Myriad memes, posts, and comments were made over the course of the last year about how Doctor Strange would need to be the responsible Sorcerer Supreme and fix the multiverse broken by Wanda, Sylvie and Loki in his upcoming film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But the actions of Strange in the newly-released Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer show a reckless, rule-breaking Sorcerer Supreme instead of a wise, controlled one. And his recklessness and devil-may-care attitude about performing a dangerous, risky spell Wong warned him not to perform implies that he might not be the best Sorcerer Supreme. In fact, Wong’s wisdom about the mystic arts and caution in dangerous situations indicates that even though Strange was fated to become Sorcerer Supreme, Wong is a better fit for the job.
It appears that the “responsible Doctor Strange” fanon came from his authoritative demeanor in Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War, but this characterization of him ignores the real, canon recklessness of his character in Doctor Strange. Strange ignored Wong and the Ancient One’s rules about the library and the Eye of Agamotto, brazenly looking to expand his knowledge without regard for the consequences of his actions. The Eye of Agamotto contains an Infinity Stone and reversing/progressing time using it is high-risk. This kind of attitude when it comes to powerful magic, established in his first film, shows that his stint as the Sorcerer Supreme will not come without rash, borderline egotistical decisions.
This same kind of behavior is replicated again in the No Way Home trailer when Strange performs a spell that will make the whole world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. This is where Wong comes in and tells his colleague that he should not perform the spell. Strange facetiously replies that he won’t, but as soon as Wong leaves, he winks and gets to work. The rest is a foregone conclusion — the multiverse breaks open, either because of his doing or a series of cumulative events that started back in WandaVision, and the world is plunged into a frightening new reality. And in truth, Strange is messing with time for pure enjoyment and isn’t acting the way a Sorcerer Supreme should — with caution, responsibility and foresight.
Wong, on the other hand, has all of the necessary qualities to be a Sorcerer Supreme. He has been a practitioner of the mystic arts for far longer than Strange has, even working as a librarian at the Kamar-Taj in Nepal, and knows more about the spells and how the mystic arts interact with the universe because of this. Wong also acts with far more caution and with knowledge of the mystic arts’ consequences than Strange ever does. Not to mention, he was already well established among the other students and masters at Kamar-Taj and the other temples long before Strange came onto the scene.
In comparison to Strange, Wong is the more responsible and careful of the pair. He is shown consistently checking Strange’s ego and reckless behavior when Strange wants to perform difficult, potentially dangerous spells. And even though Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, he still acts like a rebellious student, whereas Wong acts tactfully and responsibly. Wong’s apparent deep knowledge of the mystic arts and foresight would make him a much better Sorcerer Supreme, so much so, he might be the one that has to clean Strange and Peter’s mess in No Way Home.
To see Wong act responsibly, Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters on Dec. 17.
About The Author