‘Runaways’ Confirms One Big Connection With ‘Doctor Strange’

Doctor Strange has been out of theaters for sometime, but the film has been forgotten – not at all. Stephen Strange will have a large role in the next Avengers film, and it looks like Marvel‘s Runaways will also call back to the film in a big way.

Right now, New York Comic Con has taken over the geek sphere, and ComicBook is covering every square inch. We got to stop by the promo set for Marvel’s Runaways already, and fans could check out a rather interesting Doctor Strange prop there.

The show had a large staff on display, and Marvel gurus will be able to quickly place it. The item is none other than the Staff of One, a mystical item with deep ties to the Sorcerer Supreme and his comrades.

If you cannot recall the Doctor Strange item, then here’s a quick refresher. The film only showed the staff briefly when Tina Minoru was shown holding it before her. In the comics, the Staff of One is a very powerful item that allows someone to use blood magic to cast spells and incantations. Tina used the Staff of One to become a powerful dark wizard, so fans might be wondering just why Runaways will need the staff.

The answer to that question is Nico Minoru.

Runaways features the team’s line-up, and Nico is a part of the group. Nico is the daughter of Tina, and the girl winds up owning the Staff of One after an encounter with her mother. Once Nico learns Tina is part of the villain group Pride, she flees with some of her childhood friends whose parents are also in the group. Tina attempts to stop Nico by attacking her with the staff in the comics, but the Staff of One simply absorbs into Nico’s body until she is able to call it back out.

There’s no confirmation of how Runaways will deal with its ties to Doctor Strange. Marvel’s television programs have refrained from having any major tie-ins with the MCU at large, but the Staff of One is a place to start. The relic didn’t get much screen time in theaters, so Runaways will have plenty of free reign over how the mystical item operates.

Runaways premieres on Hulu on November 21.