WARNING: spoilers for Strange Academy #15 ahead!
In a preview for the upcoming Strange Academy #15, the titular Doctor Strange's longtime ally Wong easily defeats Magik, one of the most powerful X-Men, with just one move. When demonstrating how to effectively disable and defend against a powerful magic user, Wong is able to destroy Ilyanna Rasputin's demonic Soulsword and end his duel with the X-Men's big gun while barely moving a muscle, showing just how underestimated Wong truly is.
The mutant Magik, first introduced as the powerless younger sister of Colossus in 1975's Giant Sized X-Men #1, is considered to be one of the more powerful of the X-Men, mainly because her abilities go beyond her mutant power to teleport and include a wide variety of powers connected to her status as Ruler of Limbo, a demonic Hell-like dimension. Wong, first introduced in 1963's Strange Tales #110 as Doctor Strange's sidekick and valet, is an incredibly skilled martial artists and is also well versed in the dark arts after spending decades alongside Stephen Strange, so its no real surprise that he is particularly skilled at magic defense.
The preview for Strange Academy #15 - written by Skottie Young with art by Humberto Ramos - shows the main class of Strange Academy taking part in their first Mystical Defense 101 course taught by Wong, with Illyana serving as his sparring partner. With the Strange Academy dealing with multiple attacks on their lives over the last year (including the death of Doctor Strange, an attack by Mister Misery, and battles against Dormammu), it is no wonder that the faculty are so passionate about teaching the students magical defense. As an Adjunct Professor at the Strange Academy, Illyana has been teaching the young magic users in the art of battle, something she is intimately acquainted with, but her short duel with Wong shows the students in short order that defense is just as important as offense, if not more. Enjoy the preview below, shared by AIPT.
In the sparring battle between Magik and Wong, it seems that Illyana is holding nothing back as she charges at Wong with her fully powered Soulsword, before Wong simply waves his fingers, casting a mystical defense spell that entirely depowers the Soulsword. Wong defeating Illyana one-on-one is enough to be impressive, but his ability to depower the Soulsword, which is meant to disrupt any magical properties of what it slices, is particularly wild seeing as the weapon is often considered to be one of the most powerful in the entire Marvel Universe. Wong teaches the students that Magik made the mistake of, "Bringing a sword... to a magic fight." Furthering his defense lesson he also tells the students that, "You have to prepare for any kind of attack and know what type of defense to use against each. Its not just about size or brute strength." The students then engage in their own sparring, with one displaying his own surprising ability.
Magik should probably keep on attending Wong's Mystical Defense 101 course, seeing as she will soon be battling Madelyne Pryor, aka the Goblin Queen, for control over Limbo, and she does not want her Soulsword to malfunction while they are battling! Wong is often underestimated as a sorcerer, so it's nice to see him be able to so soundly defeat a Great Captain of Krakoa and gain the respect of his students, and Magik herself. But while Wong and Magik cross swords, they're missing that something is deeply wrong in the student body, as Calvin Morse makes dangerous trades with a shady power broker. Hopefully, Wong will show his detective skills rival the fighting abilities that have allowed him to beat X-Men's Magik in one shot when Strange Academy #15 hits retailers January 19.
Source: AIPT