Contains spoilers for “Ironheart” Episode 4 — “Bad Magic”

Although “Ironheart” on Disney+ provides a thorough recap, it still manages to surprise the viewers. After Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne) learns that The Hood’s (portrayed by Anthony Ramos) powers can’t be explained by science, she delves into the supernatural. Her mother, Ronnie (Anji White), takes her to Madeleine Stanton (Cree Summer), who is deeply spiritual. However, it’s soon apparent that Ronnie is unaware of the full picture. Madeleine’s daughter, Zelma (Regan Aliyah), is quite proficient in mystical arts and transports them to another dimension called the Western Cortex of Neverish. Zelma is a sorcerer and a relatively new character in Marvel Comics who has now made her live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Zelma Stanton made her debut in 2015’s “Doctor Strange” Vol 4 #1 by Jason Aaron, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, and Mark Irwin. During this storyline, Zelma and Doctor Strange spend significant time together. They fend off the Empirikul cult and survive in Weirdworld, where Zelma helps Doctor Strange recover after being poisoned. Despite being offered a return to her normal life once everything concludes, Zelma chooses to become Strange’s apprentice and eventually oversees the Strange Academy, a place for young magic users to develop their skills. It’s unlikely that this Doctor Strange story will ever make it to theaters.

Within the MCU, it seems that Zelma has yet to encounter Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). This is suggested by her reference to Kamar-Taj, the training ground for new sorcerers like Strange and Wong (Benedict Wong), as her “reach school.” However, this hints at a potential meeting with Strange in the future.

The Zelma in “Ironheart” may not have had formal magic training yet, but it’s clear she’s still learned a thing or two. She’s even gotten her hands on some brain maggots, as Ronnie opens a jar of them, which Zelma promptly takes away from her. Madeleine scolds Zelma for even having them in the first place, and that’s some sound advice. 

The entire reason Zelma meets Doctor Strange in the first place in Marvel Comics is due to such creatures, although they’re referred to as “mind maggots” there. Zelma comes down with the affliction, culminating in writhing teeth and eyes protruding from her skull, and it defies traditional medical intervention. She figures Strange is the only one who can help her, and despite the fact Strange has never encountered such parasites before, he is able to cure her. It’s unclear if the MCU’s Zelma had a similar problem although it’s worth noting that in the comics, Zelma’s introduced wearing a hat to cover up the maggots. The live-action Zelma also has a hat, but it may be more of a fashion piece than covering up demonic entities. 

Zelma still has much to learn. While she knows the piece of the cape Riri brought in comes from a dark source, she can’t really say for sure where it stems from, only that it’s dark magic. In Episode 5, Zelma tells Riri that it likely originated from Dormammu (Benedict Cumberbatch), one of Doctor Strange’s most powerful villains who appeared in the first Strange movie. But if you’ve seen the “Ironheart” finale, then you know Zelma’s guess was incorrect, so maybe she could benefit from some teachings at Kamar-Taj after all.