- "Help me bring her back."
"I'm sorry, but I can't. No one can. Her death is an Absolute Point in Time." - ―Doctor Strange and Ancient One[src]
The Rescue of Christine Palmer was a failed attempt by Doctor Strange to save Christine Palmer from a car crash by traveling back in time using the Eye of Agamotto.
Background[]
Christine Palmer dies in a car crash
- "We protect reality. We don't threaten it."
- ―Ancient One to Doctor Strange[src]
In 2016, Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer went on a drive to the dinner party to celebrate Strange's successful surgery. However, they both ended up in a car crash which resulted in Palmer's tragic death which left Strange completely devastated.
The Ancient One dies
Seeking for answers, Strange joined the Masters of the Mystic Arts, training to become a sorcerer. During his training, Strange became aware of the Eye of Agamotto which could affect time itself, however, Ancient One and Wong warned him that tinkering with the time could weaken the fabric of reality and threaten an apocalypse for the universe. When the Ancient One died, Strange became her successor as the Sorcerer Supreme and used the Eye to save the universe from Dormammu.[1]
Rescue[]
Doctor Strange travels back in time
- "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."
- ―Ancient One to Doctor Strange[src]
Still grief-stricken, Doctor Strange ignored Wong's warning and decided to rescue Christine Palmer. Using the Eye of Agamotto, Strange traveled back in time, in the moment before he and Palmer sat in a car to drive to the party. Strange then attempted to prevent the tragedy by not trying to pass the truck, only for the car would still be rear-ended by the speeding car, resulting in Palmer's death again.
Christine Palmer inevitably dying in every loop
Strange did not give up and repeated the events, trying to take the alternate route, which failed yet again. Despite Strange's efforts, Palmer's demise was inevitable; when he tried to take an alternate route, they were hit by an oncoming truck; when they actually succeeded in arriving at the party, Palmer suffered from a heart attack; when Strange and Palmer stayed in the café, Palmer was shot by a robber; when Strange completely abandoned Palmer and did not pick her up, Palmer died in the arson. In his last effort to rescue Palmer, Strange left Palmer behind the wheel but regardless, Palmer's demise was inevitable.[1]
Aftermath[]
The Ancient One approaches Doctor Strange
- "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." - ―Ancient One and Doctor Strange[src]
Eventually, Doctor Strange was approached by the 2016 Ancient One, and Strange asked her why this keeps happening. The Ancient One described Christine Palmer's death was an Absolute Point in Time which defined the history of their universe. Without Palmer's death, Strange would never join the Masters of the Mystic Arts, would not become the Sorcerer Supreme and the keeper of the Eye of Agamotto and would not save the universe from Dormammu.
Strange ignored the Ancient One's words and decided to gain enough power to create a paradox and change an Absolute Point in Time, regardless of the consequences it would bring. The Ancient One could not let Strange to shatter the fabric of time, so she attacked Strange, splitting him into two separate selves. While his alternate self managed to overcome Palmer's death in his timeline, Strange ended up in the Lost Library of Cagliostro where he started to research the mystic arts to become the most powerful sorcerer and use his power to save Palmer.[1]