Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

After a tense stand off, Moriarty receives a call from a mysterious woman claiming to hold incriminating material. He accepts a better offer and withdraws his snipers, sparing Sherlock and John. The immediate danger passes as the villain retreats.

John posts about Sherlock’s deductions, and the public quickly turns him into an online phenomenon. The rapid spread of his exploits elevates the public gaze on his methods. Sherlock is reluctantly propelled into the spotlight by the blog’s popularity.

Sherlock is summoned to Buckingham Palace by Mycroft to discuss Irene Adler and a royal scandal. Adler is said to possess incriminating photos of a princess, and the authorities want her phone to prevent a leak. The CIA becomes involved, expanding the stakes.

Sherlock engineers a meeting with Irene and learns that the photos are her protection rather than blackmail. She explains that the phone holds leverage and can be used to force powerful players to bend to her will. The conversation tightens the game between them.

John triggers a fire alarm that helps reveal Irene's hidden safe. Sherlock deciphers the password by Adler's measurements, triggering a trap that kills an agent and sparks a chaotic escape. The CIA closes in as the skirmish escalates.

The safe is opened and Sherlock retrieves the phone, but Irene later takes it back after drugging him with a sedative needle. She reiterates that the phone is her insurance. Sherlock senses there is more to the device than a simple photo collection.

Mycroft confronts Sherlock about Irene and her phone, hinting that its contents could threaten national security. Sherlock insists the photos are not the real leverage and that the phone may contain something far more valuable. The threat of a wider conspiracy tightens its grip.

On Christmas Eve, Irene's phone arrives in the mail, suggesting danger to her. Later that night she is found dead in a morgue, and Sherlock identifies the body. The phone remains a mystery tied to her apparent demise.

John is summoned and taken to an abandoned factory where Irene awaits, asking for her phone back. Sherlock tails John and begins to suspect a larger conspiracy. The CIA pressure continues to mount, affecting those close to Sherlock.

The CIA seizes Mrs Hudson and demands Irene's phone. Sherlock decapitates the agents and calls in the local police to secure the situation. The confrontation cements Sherlock as a force who will take drastic actions to protect those he cares about.

Months later Irene appears at Baker Street and reveals that she photographed a code from a MoD official. She warns that the information on her phone is explosive and that her life is in danger. Sherlock studies the code to uncover the truth behind the plot.

Sherlock deduces that the remaining data points to passenger seat allocations on a Heathrow to Baltimore 747 departing at 6:30 PM the next day. Irene uses Sherlock to decipher the data and then taunts Mycroft. The passcode on the phone crystallizes to I AM SHERLOCKED, stripping Irene of her leverage.

After the plane plot is resolved, Mycroft informs John about Irene in a way that implies she has entered witness protection. Sherlock discovers that she has actually been killed by terrorists, a revelation that reframes everything he has learned. The ending underscores the costs of Irene's information and Sherlock's deductions.

In a final flashback, it is revealed that Sherlock was in disguise as the executioner and had rescued Irene. The film closes with the implication that their complicated bond persists, even as the truth about her fate remains ambiguous. Sherlock is left to ponder the price of victory and their turbulent partnership.