How Powerful Is Evil Doctor Strange Compared To Ultron With Infinity Stones?

Warning! Spoiler ahead for Marvel's What If...? episode 8.

In Marvel's What If...?, how powerful is Evil Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) compared to Ultron (Ross Marquand) with all the Infinity Stones? In the penultimate episode of the Disney+ animated series, the corrupted robot villain went far and beyond his initial nefarious plan in the main universe in Avengers: Age of Ultron. After wiping Earth and its universe out of its living creatures, Ultron has set his sights on conquering the multiverse, forcing the multiverse's Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) to break his oath and finally intervene.

The resolution to the ongoing story will more likely be wrapped up in the What If...? season 1 finale, which will see the introduction of the Guardians of the Multiverse. Composed of various incarnations of familiar MCU heroes, it appears as if the team's leader will be Evil Doctor Strange, a.k.a. Strange Supreme following his reabsorption of his good half. This version of the sorcerer was first introduced back in episode 4, "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?." Unable to accept Christine Palmer's (Rachel McAdams) death in his universe led to its destruction after he meddled with magic far behind the natural laws of the multiverse.

Admittedly, Strange Supreme's re-emergence in What If...? episode 8 was a surprise. Appearing at the very end, following Uatu's the Watcher's failed one-on-one fight against Ultron, the sorcerer nudged the Watcher to finally break his oath and meddle. It's uncertain what Strange Supreme's specific role will be in the upcoming finale, but he's poised to be the key to defeating the unhinged villain. That begs the question, how powerful is he against Ultron who has all the Infinity Stones? Looking back at his episode, Evil Doctor Strange was around the same power level as the villain, even without the elemental stones. This version of the character, blinded by his grief, was willing to go against the rules just to bring back Christine. He absorbed energy from a variety of cosmic beings, making him exponentially more powerful — so much so that he started sensing the Watcher, even directly communicating with him. It's worth remembering that it was only an Ultron with the Infinity Stones who noticed Uatu's existence and even then, it was only once he was amidst the lifeless universe's deafening silence.

The Watcher and Doctor Strange in Marvel's What If Episode 4

Based on this, it's safe to say that Strange Supreme can stand his ground against this Infinity Stones-wielding Ultron if they go head-to-head. If anything, Strange Supreme's current power level may be even greater than it was for most of his What If...? episode considering he's now a fusion of both Evil Doctor Strange and his missing nobler half. In the Sacred Timeline, it would be difficult to gauge how a hypothetical fight against the two characters would go down since they never met. During Ultron's invasion, Stephen Strange had yet to discover the Mystic Arts and was still practicing medicine.

Despite this, what will be interesting to see is if the multiverse's main MCU Doctor Strange has the ability to become as powerful as his evil counterpart in the future. Granted that Strange Supreme used dark magic to gain significant mystic arts capabilities, his Sacred Timeline counterpart has the potential to learn so much more as he continues his journey in the MCU. He may very well need to level up exponentially now that he has a multiverse to face.

Hopefully, What If...? will deliver on a one-on-one battle between Strange Supreme and Ultron in its finale. The animated series has featured some of the greatest personal battles in the MCU with clashes between Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain Marvel (Alexandra Daniels), as well as between Uatu the Watcher and an Infinity Stones-powered Ultron. Regardless, expect an epic action set piece in Marvel's What If...? season 1 capper with the impending arrival of the Guardians of the Multiverse.

More: Marvel Finally Does The Ultron Story Avengers 2 Failed To Do

The Marvel's What If...? season 1 finale will drop on Wednesday, October 6.