Why Is Wong Still Sorcerer Supreme and Not Doctor Strange?

One of the things we learned in Spider-Man: No Way Home is that Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme, a title that Doctor Strange holds in the comics after the death of the Ancient One. However, in the MCU, it was only during the events of No Way Home that it was confirmed that it was indeed Wong that held the title. Meanwhile, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wong is still Sorcerer Supreme and used his role to rally the other masters of the mystic arts against Scarlet Witch. So, why is Wong still Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Wong is still Sorcerer Supreme because he has proven himself to be capable of handling that role. He was the best sorcerer during the time when Strange and some of the other masters of the mystic arts were gone after the snap. Since then, he has established himself as a good leader that can carry the position well.

While a lot of people thought that Wong being the Sorcerer Supreme was a joke, considering that it was a funny moment in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he has actually proven that he is the best one for that role after his leadership feats in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While we don’t know if the Sorcerer Supreme is a lifetime role, let’s try to make this a more meaningful discussion.

Why Is Wong Still Sorcerer Supreme?

When the first Doctor Strange movie concluded, one of the things that people thought was that the titular character himself was on his way to becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, especially after the death of the Ancient One and after Strange defeated Dormammu to keep Earth safe from the wrath of the Dark Dimension being. For many years, people actually believed that Strange was the Sorcerer Supreme, although none of the MCU movies ever mentioned who was the new Sorcerer Supreme.

It was only in Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 that it was confirmed that Doctor Strange was never the Sorcerer Supreme after the death of the Ancient One. Instead, the title went to Wong, the grumpy Kamar-Taj librarian that Strange established a love-hate relationship with ever since the first movie.

Wong becoming the Sorcerer Supreme was something that Strange was comedically bitter of. In No Way Home, he dismissed Wong’s qualification as something that came out of a technicality because Strange and probably a lot of other masters of the mystic arts were snapped by Thanos during the five-year gap between Infinity War and Endgame.

Take note that the Sorcerer Supreme title is given to the most powerful master of the mystic arts, and that’s why the Ancient One held the title for hundreds of years during her 500-year lifespan. It could be possible that Wong did indeed earn the role during the time when he was the only one powerful enough to become Sorcerer Supreme right after Thanos snapped half of the universe away.

But while it has been a few movies since Doctor Strange returned from the snap, it still is quite interesting to look at the fact that Wong is still the Sorcerer Supreme. This becomes even more glaring if you realize that Strange himself had a huge role in Thanos’ defeat. So, why is Wong still the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?

As mentioned, Wong was probably the strongest sorcerer during the time when probably half of the masters of the mystic arts were snapped away by Thanos. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, he stressed the fact that the Sorcerer Supreme had a lot of different responsibilities in his hands, and that was something that was obvious during the events of Doctor Strange 2.

When America Chavez was under the threat of the Scarlet Witch, Wong assembled an army of masters of the mystic arts in Kamar-Taj to try to counter Wanda Maximoff’s incredible powers. While assembling the army, the other sorcerers showed a level of respect that Doctor Strange never gave Wong, as we came to understand that all of the other masters of the mystic arts respected and recognized his prowess as a sorcerer and as the leader of all of the sorcerers on the planet.

Of course, Wong proved himself to be capable of defending the planet as the Sorcerer Supreme when he played a huge role in the team effort that defeated Scarlet Witch at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

In that regard, Wong is still Sorcerer Supreme because he earned the role and has proven himself capable of handling the responsibilities that go with it. It’s probably true that he isn’t as strong, as smart, or as talented as Doctor Strange. But he has the leadership capabilities that are required from a Sorcerer Supreme. On top of that, Wong isn’t as reckless as Strange is, as he has proven that he is more cautious with his approach in handling different crises.

Finally, at the end of the movie, Strange finally recognized Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme when he gave him a bow—something that he never did before. In that regard, even Strange himself understood that Wong was always credible and capable enough to handle his leadership position.

Why Isn’t Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme?

While Wong has already proven himself to be strong and worthy enough to handle the role of the Sorcerer Supreme, there might be those who are wondering why Doctor Strange hasn’t earned that role after he returned during the events of Endgame.

For starters, there is a good chance that he hasn’t proven himself more capable than Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme. We don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes but Wong did say that being Sorcerer Supreme comes with a lot of responsibilities. As such, while Strange may have performed feats of heroism, Wong might have performed duties and responsibilities that we don’t know about but are more than enough to prove that he still is deserving of his role as the Sorcerer Supreme.

There is also the possibility that Strange hasn’t earned the same kind of respect that Wong has. Doctor Strange can be somewhat of a polarizing personality in the sense that either love him or hate him. However, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we saw how well Wong commanded the respect of the other masters of the mystic arts. As such, if being the Sorcerer Supreme is not only a measure of strength but also popularity among the other sorcerers, it might be possible that the other sorcerers simply favor Wong over Strange.

Is The Sorcerer Supreme A Lifetime Role?

Another interesting topic to wonder about is the Sorcerer Supreme role itself and how long a person holds onto it. We are not privy to the constitution or the rule sand regulations that the masters of the mystic arts follow in relation to how the group is being governed. After all, Strange himself became the protector of the New York sanctum just after the events of the first Doctor Strange movie, even though he hasn’t been a sorcerer for a long time. In that regard, is the Sorcerer Supreme a lifetime role?

There is nothing that would suggest whether or not the Sorcerer Supreme is a lifetime role because, in the MCU, we only know of two people who have held on to that role. The first one is the Ancient One, who held the role for hundreds of years on account of the fact that she was able to live for 500 years. And during her 500-year lifespan, there was probably no one strong enough or more qualified to handle the Sorcerer Supreme role.

In that regard, we would like to believe that the Sorcerer Supreme role is something that a sorcerer holds for as long as they are capable of doing so. What that means is that, if there would come a time when a master of the mystic arts is no longer strong or capable enough to handle the responsibilities that come with being the Sorcerer Supreme, then that might warrant the need for a new one. 

Will Doctor Strange Become Sorcerer Supreme?

We are not sure whether or not Doctor Strange will eventually become Sorcerer Supreme because the ending of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggests that he had already recognized Wong’s role as the leader of the masters of the mystic arts. Of course, there’s also the fact that the events of the film suggests that he might have to wait for a while before he could become the Sorcerer Supreme.

At the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange awakened a third eye that could be the result of him flirting with dark magic, something that the Ancient One used to extend her lifespan and continue protecting the planet from dark forces. A lot of sorcerers were turned off by the fact that she used dark magic, and the fact that Strange himself did the same might be something that won’t help his cause as a future Sorcerer Supreme.

Then there’s the fact that he tagged along with Clea on a mission that may well be far from the planet or from universe-616. As such, he might take on responsibilities that will keep him away from his initial responsibility as the protector of the New York sanctum. And if he can’t assume his responsibilities as the protector of a sanctum, he might not be able to handle the responsibilities that come with being the Sorcerer Supreme.

Considering that Wong himself said that being Sorcerer Supreme comes with a lot of responsibilities, then it might be possible that Strange won’t be able to handle such responsibilities when he is taking on responsibilities that can affect the universe or the fate of the multiverse itself. This is why he might not assume the role of Sorcerer Supreme anytime soon.