While the spell-slinging Zelma Stanton only just made her on-screen MCU debut in the Ironheart finale, the character has already teamed up with Tom Holland's Spider-Man at Disney's Avengers Campus parks. Stanton arrived on the scene in Ironheart's final few episodes, joining Riri Williams' team to take down the dastardly hood. Played by Regan Aliyah, the new MCU character is a long-standing magic user in Marvel comics, sporting a powerset similar to Doctor Strange as well as the genius intellect of someone like Peter Parker.
Zelma Stanton was one of the most exciting MCU additions to Marvel Television's Ironheart series (only trounced by the evil Mephisto); however, eagle-eyed Marvel fans may have noticed that this is not the first time the character has been associated with something Marvel Studios-related.
As pointed out by Disney Parks fan Peyton Liebler in the wake of the Ironheart finale, Zelma's name has actually already appeared at Marvel's Avengers Campus at various parks around the world.
Zelma supposedly teamed up with Tom Holland's Peter Parker at the Avengers Campus W.E.B. lab in the in-park canon. Her name appeared on the "Web Tech Mystic Amplifier Attachment" wearable toy, which was available for purchase on Avengers Campus starting in 2022.
Zelma's name can be seen on the back of the pox of the Magic Band attachment, saying, "Invented by: Zelma Stanton."
The "Web Tech Mystic Amplifier Attachment" can be used in the WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure attraction, changing the typical web shots thrown out by guests and adding a mystic flair with a bit of Doctor Strange-esque magic.
While Avengers Campus notably does not take place within the MCU canon, this means that Zelma and Peter Parker have crossed paths before (at least in the mythos of the Disney Parks).
This Zelma mention is just one of many Marvel-themed Easter eggs at each of the Avengers Campus parks, which include references to Miles Morales, Squirrel Girl, and many other yet-to-hit-the-MCU heroes.
Regan Aliyah's Zelma Stanton joins forces with the enterprising Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in Disney+'s Ironheart, as Williams seeks to become an iconic armored hero like Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. The new streaming series follows Thorne's teenage mega-genius after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In Chicago, Riri is forced to reckon with some nefarious forces in Anthony Ramos' criminal kingpin, The Hood. All six episodes of the new series are streaming now on Disney+, with the future of the Ironheart character unknown going forward.
What Does Zelma's MCU Future Look Like?
Now that Zelma has made her on-screen debut in the MCU, eyes will begin to look to the horizon, wondering about what the future holds for this spunky spell-slinger.
The streaming series ended with a now-disgraced Hood arriving at Zelma's family confectionery, asking for magical help. He told her he needed some "supreme-like help" with his next supernatural pursuit.
This seemingly sets up Zelma's future in the franchise, as she could lead something like a Strange Academy project where she can further train in mastering the mystic arts.
A Strange Academy series was, at one point, on the books at Marvel Studios, which would have made a lot of sense to have been led by Zelma; however, that is no longer the case, as Marvel Studios has shelved Strange Academy along with two other streaming shows in recent months.
Perhaps the character could come back in whatever Marvel has planned for a third Doctor Strange movie, or maybe even in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film—a project in which Riri Williams star Dominique Thorne has played coy about appearing previously.
