caped cockroach from the anime Overlord.
11 Quoth the...Six-Eyed Raven? "Nevermore"
Next on the Sorcerer Supreme's list is a six-eyed blackbird shrouded in blue fire, which he's happy to absorb (unlike the cockroach). While its fieriness does share a resemblance to the Phoenix Force—the same one Jean Grey absorbs in X-men—it's more likely that the bird is Edgar Allan Poe's "Raven" from Marvel's Ideaverse.
Another pocket dimension where all the literary inspirations for Marvel superheroes and villains live together.
10 Things Heat Up With Scaly Red Serpents
After getting his first taste of dark power from the dark-feathered bird, Strange decides to heat things up by taking on his first dragon. This flaming, red chomper is rather similar to another serpentine creature Strange absorbs later on, which looks a lot like the denizen of Muspelheim that tried to snack on everyone's favorite God of Thunder.
Between the two, however, the first winged reptile seems to be more reminiscent of Shou-Lao the Undying, an immortal creature that charges individuals who defeat it with the power of the Iron Fist. Unfortunately, this doesn't guarantee the martial artist will make a return to the MCU though, especially given the recent success of Shang-Chi.
9 Quickly Followed By A Ram With Two Heads
Why is a two-headed ram so significant? Well, it's because the creature is likely a symbol of the chief Egyptian god, Amon-Ra. Sometimes spelled Amen-Ra or Amun-Ra, the sun god is perceived as the creator of the universe. In Marvel's fictionalized continuity, the ram might be the supreme deity's equivalent—Atum, the protector of Heliopolis.
Regardless of its origins, however, the creature inevitably becomes another casualty in Supreme's quest for power.
8 Incorporeal Floating Skulls Never Lead Anywhere Good
Incorporeal, floating skulls can symbolize a lot of things. Fortunately, the antlers cut down the list of possible contenders the creature might be an allusion to. Long-time comic book fans are suggesting that this might be Suma-Ket of the Unforgiven Dead, an antagonist of the antihero Namor the Sub-Mariner.
Is this allusion supposed to be a hint of Namor's involvement in the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? Only time will tell.
7 Neither Do Giant Bats
Of course, the giant bat isn't a reference to Batman—after all, there are few rivalries greater than DC and Marvel's. However, Marvel has a couple bat-like creatures of its own. Batwing a.k.a. James "Jimmy" Satini is an enemy of Spider-Man, first appearing in Untold Tales of Spider-Man.
However, the creature might also be Batragon, a giant kaiju that fought Godzilla, the King of Monsters himself, back when Marvel had a license to write Godzilla comics.
6 It's Unwise To Underestimate The Moose
After making friendly with his new bat friend, Supreme senses the Watcher's presence as the seemingly omnipotent being muses about intervention. Refusing to warn the sorcerer, Strange returns to his vampiric practices, this time tackling a moose.
Among the creatures Strange has absorbed, the moose is a more apparent reference, this time alluding to Oranah the Stag God, a spirit from Marvel's The Savage Sword of Conan comics.
5 Is This Dragon A Servant Of Surtur?
There are only so many spirits one can absorb before they all start looking the same. That seems to be the case with the next creature on Strange's list. Fans' most common conjecture is that this draconic being is from Muspelheim, one of the nine Norse realms and the volcanic hellscape Thor visits at the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok to take down the fire demon Surtur.
However, it's equally likely that this is supposed to be the allusion to Shou-Lao, as opposed to the red dragon that appeared earlier on. While similar to its reptilian brethren, this creature seems to sport a distinguishing dark mane.
4 Not The White Wolf You're Thinking Of
On the surface level, one might joke the wolf symbolizes Bucky Barnes, who has been given the nickname of "White Wolf" by the Wakandans. The more likely culprit for this reference is likely Ōkami Amaterasu, a fictional character from Capcom's 2006 video game Ōkami.
What ties Ōkami in with Marvel is her appearance in crossover titles like Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
3 The Snake Slithers In Next
Disney owns Marvel. It's not a stretch to make an Aladdin pun, especially given how colorful the snake Strange absorbs is. Also, Supreme isn't too different from Jafar in this universe—they're both magic users abusing power to achieve their own selfish desires.
The snake itself could represent several creatures—Fu-Hsi or Sligguth from Marvel Premiere, Set from Conan the Barbarian, or even Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent.
2 Time To Draw From The Dark Dimension
As Strange Supreme becomes more practiced in the art of absorbing mythical creatures for their cosmic energy, he begins to become more ambitious in his endeavors, summoning a cascade of entities, some of which appear to be demons from the Dark Dimension.
It's a nice callback to Dormammu's defeat in 2016's Doctor Strange, and might also be a sneaky nod to Marvel's Lovecraftian Old Gods like Shuma-Gorath and Chthon.
1 (Re)Showdown With The Mythical Hydra
At long last, Doctor Strange re-summons the creature who smothered him at the beginning of his tumultuous endeavor: the mythical hydra. While it's never confirmed that this is the same beast Captain Carter clashes with in What If...?'s inaugural episode, it's heavily implied to be the same one, especially given that Strange is in the distant past nor winds up killing it.
If the monster isn't Red Skull's mythical hydra though, it might instead be the eldritch god Shuma-Gorath, who is rumored to be the main villain of Doctor Strange's upcoming sequel.