MCU What If...? - 10 Biggest Takeaways From Episode 4
7. A Window For The Ancient One To Return
It’s a common theme throughout the comic book industry, both on the page and on the screen, that death is rarely ever permanent. In the MCU, Bucky, Loki, and Vision have all returned one way or another after seemingly dying, and episode four opened the door for another dead character to potentially return.
In Doctor Strange, The Ancient One’s death was something of an Absolute Point in itself. No matter how many different variations of the future she looked to, she could never see past her own death.
She ultimately died at the hands of Kaecilius in New York, leaving the position of Sorcerer Supreme open for Stephen to ascend into. In the particular universe in which episode four was based however, The Ancient One was able to reach Stephen, and appear before him in a similar fashion to the Astral Plane despite having already died.
She said that this was achieved as a psychic impression sent through a splinter in reality, and there is now no reason to think that the same thing couldn’t happen in either the Multiverse of Madness, or even Spider-Man: No Way Home.