‘What If…?’ Season 2: Here’s What the Forge Is & How Strange Supreme Created It

The Season 2 finale of ‘What If…?’ concluded Strange Supreme’s narrative from the first season. Despite discovering a renewed purpose after losing Christine, it became apparent that grief had ensnared him, and he never fully let go of the quest to resurrect Christine and his shattered world. Somewhere in this journey, Strange took a dark turn, utilizing both villains and heroes as fuel for his ambitious plans. His method involved the literal remaking of the world using a powerful tool known as “The Forge,” and in this discussion, we will delve into its significance.
Strange Supreme devised a Forge to reconstruct his own universe
From the inception of Strange Supreme’s presence in ‘What If…?’ Season 2, an underlying sense of malevolence hinted at something amiss. However, Strange framed it as a mission for Peggy Carter, portraying it as an effort to prevent the destruction of another universe, ostensibly pursuing a Universe killer.
The alleged Universe killer turned out to be Kahhori, who had been deceived by Strange at some point between her initial appearance and the season finale. Strange Supreme sought Kahhori not for her willingness to save the universe but for her formidable powers derived directly from the Space Stone.
The true nature of Strange’s agenda unfolded when his deception was exposed, and Kahhori revealed to Peggy that Strange had been funneling both heroes and villains into an enormous forge, aiming to recreate his own universe and, in turn, resurrect Christine.
Ultimately, Peggy and Kahhori tracked down the colossal Forge, discovering that the situation was even more dire than they had feared.
The Forge purportedly thrives on absorbing powers
There’s a compelling rationale behind Strange’s relentless pursuit of Universe killers within the confines of Sanctum, and it extends beyond a mere pastime. To reconstruct an entire universe, he sought an abundance of power as fuel—power attainable only from entities surpassing human capabilities. Strange Supreme was prepared to sacrifice countless superpowered beings, amassing the energy necessary to fuel his Forge and recreate a reality where his universe endured, and Christine remained alive.
His ambitious endeavor would have come to fruition if not for Kahhori’s teleportation abilities. The specifics of how Strange Supreme engineered the Forge remain unclear, with limited details provided on its mechanics. What is apparent is its reliance on power as fuel and its eventual success in achieving its intended purpose.
How did Strange Supreme go about recreating his world and Christine?
In the climactic moments of the confrontation, Strange Supreme successfully detached himself from his demonic form. In a poignant moment of redemption, instead of persisting in the battle, he chose to relinquish himself to the Forge. Given Strange’s standing as one of Marvel Universe’s most formidable characters, his demonic form further amplifying those powers, it turned out that Strange alone provided sufficient fuel to authentically resurrect the universe he had previously obliterated.
However, there was a significant caveat: despite making the ultimate sacrifice, facilitating the complete restoration of a universe and the countless lives within it, Strange Supreme would never get to savor its rebirth. Consumed entirely by the Forge, he did not reincarnate into his universe. According to the Watcher, there is no prospect of his return. The only hint of Doctor Strange’s enduring presence in that universe is the butterfly that alighted on the Watcher in the episode’s final scenes.
Acknowledging that it might be a somewhat disappointing conclusion to Strange’s character arc, it remains an unalterable reality. If you have additional thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments below!