What If...? (2021) s01e04 Episode Script
What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?
1
Time.
Space.
Reality.
It's more than a linear path.
It's a prism of endless possibility.
Where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.
I am the Watcher.
I am your guide through these vast new realities.
Follow me and ponder the question "What if?" We have watched how one moment, one choice, can ripple across space and time, giving birth to new stories, heroes, whole universes.
But what if it's the wrong choice? What if the best of intentions has very strange consequences? Evening, handsome.
This? I just pulled it out of the dryer.
Whereas you, stunning.
I'm only going for dessert.
You promised me crème brûlée.
I suspect we can do a little better than that.
Hmm Just let me hear it.
Come on, I know you prepared something.
You wouldn't just wing it.
It's just me.
Okay.
Uh "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, fellow doctors" No.
No.
Stop.
I'm already asleep.
Come on, cut the preamble.
Just get straight to the heart of it.
But all I said was, "Good evening.
" I think you should just rush the podium like a contestant on The Price is Right.
Screaming and high-fiving, and cheering, and something crazy.
Price is what? - We need to celebrate this.
- We are.
You performed a radical hemispherectomy.
- Successfully.
- Well, that was the plan.
Yeah, well, I would call that quite remarkable.
Well, I would say the same about you.
Stephen! We're okay.
You're okay.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no.
Christine.
Come on! Christine! In this universe, Stephen Strange didn't lose his hands but his heart.
Grief-stricken, Strange sought answers across the world and in the mystic arts.
"The Eye of Agamotto, cradle of the temporal singularity discovered by Cagliostro, manipulation and alteration of timelines.
" - Time travel.
- What are you doing? Tinkering with time can weaken the very fabric of the universe.
We protect reality.
We don't threaten it.
And when the threat came and The Ancient One was lost, Stephen Strange stood tall.
The man of science became the Sorcerer Supreme.
Dormammu, I've come to bargain.
Yet despite all he'd gained, Stephen Strange could not let go of the past.
Sorry, but this is now my favorite T-shirt.
Then I'm gonna have to take it back.
Hmm, I'd like to see you try.
Oh! I see we switched to the cheap stuff.
How long has it been? Two years, tonight.
What are you doing up? Ah, needed the little sorcerer's room.
What are you doing? Hmm Well, I'm going to start the kettle.
I suggest you join me before you do something reckless.
Evening, handsome.
Uh Something wrong? I, uh, I think I might have just had a mild cardiac event.
A heart attack, Doctor? Well, buck up, Strange.
You promised me crème brûlée.
Say the word, Christine, and I will give you the world.
Oh, let me hear it.
Come on, I know you prepared an acceptance speech for tonight.
I haven't.
I'm gonna wing it.
I'm gonna run up to the podium like a game show contestant.
Cheers and screams, high-fives.
Seriously? Are you teasing me? Okay.
No, you said it.
You have to do it now.
Only if you're by my side.
Wait a sec.
Have you ever even seen a game show? No, but there's a first time for everything.
- What? - I don't know.
You're being delightful.
I must owe someone a muffin basket for this personality shift.
Maybe Maybe you make me happy.
Well, this is shaping up to be a night to remember.
No, no, no! Not again.
No! Christine! Evening, handsome.
Your chariot awaits.
Oh, we missed our turn.
Isn't the bridge that way? Taking a different route.
It's okay.
We'll be fine.
Stephen! You're getting an award.
This whole party is for you.
Let's stay in.
We'll order pizza and crème brûlée.
Oh, no.
I am not getting grease on this dress, okay? We'll go, we'll dance.
I promise you, we will have a good time.
No.
Oh, pizza.
You're a genius.
We're hearing reports of numerous casualties, including the death of one Dr.
Christine Palmer.
Palmer, an emergency and trauma specialist Stephen.
Something wrong? Why does this keep happening? Aren't we allowed to be happy? Maybe I should drive.
Yeah? Hey, are you okay? Do you wanna talk? Maybe put on some music? I only want you.
You're the only thing that matters.
No! Good evening, Dr.
Strange.
Are you having car trouble? Why are you here? To help you.
This is where it starts for you.
With the death of Dr.
Christine Palmer.
So overwhelmed by loss, you will seek answers in the mystic arts.
In me.
Help me bring her back.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
No one can.
Her death is an Absolute Point in time.
Absolute? Unchangeable.
Unmovable.
Without her death, you would never have defeated Dormammu and become the Sorcerer Supreme, and the guardian of the Eye of Agamotto.
If you erase her death, you never start your journey.
I'm creating a paradox.
You're risking the universe.
You cannot reverse an Absolute Point.
Nothing is impossible.
You taught me that.
I only require more power.
The greatest sorcerers of the past could not reverse an Absolute Point.
You don't know that.
Books have been lost.
Libraries destroyed.
Stop torturing yourself, Stephen.
There is no hope here.
Christine is gone.
You cannot save her.
No.
Stephen, this path only leads to darkness and the end of this reality.
Please do not do this, or I will be forced to stop you.
You'd have to find me first.
Whew.
Uh, excuse me.
Hello, excuse me.
I'm looking for the Lost Library of Cagliostro.
Library? Hello? You know, books? Reading? Knowledge? Hey.
Hey! I'm talking here.
Where are you going? Hmm, no door.
Clever.
Hello? Anyone home? Hmm, quite the welcome.
You have to be the strangest-dressed sorcerer I've ever seen.
Uh Yeah, it's Armani.
I've come here for Sorcerer Cagliostro.
According to legend, he knew how to break an Absolute Point in time.
Where can I find Cagliostro? Well, maybe here, maybe there.
Maybe nowhere.
Wonderful.
You're cryptic.
Please tell me you're not Cagliostro.
The name's O'Bengh, librarian for the books of Cagliostro.
Come, this way, Sorcerer Armani.
No, it's Strange.
Not any stranger than any other name in this world.
The lost books.
How long will you be staying here? As long as it takes.
Okay.
Transmutation, telekinesis, teleportation.
Interesting.
Time manipulation.
Bingo.
"The power required to break an Absolute Point in time is immense, and nigh impossible to obtain.
" Yeah, no doy.
A-ha! "Gain the power through the absorption of other beings.
" Absorption? Here we go.
Whoa! Uh My name is Dr.
Stephen Strange.
I brought you here because I need to borrow your powers.
Do you mind sharing a tentacle or two? Please? No! What happened? Mystic beings do not bargain.
Their powers are not meant for man.
The Library isn't enough.
Those beings have what I need.
Is she worth the pain? A man does not suffer like this for his own glory.
Every moment of it.
There is a fine line between devotion and delusion.
Love can break more than your heart.
It can shatter your mind.
Uh-huh.
And in which book did you read that? No book, Armani.
Life taught me.
Mmm, maybe O'Bengh's right.
If they won't surrender their power, I'll take it.
Let's start small.
All right, what's next? Nice cape.
But I draw the line at bugs.
More.
He's on the wrong path.
I could warn him, intervene, but the fate of his universe is not worth risking the safety of all others.
Besides, I doubt he'd listen.
Hello? Who's that? Time to meet an old friend.
Hello again and goodbye.
O'Bengh, what happened to you? Time, Sorcerer Armani.
Put that away.
You used magic to remain frozen for centuries.
I chose to live.
But I can reverse this.
You will live longer, forever.
Hush! Even in our world death is part of the plan.
I can't accept that.
I know, I know.
But maybe the other Strange will.
Other? Can't you see? You are only half a man, living half a life.
It was true.
He wasn't alone.
He wasn't even the only Dr.
Strange in this universe.
Well, I'm going to start the kettle.
I suggest you join me before you do something reckless.
Um, you're right.
Enough living in the past for one evening.
What was in that whiskey? - Hello, Stephen.
- No Wait a minute.
You're Dead? Yes! So, this must be A psychic impression sent through a splinter in reality? - Mmm! - Uh Yes.
Just think of me as an echo.
Huh.
Well, I was gonna say that this must be the end of the world.
That, too.
You always were a perceptive one.
But I fear we don't have much time.
Then who's causing this? Well, you are.
How? When Dr.
Strange, you, used The Eye and vanished into the past, I couldn't follow.
I drew upon the power of the Dark Dimension to split the timeline, to split you.
I'm looking for the Lost Library of Cagliostro.
Enough living in the past for one evening.
Allowing for two of your possible timelines to occur in one universe.
Two timelines? I doubt that's the simplest or smartest thing to do.
Exceedingly dangerous, actually.
And now I have an evil twin? More like misguided.
If the other Strange succeeds in reversing an Absolute Point in our universe You mean saving Christine.
You cannot save her, Stephen.
The resulting temporal paradox will destroy this universe.
Our time is running out.
I fear the only sorcerer strong enough to stop Dr.
Strange is you, Dr.
Strange.
Okay.
Wait.
So the fabric of reality is breaking, and only you can stop it because you are causing it.
Let's be honest, we've been through weirder.
But do you want to stop him? Weren't you in love with this Christine? I I think I have to.
At the very least, to save you.
Mmm.
The Guardian Vishanti heavy-duty protection spell.
Knowing me, I'll need it.
How would you find him? He's found me.
- Oh, that's not great.
- Nope, it's not.
Good luck! Hello? Hello? Where am I? The question is, when are you? Do not be frightened, old friend, for we are one and the same.
What happened to you? I needed you alone.
No need for Wong or The Ancient One.
They wouldn't understand.
They never knew her.
We knew her.
We loved her.
You can't bring her back.
The world out there is breaking.
Don't you dare lie to me.
I am you! How many nights did we sit in the Sanctum Sanctorum, Time Stone in the palm of our hand, knowing we could go back, gathering the courage? Well, I had the courage.
I spent centuries, sacrificed everything for Christine.
And now can you save her? No, Stephen.
We can.
Our powers are diluted, split between us.
But once we become whole again, we can save her.
We can't.
You don't believe it's possible.
But you will see.
The Ancient One warned us.
If we save Christine, we destroy the world.
I told you, she doesn't understand.
We love Christine.
This isn't love.
Look at this.
This is arrogance.
This is our need to fix everything.
It's what drove us to study the mystic arts in the first place.
And look where we are.
Deranged.
I will be whole again.
No.
Your marbles are long gone.
The world, however, still stands a chance.
You can't save her.
She's dead.
You need to let go.
I've gone too far to turn back now.
It's so good to see you.
- Christine? - Mmm? Stephen, you promised me crème brûlée.
I know.
We can be together again.
Stephen, I love you.
I love you.
I wish that was true.
But you're You're not her.
You can't do this.
But we must.
No.
No! Christine? - Christine.
- What? Oh It's me, Christine.
Oh, my God.
What's happening? What's happening? I brought you back.
I saved you.
No, this is This This isn't real! This is - No, this is a nightmare! - No, no! Leave me! - No.
I can fix this.
- No! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! No! Get away! Don't touch me! Uh Uh Christine.
- No! - Christine.
- No! - No! No! This wasn't supposed to happen.
- Stephen.
No.
Stephen.
- No.
No.
What is going on? No! You You can stop this.
Please, fix this.
The same way you fixed Christine? - What? - I was wrong.
I You were warned.
I know.
But the world! The world shouldn't pay for my arrogance.
I read about you.
Sensed your presence.
You're a god.
You can undo this.
I'm not a god.
And neither are you.
Then punish me.
Not the world, not Christine.
Honestly, if I could fix this, if I could punish you instead, I would.
But I can't interfere.
You, more than anyone else, should understand that meddling with time and events only leads to more destruction.
No.
No! What? I didn't mean for this to happen! Christine.
Oh, no.
I'm sorry.
Stephen.
What did you do? No, no, no, no, no.
I'm sorry.
I am so, so sorry.
One life, one choice, one moment can destroy the entire universe.
Space.
Reality.
It's more than a linear path.
It's a prism of endless possibility.
Where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.
I am the Watcher.
I am your guide through these vast new realities.
Follow me and ponder the question "What if?" We have watched how one moment, one choice, can ripple across space and time, giving birth to new stories, heroes, whole universes.
But what if it's the wrong choice? What if the best of intentions has very strange consequences? Evening, handsome.
This? I just pulled it out of the dryer.
Whereas you, stunning.
I'm only going for dessert.
You promised me crème brûlée.
I suspect we can do a little better than that.
Hmm Just let me hear it.
Come on, I know you prepared something.
You wouldn't just wing it.
It's just me.
Okay.
Uh "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, fellow doctors" No.
No.
Stop.
I'm already asleep.
Come on, cut the preamble.
Just get straight to the heart of it.
But all I said was, "Good evening.
" I think you should just rush the podium like a contestant on The Price is Right.
Screaming and high-fiving, and cheering, and something crazy.
Price is what? - We need to celebrate this.
- We are.
You performed a radical hemispherectomy.
- Successfully.
- Well, that was the plan.
Yeah, well, I would call that quite remarkable.
Well, I would say the same about you.
Stephen! We're okay.
You're okay.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no.
Christine.
Come on! Christine! In this universe, Stephen Strange didn't lose his hands but his heart.
Grief-stricken, Strange sought answers across the world and in the mystic arts.
"The Eye of Agamotto, cradle of the temporal singularity discovered by Cagliostro, manipulation and alteration of timelines.
" - Time travel.
- What are you doing? Tinkering with time can weaken the very fabric of the universe.
We protect reality.
We don't threaten it.
And when the threat came and The Ancient One was lost, Stephen Strange stood tall.
The man of science became the Sorcerer Supreme.
Dormammu, I've come to bargain.
Yet despite all he'd gained, Stephen Strange could not let go of the past.
Sorry, but this is now my favorite T-shirt.
Then I'm gonna have to take it back.
Hmm, I'd like to see you try.
Oh! I see we switched to the cheap stuff.
How long has it been? Two years, tonight.
What are you doing up? Ah, needed the little sorcerer's room.
What are you doing? Hmm Well, I'm going to start the kettle.
I suggest you join me before you do something reckless.
Evening, handsome.
Uh Something wrong? I, uh, I think I might have just had a mild cardiac event.
A heart attack, Doctor? Well, buck up, Strange.
You promised me crème brûlée.
Say the word, Christine, and I will give you the world.
Oh, let me hear it.
Come on, I know you prepared an acceptance speech for tonight.
I haven't.
I'm gonna wing it.
I'm gonna run up to the podium like a game show contestant.
Cheers and screams, high-fives.
Seriously? Are you teasing me? Okay.
No, you said it.
You have to do it now.
Only if you're by my side.
Wait a sec.
Have you ever even seen a game show? No, but there's a first time for everything.
- What? - I don't know.
You're being delightful.
I must owe someone a muffin basket for this personality shift.
Maybe Maybe you make me happy.
Well, this is shaping up to be a night to remember.
No, no, no! Not again.
No! Christine! Evening, handsome.
Your chariot awaits.
Oh, we missed our turn.
Isn't the bridge that way? Taking a different route.
It's okay.
We'll be fine.
Stephen! You're getting an award.
This whole party is for you.
Let's stay in.
We'll order pizza and crème brûlée.
Oh, no.
I am not getting grease on this dress, okay? We'll go, we'll dance.
I promise you, we will have a good time.
No.
Oh, pizza.
You're a genius.
We're hearing reports of numerous casualties, including the death of one Dr.
Christine Palmer.
Palmer, an emergency and trauma specialist Stephen.
Something wrong? Why does this keep happening? Aren't we allowed to be happy? Maybe I should drive.
Yeah? Hey, are you okay? Do you wanna talk? Maybe put on some music? I only want you.
You're the only thing that matters.
No! Good evening, Dr.
Strange.
Are you having car trouble? Why are you here? To help you.
This is where it starts for you.
With the death of Dr.
Christine Palmer.
So overwhelmed by loss, you will seek answers in the mystic arts.
In me.
Help me bring her back.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
No one can.
Her death is an Absolute Point in time.
Absolute? Unchangeable.
Unmovable.
Without her death, you would never have defeated Dormammu and become the Sorcerer Supreme, and the guardian of the Eye of Agamotto.
If you erase her death, you never start your journey.
I'm creating a paradox.
You're risking the universe.
You cannot reverse an Absolute Point.
Nothing is impossible.
You taught me that.
I only require more power.
The greatest sorcerers of the past could not reverse an Absolute Point.
You don't know that.
Books have been lost.
Libraries destroyed.
Stop torturing yourself, Stephen.
There is no hope here.
Christine is gone.
You cannot save her.
No.
Stephen, this path only leads to darkness and the end of this reality.
Please do not do this, or I will be forced to stop you.
You'd have to find me first.
Whew.
Uh, excuse me.
Hello, excuse me.
I'm looking for the Lost Library of Cagliostro.
Library? Hello? You know, books? Reading? Knowledge? Hey.
Hey! I'm talking here.
Where are you going? Hmm, no door.
Clever.
Hello? Anyone home? Hmm, quite the welcome.
You have to be the strangest-dressed sorcerer I've ever seen.
Uh Yeah, it's Armani.
I've come here for Sorcerer Cagliostro.
According to legend, he knew how to break an Absolute Point in time.
Where can I find Cagliostro? Well, maybe here, maybe there.
Maybe nowhere.
Wonderful.
You're cryptic.
Please tell me you're not Cagliostro.
The name's O'Bengh, librarian for the books of Cagliostro.
Come, this way, Sorcerer Armani.
No, it's Strange.
Not any stranger than any other name in this world.
The lost books.
How long will you be staying here? As long as it takes.
Okay.
Transmutation, telekinesis, teleportation.
Interesting.
Time manipulation.
Bingo.
"The power required to break an Absolute Point in time is immense, and nigh impossible to obtain.
" Yeah, no doy.
A-ha! "Gain the power through the absorption of other beings.
" Absorption? Here we go.
Whoa! Uh My name is Dr.
Stephen Strange.
I brought you here because I need to borrow your powers.
Do you mind sharing a tentacle or two? Please? No! What happened? Mystic beings do not bargain.
Their powers are not meant for man.
The Library isn't enough.
Those beings have what I need.
Is she worth the pain? A man does not suffer like this for his own glory.
Every moment of it.
There is a fine line between devotion and delusion.
Love can break more than your heart.
It can shatter your mind.
Uh-huh.
And in which book did you read that? No book, Armani.
Life taught me.
Mmm, maybe O'Bengh's right.
If they won't surrender their power, I'll take it.
Let's start small.
All right, what's next? Nice cape.
But I draw the line at bugs.
More.
He's on the wrong path.
I could warn him, intervene, but the fate of his universe is not worth risking the safety of all others.
Besides, I doubt he'd listen.
Hello? Who's that? Time to meet an old friend.
Hello again and goodbye.
O'Bengh, what happened to you? Time, Sorcerer Armani.
Put that away.
You used magic to remain frozen for centuries.
I chose to live.
But I can reverse this.
You will live longer, forever.
Hush! Even in our world death is part of the plan.
I can't accept that.
I know, I know.
But maybe the other Strange will.
Other? Can't you see? You are only half a man, living half a life.
It was true.
He wasn't alone.
He wasn't even the only Dr.
Strange in this universe.
Well, I'm going to start the kettle.
I suggest you join me before you do something reckless.
Um, you're right.
Enough living in the past for one evening.
What was in that whiskey? - Hello, Stephen.
- No Wait a minute.
You're Dead? Yes! So, this must be A psychic impression sent through a splinter in reality? - Mmm! - Uh Yes.
Just think of me as an echo.
Huh.
Well, I was gonna say that this must be the end of the world.
That, too.
You always were a perceptive one.
But I fear we don't have much time.
Then who's causing this? Well, you are.
How? When Dr.
Strange, you, used The Eye and vanished into the past, I couldn't follow.
I drew upon the power of the Dark Dimension to split the timeline, to split you.
I'm looking for the Lost Library of Cagliostro.
Enough living in the past for one evening.
Allowing for two of your possible timelines to occur in one universe.
Two timelines? I doubt that's the simplest or smartest thing to do.
Exceedingly dangerous, actually.
And now I have an evil twin? More like misguided.
If the other Strange succeeds in reversing an Absolute Point in our universe You mean saving Christine.
You cannot save her, Stephen.
The resulting temporal paradox will destroy this universe.
Our time is running out.
I fear the only sorcerer strong enough to stop Dr.
Strange is you, Dr.
Strange.
Okay.
Wait.
So the fabric of reality is breaking, and only you can stop it because you are causing it.
Let's be honest, we've been through weirder.
But do you want to stop him? Weren't you in love with this Christine? I I think I have to.
At the very least, to save you.
Mmm.
The Guardian Vishanti heavy-duty protection spell.
Knowing me, I'll need it.
How would you find him? He's found me.
- Oh, that's not great.
- Nope, it's not.
Good luck! Hello? Hello? Where am I? The question is, when are you? Do not be frightened, old friend, for we are one and the same.
What happened to you? I needed you alone.
No need for Wong or The Ancient One.
They wouldn't understand.
They never knew her.
We knew her.
We loved her.
You can't bring her back.
The world out there is breaking.
Don't you dare lie to me.
I am you! How many nights did we sit in the Sanctum Sanctorum, Time Stone in the palm of our hand, knowing we could go back, gathering the courage? Well, I had the courage.
I spent centuries, sacrificed everything for Christine.
And now can you save her? No, Stephen.
We can.
Our powers are diluted, split between us.
But once we become whole again, we can save her.
We can't.
You don't believe it's possible.
But you will see.
The Ancient One warned us.
If we save Christine, we destroy the world.
I told you, she doesn't understand.
We love Christine.
This isn't love.
Look at this.
This is arrogance.
This is our need to fix everything.
It's what drove us to study the mystic arts in the first place.
And look where we are.
Deranged.
I will be whole again.
No.
Your marbles are long gone.
The world, however, still stands a chance.
You can't save her.
She's dead.
You need to let go.
I've gone too far to turn back now.
It's so good to see you.
- Christine? - Mmm? Stephen, you promised me crème brûlée.
I know.
We can be together again.
Stephen, I love you.
I love you.
I wish that was true.
But you're You're not her.
You can't do this.
But we must.
No.
No! Christine? - Christine.
- What? Oh It's me, Christine.
Oh, my God.
What's happening? What's happening? I brought you back.
I saved you.
No, this is This This isn't real! This is - No, this is a nightmare! - No, no! Leave me! - No.
I can fix this.
- No! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! No! Get away! Don't touch me! Uh Uh Christine.
- No! - Christine.
- No! - No! No! This wasn't supposed to happen.
- Stephen.
No.
Stephen.
- No.
No.
What is going on? No! You You can stop this.
Please, fix this.
The same way you fixed Christine? - What? - I was wrong.
I You were warned.
I know.
But the world! The world shouldn't pay for my arrogance.
I read about you.
Sensed your presence.
You're a god.
You can undo this.
I'm not a god.
And neither are you.
Then punish me.
Not the world, not Christine.
Honestly, if I could fix this, if I could punish you instead, I would.
But I can't interfere.
You, more than anyone else, should understand that meddling with time and events only leads to more destruction.
No.
No! What? I didn't mean for this to happen! Christine.
Oh, no.
I'm sorry.
Stephen.
What did you do? No, no, no, no, no.
I'm sorry.
I am so, so sorry.
One life, one choice, one moment can destroy the entire universe.