The latest trailer for this week's episode of What If...? lays out the story's central question and sets up a darker take on Doctor Strange.Marvel Studios released the new teaser on Twitter, which asks, "What if Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?" As was previously teased, and is seen playing out in the trailer, Stephen Strange will turn to magic after Christine Palmer dies in the car accident that damaged the future hero's hands in the main MCU. In an effort to go back in time and change things, Strange seeks more and darker power, resulting in a more sinister sorcerer. Check out the trailer below.
In the opening of the trailer, as Jeffrey Wright's The Watcher introduces the episode's concept, a TVA screen can be seen detailing the events of Strange's car accident and changing "LOST THE USE OF HIS HANDS" to "LOST THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE." Strange is then seen training in the Mystic Arts and using the Time Stone before admitting that he needs more power to undo what was done. We then see him in what looks like Hell, teasing a nefarious source for his new power like Mephisto, or could be the Dark Dimension, indicating Strange will turn to Dormammu like Kaecelius and the Ancient One do in the live-action film.
Yesterday, Marvel released the poster for the episode and teased Doctor Strange Supreme, the darker version of the hero who appears to be a full-blown villain. During a scene in a previous trailer, the seemingly evil Strange fights another version of himself who looks more like his movie counterpart.
The creatives behind the show have said this episode touches on some deeply emotional elements and is the most "human" story of the season. Head writer A.C. Bradley even called it her favorite episode, saying the intense themes made her nervous when writing the episode.
"I was quite scared because it features some very heavy themes," Bradley said. "I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that it deals with flaws and tragedy. Once I sat down and started working on it, it was actually a very rewarding experience because we got to play around with why does loss hurt so much and because it all comes down to love. Only the things we love can hurt us."
The Doctor Strange episode of What If...? arrives Wednesday on Disney+.
Source: Twitter