New MCU Character Immediately Makes Doctor Strange Look Weak

Marvel’s Ironheart might have flown somewhat under the radar compared to the MCU’s bigger shows, but its second half packed in major new character reveals and a genuinely world-changing twist. 3 years after it was filmed, the 6 episode event was released in two sections, with the first focusing on character development for Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams as she fell to a life of crime. The second dialed things up impressively, with ties to Iron Man, the supernatural side of Marvel, and Doctor Strange. And episode 4 quietly introduced two characters who could reshape the way we think about magic in the MCU. Naturally, SPOILERS for Ironheart follow. 

Riri’s mothers’ friend Madeline and her daughter Zelma Stanton appear in that episode not just as new faces, but as surprisingly powerful sorcerers. And one of their magical abilities subtly throws shade on even the sometimes Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Strange. When Riri asks for help to take down Anthony Ramos’ Hood, her mother takes her to see her friend Madeline, who, it turns out, once trained at Kamar-Taj. Though she left before finishing her studies – opting to raise her daughter instead because “Kamar-Taj is no place for a child” – she retained some of her magical talent. More importantly, she passed much of that knowledge on to Zelma, who is now something of a magical autodidact, through a mix of her mother’s teachings, deep reading, and even TikTok witchcraft tutorials.

What’s most striking is how quickly the show establishes Zelma’s raw power without really focusing on it. As she opts to help Riri, Zelma effortlessly transports all four characters to a parallel realm known as “the Western Cortex Of Neverish” – a deep pull from Marvel Comics lore. And she does it all without a sling ring, explaining it as a “transportation spell.” And with a couple of hand gestures, Zelma subtly shifts the magical hierarchy in the MCU.

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Doctor Strange’s Power Just Got Undermined in a Big Way

In the early days of the MCU, Doctor Strange’s slow, painful climb to magical competency was a major plot point. His training at Kamar-Taj, his struggle to master spells, and his eventual rise to the top of the magical hierarchy felt earned: he paid for it in blood and sacrifice and personal growth. But now, it’s hard not to feel like that entire arc was just slightly undermined by how easily Zelma Stanton performs high-level magic without formal training or the typically necessary equipment.

Zelma not only accesses a parallel dimension with ease (akin to Strange and the Ancient One’s access of the Mirror Dimension), she does it without a sling ring – something Strange and every other sorcerer-in-training needed to learn early on. This detail isn’t just cosmetic: sling rings are treated as essential magical tools throughout Doctor Strange and Multiverse of Madness, and Mordo explains in the first movie that they’re designed to take the strain sorcerers cannot. In fact, their absence creates a barrier to movement or survival, and it’s an established rule that the Mirror Dimension cannot typically be escaped without one. 

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There’s inconsistency in how Strange’s powers are presented, admittedly, but Multiverse of Madness’ entire plot centers around how atypical America Chavez is thanks to her ability to travel the multiverse. That Zelma bypasses the need for a sling ring, having learned at least some of her magic from TikTok suggests either a radical new understanding of how magic works – or a narrative inconsistency that makes Strange’s laborious origin look embarrassingly overcomplicated.

Zelma Stanton Could Be the Key to Strange Academy

Fans of Marvel Comics will recognize Zelma Stanton as more than just a magical prodigy. On the page, she starts as a skeptical librarian who gradually becomes Doctor Strange’s assistant and confidant. Her deepening connection to the magical world eventually leads her to a key role in Marvel Comics’ Strange Academy, Marvel’s answer to Hogwarts, where young sorcerers are trained under the guidance of some of the universe’s most powerful mystics. That property has been rumored to be in consideration for an MCU adaptation too, and was put on ice some time ago.

With her debut in Ironheart, and her importance in Ironheart’s mid-credits scene, Zelma could now be involved in a Strange Academy spinoff. And she’d be a good prospect for an expanded role: she’s not just powerful, she’s relatable, charming, and funny. It’s still early days, but the seeds are there. And even if there’s no Strange Academy, Parker Robbins’ reappearance in the final moments of Ironheart at the Stantons’ store suggests we’ll be seeing more of her. As long as Marvel delivers on the tease, that is.

All 6 episodes of Ironheart are available to stream on Disney+ now.