Marvel May Have Just Solved A Big Doctor Strange Mystery From 2016

This article contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 3.She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 3 finally explained an MCU mystery that's been troubling viewers since Doctor Strange's release in 2016. When Marvel Studios launched the MCU in 2016, they initially chose to build their shared cinematic universe on a pseudo-scientific foundation. That meant there was a reluctance to explore themes of magic and sorcery, with Thor even explaining away the supernatural when the God of Thunder claimed he came from a realm where science and magic were one and the same thing.

All that changed when Doctor Strange introduced the Masters of the Mystic Arts. It confirmed magic had always existed as part of the MCU, with sorcerers drawing power from other planes of existence and using it to shape reality. The Masters of the Mystic Arts were led by the Ancient One, a being who had extended her lifespan unnaturally by drawing on the power of the Dark Dimension. As in the comics, the Sorcerer Supreme is charged with the defense of this entire plane of existence. But such demonstrations of power naturally raised the disturbing question of just how the existence of the Masters of the Mystic Arts had remained a secret for so long.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law offered a subtle hint, in a scene in which Wong, the current Sorcerer Supreme, considered ways to erase the problems he'd caused for the Abomination. He dropped what was obviously an allusion to the Runes of Kof-Kol, used by Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home to erase memories that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The MCU's multiverse appears to be partly based on the perception of reality, and consequently memory spells also wipe out physical records. Wong's casual reference to the Runes of Kof-Kol, accompanied by a throwaway comment about their having been used for far less significant purposes, suggests this spell may have been used to ensure the world forgot the Masters of the Mystic Arts. They have been brainwashing the world into forgetting their existence.

Why Did Doctor Strange's Memory Spell Go So Badly Wrong In No Way Home?

Doctor Strange controls the multiverse in Spider-Man No Way Home

This, at least, answers one odd question from Spider-Man: No Way Home; why Wong insisted Doctor Strange's memory spell was dangerous, and yet simply went on his way. His objection was presumably perfunctory at best, based largely on objecting to Doctor Strange's abusing his magic for a friend (and, in truth, probably in part deciding to cast the Runes of Kof-Kol because he wanted to show off). Wong likely considered this an abuse of magic, and perhaps even remembered Mordo's argument that all magic exacts a price. He likely had no idea the memory spell could go quite so catastrophically wrong - or he'd have chosen to shut it down. Doctor Strange's frustration with Spider-Man may in part may have been motivated by irritation that a common spell had nearly destroyed the world.

The MCU's multiverse appears to be perception-based, meaning memory spells affect the nature of reality. Even Doctor Strange has been forced to admit the multiverse is a concept about which the Masters of the Mystic Arts know frighteningly little, and their actions therefore risk causing damage on a scale they have shown no sign of understanding. It's unclear whether She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 5 takes place before Spider-Man: No Way Home or shortly after; hopefully it's before, and the sorcerers have decided to stop using the Runes of Kof-Kol. That would, however, mean the Masters of the Mystic Arts can never again be as secretive as they were in Doctor Strange.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law releases new episodes on Thursdays on Disney+.

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