Marvel Comics’ new Strange Academy series is too good a concept for the MCU to ignore. Every now and again, Marvel Comics hits upon an idea that immediately excites the fandom, and seems to be absolutely filled with promise and potential. That’s the case with Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos’ Strange Academy, which is essentially the story of Marvel’s version of Hogwarts.

Magic has returned to the Marvel Comics universe, but it has done so in a warped form that means every mystic is having to relearn their sorcery. As such, Doctor Strange has decided it’s time to be Headmaster of the Mystic Arts, and found Strange Academy; a school for magic based in New Orleans. He’s recruited other prominent witches and wizards as staff, notably Brother Voodoo, the Ancient One, Scarlet Witch, Magik, and Daimon Helstrom. Frankly, the idea is so inspired that it’s a miracle Marvel Comics hasn’t done this decades ago, and they’ve undoubtedly picked a winning combination in Young and Ramos.

No doubt Marvel Studios will be watching this with interest. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently gained a new title; Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. That means he has oversight on creative, editorial, and narrative decisions across all mediums - ranging from television to the comics themselves. While it’s unclear how much that new role will lead to changes at Marvel Comics, one thing’s for sure; Feige is perfectly placed to hear about upcoming ideas, and consider adapting them for the MCU. And this is absolutely perfect.

The Masters of the Mystic Arts Are Relatively Undeveloped

In Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange found his way to the hidden mystical city of Kamar-Taj, where the Ancient One was training sorcerers to act in defense of the world as the so-called “Masters of the Mystic Arts.” There were dozens of these magical warriors, and though the Ancient One taught them certain skills by rote, it’s highly likely that each member has their own individual specialisms. There’s actually some evidence that Marvel originally intended the Masters of the Mystic Arts to play a slightly more prominent role; actress Linda Louise Duan was chosen for a background role of Tina Minoru in part because of her martial arts skills, and has noted that some of her scenes were cut. It’s likely because every film can only have a certain run-time, and Marvel also naturally have to focus on the arcs of the main characters.

And yet, the Masters of the Mystic Arts could be used to introduce any number of sorcerous characters. Doctor Strange quietly prepared the way for the introduction of Brother Voodoo, Strange’s successor as Sorcerer Supreme in the comics; he’s well known for the ability to commune with the dead, and is typically guided by the ghost of his brother Daniel, who appeared in Doctor Strange and was killed by Kaecilius. Magik is one of the X-Men, a powerful sorceress who’s tied to the Hellish dimension of Limbo. Nico Minoru is one of the Runaways, renowned for wielding the Staff of One, and she could conceivably jump from Marvel Television into the MCU or else (more likely) be rebooted. These are just a handful of the characters who could conceivably make their way into the MCU via the Masters of the Mystic Arts, but are unlikely to do so via the big screen.

A Strange Academy Disney+ Show Would Be The Perfect Solution

Strange Academy is the perfect solution, and it could easily be translated into a Disney+ TV series. Marvel’s Disney+ shows are short, studio-budget TV series that are designed to tie directly into the movies. Marvel is using this format to continue the stories of some heroes, such as Falcon and Loki, or to introduce new characters like Moon Knight and Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel. Handled well, a Strange Academy series could be set principally in Kamar-Taj, reusing and extending sets from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it could allow an opportunity for Marvel to introduce a whole class of sorcerous students.

It’s hard not to draw comparisons between Strange Academy and the Harry Potter franchise. Where the Doctor Strange movies focus on the most prominent members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, essentially the MCU’s faculty, Strange Academy could focus on the students. The best approach would be to establish a single “class” of characters who are learning together, albeit in the very distinctive Marvel way rather than practicing Transfiguration and taking broomstick lessons. While there could easily be an overarching narrative - say, one of the students dabbling in the dark arts and threatening reality - it would probably be best for each episode to focus upon a different character. As a result, when the Strange Academy series has come to an end, viewers would be familiar with a whole range of members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Some could crop up in further Doctor Strange films, and others could head off into the real world once their training was complete, perhaps appearing in other Disney+ shows or even movies. Marvel could carefully monitor audience reaction on social media, figuring out which of the new characters resonated the best with viewers, and they could gradually move those to a place of greater prominence in the MCU.

Conceptually, this is the perfect way to help develop Doctor Strange’s corner of the MCU. Until now, the Masters of the Mystic Arts have basically been interchangeable background characters, lacking any depth; Marvel didn’t even bother to recruit the same stunt actors to portray Masters in Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame. But the Strange Academy concept would allow the Masters of the Mystic Arts to matter to the MCU’s overarching narrative.

Strange Academy would also neatly resolve another issue; in an odd way, magic can be quite limiting as a narrative concept. That’s because absolutely anything is possible with magic, and as a result it’s hard for viewers to truly get a sense of risk; this has been a major issue in some Doctor Strange comics, where writers have unwittingly written themselves into a corner and then had Strange put the cosmos to rights with a wave of his hands and a muttered incantation. Strange Academy would prevent this, because it would allow Marvel to establish the “rules” of magic in the MCU, meaning viewers would be able to understand what’s at stake and what can and cannot be done with magic.

More: How Mordo Can Still Fit Into Doctor Strange 2

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