As Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange must maintain mastery of both the world’s mystic forces and his own inner self. But as skilled as Stephen Strange is at wielding magic, he’s less able to harness his own ego and often his rage. However, there is one person who fits the bill in every respect – Strange’s valet Wong, who recently became the Sorcerer Supreme of the MCU.
Wong comes from a long line of monks who have been tasked with serving the needs of the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. Going back ten generations, Wong’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather served the Ancient One, the previous holder of the title before Strange. At a young age, Wong was sent to a monastery to prepare himself for his service, learning martial arts and self-discipline. Upon completion of this training, he was sent to America to assist Stephen Strange, the man who took over the title of Sorcerer Supreme after the Ancient One’s passing. During his employment under Strange, Wong often proved to be an indispensable ally, possess many secret powers, and be a steady rock of calm in times of immense chaos.
This composure was demonstrated in ‘Hoary Hosts of Hate’ from AXIS: Revolutions #1, by Simon Spurrier and Tan Eng Huat. The issue sees Doctor Strange and Wong affected by the Red Skull’s hate wave, which quickly drives the Sorcerer Supreme into a rage, outwardly loathing all those he’s trying to help. However, Wong’s demeanor does not change, and he continues to be his usual saintly self, to the point that Strange deduces he may be the key to reversing the worldwide emergency. That is, until he realizes that Wong has been slowly poisoning him. Though the story is played for laughs, it still shows how Wong is more temperamentally suited to take on huge, world-shaking events than even Stephen Strange – while the current Sorcerer Supreme is quickly distracted and lost to rage, Wong remains focused and deliberate, even as he takes revenge on his imperious ally.
Wong Has the Focus of a Sorcerer Supreme
While not the Sorcerer Supreme in the comics, Wong has proved himself a very capable wielder of mystic powers, even easily defeating heavy-hitters like Magik – a Sorcerer Supreme herself. The monk has been shown to be specifically skilled in teleportation and protective shield generation, as well as mystic incantations. Combining those impressive and powerful spells with his expertise in martial arts and his proven mental discipline, Wong is a formidable character by any metric. Agamotto even considered him as a strong candidate to replace Strange as Sorcerer Supreme before handing the title to Doctor Voodoo.
Despite that choice by Agamotto, there is no denying that Wong is worthy of the title of Sorcerer Supreme. He has an extremely strong will, which has been shown by Captain Marvel to be the proven metric of magical potential, and allows him to remain calm while others don’t. In events of AXIS: Revolutions, readers watch Doctor Strange spend his time affected by Red Skull’s hate wave kicking and screaming and failing to get anything done, while Wong not only keeps total composure, but channels his rage – albeit in a darkly effective way.
