Contains spoilers for the “Ironheart” season finale — “The Past is the Past”

Looper’s review of “Ironheart” commended the show’s rich drama, with the finale hinting at significant developments for the lead character’s future. Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) appears to strike a deal with Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen), a character whose involvement had been speculated by fans for some time. While Mephisto’s plans remain enigmatic, Riri is seemingly comfortable with the uncertainty as long as it allows her to resurrect her friend Natalie (Lyric Ross). Riri’s story concludes there, but viewers should remain seated for an additional scene after the credits, promising more magical exploits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A mid-credits scene features Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) donning a hoodie instead of his iconic hood. He seeks out Zelma Stanton (Regan Aliyah), known for her magical prowess. After witnessing her transform some candy, he hints at needing some “supreme-like help.” This implies he’s searching for assistance from the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), since he lost the Hood Mephisto provided him. However, for now, Zelma’s aid will have to suffice. Parker asks if someone more experienced can show him “stuff in the back,” implying that Zelma and her mother Madeleine (Cree Summer) might have additional magical secrets within the store.

The scene seems purposefully ambiguous, as though Marvel is still determining how to incorporate Parker and Zelma into future MCU narratives. However, it appears to set the stage for a potential Parker-Zelma collaboration, possibly in a second season of “Ironheart.”

Marvel has a lot of balls in the air right now. It’s quickly approaching the end of the Multiverse Saga, with “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” coming out in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Those casts will undoubtedly be stacked already without adding Parker and Zelma to the mix, and that pair likely won’t pop up in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” or “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2. It’s entirely possible this is yet another Marvel post-credits scene that goes nowhere, but there’s one project the two maybe could show up in. But it’s a very big maybe.

While it’s not confirmed yet, rumors suggest “Doctor Strange 3” will appear on the MCU’s schedule between “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars.” It could establish some pieces of the Multiverse before getting into “Secret Wars,” such as the idea of incursions destroying multiple realities. Clea (Charlize Theron) picks up Strange in the post-credits scene to “Multiverse of Madness” to deal with an incursion, so it makes the most sense to occur between those two event films.

It’s unclear what Zelma has “in the back” that Parker wants, but it could very well deal with the Multiverse (or at least make Parker enough of a threat to get on Strange’s radar). This could put the two on a collision course with Strange despite having very different relationships to him in the comics. Zelma becomes his apprentice, and Parker tries to murder Strange while under the influence of Dormammu during the “Dark Reign” arc. It’s definitely a long shot for these two to appear in any Marvel project ever again, but wilder things have happened.