Marvel’s Ironheart may not have gotten the marketing and release schedule it deserves, but the Season 1 finale blew the door wide open for the rest of the MCU. When the series was announced, fans assumed that Riri Williams’ (Dominique Thorne) journey after Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would be a more grounded story. While it starts that way with Riri building a new suit with limited resources in Chicago, she finds herself working with a crew of thieves, led by the mysterious Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), to fund her technology. As she digs into who Parker really is and how his hood works, she discovers something strange that science can’t explain.
The second half of Ironheart leans heavily into the mystical corner of the MCU when Zelma Stanton (Regan Aliyah) makes her live-action debut and helps Riri out with the power of magic. The character may not sound familiar to Marvel Studios fans, but Zelma has huge comic ties to Doctor Strange. First introduced in Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo’s Doctor Strange #1 in 2015, Zelma is a librarian who goes to Doctor Strange for help after being attacked by Mind Maggots. In Ironheart Episode 4, “Bad Magic,” Zelma says Kamar-Taj is her “reach school,” but her mother, Madeline Stanton (Cree Summer), believes the mystical training grounds are too dangerous for kids (Scarlet Witch did decimate it in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Although Zelma hasn’t received proper training, she’s very skilled for a magic user at her age. Zelma notes she’s only been learning how to hone her magic through “old books and baby witches off of TikTok.” With Zelma saying that there are other witches and sorcerers out there who are excited to share their knowledge outside Kamar-Taj, is Ironheart setting up a Strange Academy series at Marvel Studios?
‘Ironheart’s Post-Credits Scene Teases a Crossover With ‘Doctor Strange’
After Zelma helps Riri mix tech and magic for her upgraded suit, Riri is able to defeat Parker/The Hood and rip the hood right off of him in the Ironheart Season 1 finale. Riri and Parker are very similar to one another as they both feel powerful with their gear, whether it be a suit of armor or a magical cloak. When Parker pleads for Riri to give him back his hood because he’s in pain, she tells him she gets it, but walks away anyway. Like Riri’s character arc this season to get back that power and build something iconic, Parker looks like he’s willing to do anything to get his magic back. In the Ironheart end-credits scene, Parker walks into Zelma’s shop after everyone he asked for help told him to go there if he needed magic. He specifically asks Zelda for “Supreme-like help” and someone with more magic experience to give him what he needs. The episode ends on that cliffhanger without revealing what Zelma says, but the choice of words indicates Parker could be looking to have Zelma connect him with the Sorcerer Supreme, which would be Wong (Benedict Wong) at this time, since Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was blipped during Avengers: Infinity War.
This ties to Deadline’s report that the Strange Academy series was paused by Marvel Studios earlier this year. Although the series is named after Doctor Strange, the show was reportedly set to focus on Wong leading a school of young magic users. Considering that Doctor Strange left with Clea (Charlize Theron) to the Dark Dimension in the Multiverse of Madness mid-credits scene, he might not be around to run a school at the moment. It’s worth noting that Ironheart wrapped filming in November 2022, the same year Multiverse of Madness was released. If the Ironheart post-credits scene wasn’t altered over the years before its release, it makes sense that Zelma’s introduction and the final scene in Ironheart were teeing up Strange Academy, since one of the teachers at the school in the comics is none other than Zelma. The proximity of these being developed goes back to the olden days of the MCU when almost every project would lead into the next, like how the Ant-Man post-credits scene led to Captain America: Civil War.
‘Strange Academy’ Could Be Marvel’s Answer to Harry Potter
The Strange Academy comic was created by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos in 2020. The titular school was founded by none other than Doctor Strange, with help from Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Jericho Drumm/Doctor Voodoo, and Illyana Rasputina/Magik. After Doctor Strange and Zelma embarked on adventures together, she became the librarian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, solidifying herself as a supporting character in his comics. Zelma eventually becomes Doctor Strange’s apprentice and later teaches at Strange Academy. The comic is primarily a coming-of-age story with the focus on the students, made up of kids from Asgard, Otherworld, and even the son of Doctor Strange’s nemesis, Dormammu.
While fans have been pushing for the Young Avengers to form in the MCU, Marvel Television potentially moving forward with Strange Academy could be the next best thing, especially as an answer to HBO’s Harry Potter series. Even Aliyah said in an interview with Inverse that Strange Academy could “tap a market that people are dying for,” adding:
“The reason that Harry Potter is what it is because it really takes you to a world beyond what you know. So many people wish they could support Harry Potter nowadays. They’re itching for something new that they can be super-fans of again. And in my head, Strange Academy could really fill that space.”
Although Strange Academy is still on pause, Ironheart being the #1 project on Disney+ in its first week could spark conversations for Marvel to officially greenlight the series. With the long-awaited introduction of Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen) in Ironheart, Strange Academy could also be the next time fans see the devilish villain.
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‘Ironheart’s Finale Leaves Many Exciting Plot Threads Open for Other MCU Projects To Answer
While a second season of Ironheart isn’t confirmed yet, Strange Academy could continue Parker and Zelma’s story before a potential Season 2 is released. Even if Strange Academy or Ironheart Season 2 is announced in the near future, the problem with many streaming shows is the long wait between projects. To be fair, in the time between Stranger Things Seasons 4 and 5, The Bear Seasons 1 to 4 were released. While Marvel Studios is focusing on getting Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars ready, Marvel Television is pushing out Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 just a year after Season 1 premiered. If the positive fan reception is vocal enough, Marvel Television could reshift and lift Ironheart or Strange Academy up on the priority list.
Riri and Zelma are the latest additions to the young hero roster in the MCU and deserve to get as much screen time as they can. Riri has already made the jump from a big screen appearance in Wakanda Forever to getting an episode in What If…? Season 3 to leading her own show in Ironheart, and is set to appear in Marvel Zombies later this year. Zelma could get a similar treatment by sharing a lead role with Wong in Strange Academy, and perhaps playing a part in Doctor Strange 3, if it gets made. Who would’ve thought that a grounded show like Ironheart could open the path to the magical side of the MCU? Hopefully, we don’t have to wait too long to see this follow-up.
Ironheart is streaming on Disney+.
