Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s What If…? episode 4.

Marvel has used What If…? episode 4 to confirm Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The most powerful mystic in the world, the Sorcerer Supreme is the sworn defender of reality – and, in the comics, their supremacy is signified by possession of the Eye of Agamotto. Marvel has switched things up significantly in the MCU, of course; in the films, the Eye of Agamotto is actually a magical container bearing the Time Stone, rather than the ancient and powerful artifact seen in the comics.

Although he bears the Eye of Agamotto, the MCU’s Doctor Strange has shown no sign of considering himself Sorcerer Supreme. Indeed, Doctor Strange ended with a reminder he was still a comparative novice to the mystic arts. “You might have a gift for the mystic arts, but you still have much to learn,” Wong cautioned him. “Word of the Ancient One’s death will spread through the Multiverse. Earth has no Sorcerer Supreme to defend it.” Many viewers assume Doctor Strange has become Sorcerer Supreme in the years that follow, explaining his power when he dueled Thanos on Titan and his mastery of the Time Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, but Marvel has been reluctant to confirm that. It’s quite possible Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see Strange become Sorcerer Supreme at last.

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Surprisingly, Marvel’s What If…? episode 4 appears to confirm Strange is indeed Sorcerer Supreme. The episode is set in a divergent timeline in which Strange suffered a different personal tragedy, losing the love of his life rather than the use of his hands. His heartbreak still led him to seek out the Ancient One at Kamar-Taj, and ultimately to battle the Dread Dormammu – and according to voice-overs from the Watcher, an all-seeing being who is essentially the “Voice of God” in What If…?, this victory marked Strange as Sorcerer Supreme.

This naturally raises the question of whether or not Doctor Strange is indeed Sorcerer Supreme in the main MCU timeline as well. It’s worth noting that, although the stories of the two variants of Doctor Strange dovetail significantly, the one seen in What If…? episode 4 has a very different motive. This would lead him to approach the mystic arts in a different way, learning different lessons perhaps at an even faster rate. Given that is the case, it is quite possible he has attained to a title the main timeline’s Strange has not.

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Marvel’s What If…? may be presenting different visions of the MCU, but it doesn’t always appear to stick to continuity all that rigidly. What If…? episode 1 switched the sequence of events in Captain America: The First Avenger, with the first super soldier created before the Red Skull had acquired the Tesseract rather than after; What If…? episode 2 broke the timeline altogether, with the Power Stone exposed on the planet Morag years before it should have been accessible. This may well just be another continuity error; viewers may well have to wait until Spider-Man: No Way Home or even Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to find out for sure if Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme or not.

Marvel’s What If…? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

Key Release Dates
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

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A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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