Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas.
Doctor Strange has fallen from grace and the search for a new Sorcerer Supreme began this week in NEW AVENGERS #51.
The Marvel Universe has no shortage of worthy—and not-so-worthy—candidates to fill Strange's cloak, so the Secret Cabal decided to help out with their top 10 picks of who would make the most interesting—if not necessarily most altruistic—new master of the mystic arts.
For each character you get the quick rundown as well as a special spotlight comic courtesy of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
As always, these picks reflect the personal choices of the Secret Cabal, not the official opinion of Marvel or Marvel.com, and can be considered subjective at best. Enjoy!
10. SISTER GRIMM
First Appearance: RUNAWAYS v1 #1 (2003)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "
Nico Minoru never asked for magical powers as part of her birthright, but she's gotten pretty good at using them. Initially, the Runaway who goes by the handle Sister Grimm used her abilities as much to rebel against her evil parents as anything else, but becoming Doctor Strange's protégé could provide her life with a larger structure it has always lacked. There's not much doubt Nico could be competent in the role, but it would be fun to see how her unique style would translate—and how the older mystic crowd would react." – Secret Cabal member Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: RUNAWAYS v1 #9—Nico's romance with the newest Runaway proves to be a dangerous mistake!
9. SHAMAN
First Appearance: UNCANNY X-MEN #120 (1979)
Learn More About Him…here
Why He Makes the List: "There are many similarities between Michael Twoyoungmen and Stephen Strange, with both having started out as arrogant surgeons but ultimately finding fulfillment by turning to the spiritual realm. However, the
Alpha Flight veteran known as
Shaman also possesses a connection to nature and dedication to the people he has vowed to safeguard that some would argue Strange lacks. As the Sorcerer Supreme, Shaman's compassion could prove either a strength or a detriment." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: ALPHA FLIGHT v1 #1—Shaman and Alpha Flight take on the Great Beasts!
8. MAGIK
First Appearance: GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1 (1975)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Who would ever know that beneath this innocent-looking exterior is the Mistress of Limbo, the Darkchilde! Of course, it's not entirely her fault, as Illyana Rasputin was kidnapped at an early age and forced to grow up under the demon sorcerer Belasco who corrupted her soul and doomed her to a life of darkness. But some forces are too powerful, like the magic of a heroic spirit and a family that loves you. Just don't cross
Magik, or else you'll know what the fires of an Inferno really feel like!" – Secret Cabal member RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: NEW X-MEN v2 #37—Magik drags the New
X-Men into Limbo!
7. SON OF SATAN
First Appearance: GHOST RIDER v1 #1 (1973)
Learn More About Him…here
Why He Makes the List: "No, that's not just his codename—Daimon Hellstrom is
literally the son of Satan. Yes,
that Satan. And yet, he has spent the bulk of his existence trying to do good, as an unlikely member of the
Defenders and battling his father on his own terms. The man sometimes called Hellstorm is an extremely complex and damaged person, destroying things and people even as he tries to break the mold his old man created for him. Given the burden of being Earth's most powerful mystic, charged with protecting this world from the demonic threats that h has faced all his life, could he escape his heritage?" – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: THE LAST DEFENDERS #2—Daimon Hellstrom seeks his destiny as the Defenders fight what could be their last battle!
6. BARON MORDO
First Appearance: STRANGE TALES #111 (1963)
Learn More About Him…here
Why He Makes the List: "Years ago, Doctor Strange's ascension forced his would-be-contemporary, Baron
Mordo, down the path of evil and sparked a rivalry that shook the dimensional barriers for years. But what if Mordo had taken the road less traveled? Moreover, with Strange now out of the picture, what kind of Sorcerer Supreme would Mordo make? Would his dark nature prevail and lead this realm to ruin? Or just maybe would Mordo surprise everybody and prove not only a match for Strange, but perhaps his better, showing the Ancient One he made the wrong choice?" – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: STRANGE TALES #111—Baron Mordo and Doctor Strange clash for the first time!
5. WICCAN
First Appearance: YOUNG AVENGERS #1 (2005)
Learn More About Him…here
Why He Makes the List: "Not even out of his teens and
Wiccan of the
Young Avengers already possesses considerable mystic power, but not so much control. He's learning to control and refine his abilities even as he searches for an identity, not to mention a family. What would happen if an untested, uncertain novice like Wiccan was gifted the title of Sorcerer Supreme? It would be interesting to see him study at the feet of somebody like Doctor Strange, but we'd really want to see what happens when he's forced to fly solo." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #3—Wiccan and his brother
Speed search for their mother, the
Scarlet Witch!
4. MORGANA LE FAY
First Appearance: BLACK KNIGHT COMICS #1 (1955)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "A longtime foe of the
Avengers, a lover scorned of
Dr. Doom, and now the first threat faced by
Norman Osborn's
Dark Avengers, this lethal lady certainly has the power to be the Sorcerer Supreme and enough experience to call herself the Ancient One to boot! Having faced everyone from King Arthur and Merlin to
Iron Man and
Captain Britain over the centuries, it's time Morgana le Fay got the respect she is long overdue! Or she'll turn you into a toad. Or worse." – RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: AVENGERS v3 #2—Morgana le Fay remakes the world in her image!
3. BROTHER VOODOO
First Appearance: STRANGE TALES #169 (1973)
Learn More About Him…here
Why He Makes the List: "The
Brother Voodoo lineage stretches back centuries to when the original BV rose up to battle zombies. How can we not support a mystic hero whose crusade to keep the world safe from zombies reaches back to the 17th Century. When the zombie apocalypse happens—and it will—Brother Voodoo will be the one who saves humanity. And if he's backed up by the power of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme all the better." – Secret Cabal member Agent_M
Spotlight Comic: GAMBIT v2 #9—
Gambit seeks the help of Brother Voodoo to save New Orleans from a zombie infestation!
2. DOCTOR DOOM
First Appearance: FANTASTIC FOUR v1 #5 (1962)
Learn More About Him…here
Why He Makes the List: "When science failed young Victor Von Doom, he turned to magic, and as his knowledge grew in both areas, he combined them to become not only one of the most technologically-advanced villains in the Marvel Universe, but also one its most potent sorcerers. Able to hold his own against the likes of Morgana Le Fay and
Mephisto, Doom has proven his spell-casting potency time and again. And hey, maybe it's time for someone with a harder edge to harness the power of the Eye of Agamotto." – Agent_M
Spotlight Comic: IRON MAN #149—Iron Man and Doctor Doom are hurtled back in time to the realm of King Arthur!
1. THE SCARLET WITCH
First Appearance: X-MEN v1 #4 (1964)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Magic has never brought anything good to Wanda Maximoff's life. It gave her children, but they proved to be a lie. It gave her power, but stole her sanity. And for a time, it gave her the world she always wanted, but ultimately at the cost of her friends, her family, and much of her race. With all the damage the Scarlet Witch has done in recent years, perhaps becoming the steward of all things mystic would set her on the road to redemption—but at what price? Would Wanda once more prove herself the hero she has been in the past or would she bring disaster to a world she has vowed to protect? Either way, it's a story we want to read." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: AVENGERS v3 #11—The Scarlet Witch leads the Avengers against the
Legion of the Unliving!
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