Wong

A master of martial arts and trained in sorcery, Wong maintains the Sanctum Sanctorum where he acts as occult curator, mystical guardian, guide, martial arts instructor, and insatiable adventurer. But his foremost duty is to aid and protect Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme.

A Sense of Duty

Born in Kamar-Taj, Tibet, Wong grows up with a hard man for a father, Hamir the Hermit, AKA Wong. Hamir passes on the importance of their family’s solemn duty, to protect Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, even if it means his own life should come second. 

It all began centuries ago with Wong’s ancestor, a warrior-monk named Kan. Kan devotes his life to helping mages who serve the cause of good and all subsequent descendants form an order in Kamar-Taj that helps the long-lived Yao, AKA Ancient One, Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme.

In recent times and at the age of four, Wong studies his family’s traditions in the world of magic and learns sorcery from the Ancient One. Though, being a child, Wong’s favorite pastime is to read about legends of dragons, such as the infamous extraterrestrial Fin Fang Foom.

Upon reaching adulthood, Yao sends Wong to the U.S. to aid his successor Dr. Stephen Strange, AKA Doctor Strange at the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York. Wong maintains the Sanctum while sparring with Strange in martial arts to keep both their skills fresh.

Master Martial Artist

Wong is an expert in Kamar-Taj’s martial arts, including the use of weapons, such as the bo staff and the mystical Quill of Genoe. Wong is also skilled in herbalist medicine.

Although not a mystic right away, Wong trains to recite various magical incantations needed to perform duties within the Sanctum Sanctorum. Likewise, he has extensive experience wielding mystical totems. Over the years, he becomes a formidable sorcerer, producing force fields that hold up against hellfire and calling upon other supernatural and superhuman heroes when in need. Wong also possesses a strategic mind, able to outsmart even the cleverest of demon lords.

Forces of Evil

The egomaniacal sorcerer Baron Karl Mordo, AKA Baron Mordo, tricks Wong into helping him by impersonating Strange until Strange reclaims his identity. This enemy is the first of many that Wong goes up against in the battle to protect Earth and its Sorcerer Supreme. Other dark forces include the malevolent cosmic being Dormammu of the Dark Dimension, demons such as Zom, the Lilin, Sligguth, and the Monarch of Evil himself, Mephisto.

Mystical Allies

At the age of 10, Wong’s parents arrange his betrothal to Imei Chang, the unborn daughter of another Tibetan couple. Wong’s respect for his family’s tradition shines through when he later chooses Imei over his colleague and potential love interest Sara Wolfe.

Many years later, Imei becomes a loyal ally against the forces of darkness, supporting Wong at the Sanctum until she meets a sad end when slain by Lilin Sister Nil. However, Wong’s devotion to his fiancé continues when he partners with the ancient Salomé to save her soul, who bonds it to the demoness Xaos. Wong cares for Xaos as if she were Imei.

Wong’s closest colleague and best friend is Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. While he starts as Strange’s aide, Wong often teams up with him against evil forces, and they have each other’s backs at every turn. Over time, Wong learns Strange isn’t always the best at concocting plans (something they both laugh over) and occasionally disagrees with his friend. One ethical disagreement leads Wong to strike out on his own. But when Strange needs help, Wong comes to his aid, even if it’s begrudgingly at first.

Wong also helps the heroic Avengers, The Defenders, and the X-Men. He even rallies a rag-tag team of the Midnight Sons, which includes Ben Reilly, AKA Scarlet Spider, to keep dark forces at bay.

Furthermore, Wong allies with Strange’s wife and apprentice, the Dark Dimension sorcerer Clea, who eventually takes up the mantle of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. Wong helps Clea navigate her new role and battle mystical threats.

Fighting the Good Fight 

When Strange was kidnapped by human worshipers of the demonic Dormammu, Wong helped hide Strange’s astral form within himself. Working with Clea, Wong located Strange’s newest allies Namor McKenzie, AKA Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk, of the Defenders. Together, they saved Strange and reunited his astral form with his body.

Thereafter, Wong helped Strange and the Defenders as the team often met at the Sanctum. Wong and Clea also helped Strange on his adventures, such as the time when he journeyed to Starkesboro, Massachusetts to confront the worshipers of the demon Sligguth. The Ancient One soon died, making Strange the Sorcerer Supreme.

Soon afterward, Dormmamu and the Asgardian mischief god Loki Laufeyson vied for the Evil Eye artifact, and duped both the Avengers and the Defenders. When the Avengers invaded the Sanctum, Wong stalled them but was bested by Mantis.

Wong was later attacked by the vampire lord Dracula and nearly became a vampire, but Strange magically suspended the vampirism and purged Wong of its effects.

When Wong and Clea tried to aid Strange against the Creators sorcerers cabal, they witnessed the creation of an alternate reality where animal-like people took humanity’s place. The temporarily resurrected Ancient One aided Wong, Strange, and Clea in restoring the universe to normal.

Later, the N’Garai worshipping Lords of the Golden Dragon recognized Wong as Kan’s descendant and kidnapped him, sending him to Kaichek for a confrontation with the Shadowqueen. Clea and Strange pursued Wong and aided Silver Fox, the last wizard king, against the Shadowqueen who threatened to overwhelm them until Wong shot her with an arrow. Because Wong resembled Kan, however, the Shadowqueen could not bring herself to kill him, and Strange drove the N’Garai from her, allowing her to die in peace. Immediately afterward, the N’Garai manifested in the Sanctum Sanctorum, briefly seizing Wong as a host, but Strange drove the N’Garai back and restored Wong to normal.

Wong soon clashed with Strange’s newly hired business manager, Sara Wolfe, over duties he typically managed but they soon formed a bond. Sara recognized a mutual attraction, but in his thoughts, Wong was reminded of his pledge to marry Imei and respectfully rejected Sara.

Wong and Strange’s ally Topaz were soon captured by the extraterrestrial sorcerer Urthona, who sought to claim Strange’s powers and artifacts. When Strange rescued his friends, Urthona gravely injured Wong. Desperate to stop Urthona, Strange unleashed power that seemingly destroyed all of his mystical artifacts, causing a dangerous imbalance in magical power. Surviving Urthona’s mutilation, Wong was healed by the empathic Topaz. With dark magic forces threatening his friends, Strange tried to protect them by casting a spell that made everyone think he had died battling the Beyonder. Wong and Sara became the directors of the Sanctum Sanctorum, dubbed the Stephen Strange Memorial Institute, and had their memories of Strange’s adventures removed from their minds.

Imei soon came to Manhattan to be with Wong and started work at the Institute. When Strange reconciled the magic forces, he restored the Sanctum Sanctorum and Wong and Sara’s memories to normal, resuming their previous relationships. Imei remained at the Sanctum, aiding Wong. Once, they helped Strange against the “Zomling” remnant of the demon Zom when it ran loose in the Sanctum.

Strange then lost his status as Sorcerer Supreme after refusing to aid his mystical patrons in the War of the Seven Spheres, but Wong stuck by his side despite his mystical demotion. Wong next helped Strange against Victor Strange, AKA Baron Blood, who was Strange’s out-of-control vampiric brother. While possessed by Strange’s astral form, Wong wore Strange’s first Cloak of Levitation and lesser Amulet of Agamotto. When Baron Blood was destroyed, Strange relinquished his hold over Wong.

Later, while Strange attempted to block the Sanctum from an invasion of demonic Lilin, his power was stretched to its peak and it led to Imei’s death at the hands of Lilin Sister Nil. Grief-stricken, Wong blamed Strange for failing to save her. With the ancient Salomé having usurped the role of Sorceress Supreme, Wong offered to aid her against Strange in exchange for saving Imei’s life. Salomé complied by bonding Imei’s soul to the demoness Xaos. Wong cared for Xaos as though she were Imei. During this time, Strange splintered himself into three beings, one of which, Vincent Stevens, had become head of Tempo, a company bartering magic as a commodity. Wong captured Stevens for Salomé so she could interrogate him for information on the real Strange.

Strange soon bested Salomé and began to repair his life, divesting himself of his duplicates. Strange was left in charge of Tempo and recruited Wong as his CEO, promising to help Wong with Imei. Unfortunately, there was nothing left of Imei for Strange to save, her soul having already passed on; Xaos was eliminated, but Imei’s soul brought Wong into a celestial realm between life and death where the couple were able to make a final parting, allowing Imei’s soul to continue on.

Wong and Strange’s journey to this realm allowed the monstrous creature Afterlife to follow them back to Earth, but by harnessing the power of their renewed friendship, they bombarded the creature with goodness, transforming it into its true state—an angelic being.

Wong and Strange shut down Tempo, and Strange soon reclaimed the Sorcerer Supreme mantle, with Wong overseeing the Sanctum. Wong learned new skills to acquire data for Strange by monitoring computers and police radio bands.

When Wong was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, Strange resolved to save his friend, seeking out Oktid’s Elixir, which proved a cure for cancer. However, Dr. Nicodemus West, an old jealous colleague of Strange’s, sent the thief Brigand to steal the elixir, shooting Strange in the process. Wong brought Strange to Linda Carter, AKA Night Nurse, for care, and she joined the duo in pursuing Brigand, West and the elixir. Ultimately, Strange only recovered a drop of the elixir and chose to use it to save Wong’s life.

Night Nurse soon set up shop at the Sanctum, as did Luke Cage’s team of Avengers, who had become outlaws by opposing the Superhuman Registration Act. Wong then encountered his childhood hero Fin Fang Foom and aided the dragon against two warring terrorist Hydra factions.

When the Hulk led an attack on Manhattan, blaming Strange and others for the deaths of his friends and family on the planet Sakaar, Strange took Zom’s essence into himself in an effort to match the Hulk’s strength. Zom was eventually driven out of Strange, and Wong helped the heroes Warren Worthington III, AKA Angel, Heracles, AKA Hercules, Aquaria Neptunia, AKA Namora, and Amadeus Cho, AKA Brawn, recapture the creature. However, possession by Zom weakened Strange, making his magic unpredictable and forcing him to again resign as Sorcerer Supreme, but Wong continued to help his colleague and friend. Wong was even considered as the next Sorcerer Supreme, as seen through the Eye of Agamotto, but his ally Jericho Drumm, AKA Doctor Voodoo, was named instead.

Wong eventually, and reluctantly, accepted a job at the Avengers Mansion after Strange rejoined the team. When incursions by other universes threatened to destroy the Prime Universe where Wong resided, he noticed a change in Strange’s behavior that he didn’t like. Strange was working with the Illuminati and had been tapping into the darkest of magics to gain power and stop the incursions. Wong warned his friend of the costs to his soul, and believed that there was still good in his friend. However, at the 11th hour before the incursion, Strange unleashed an Eldritch Horror that killed the heroes of the world about to crash into Earth. Though Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, stopped Strange, Namor of the Illuminati destroyed the other Earth. Because of Strange’s choices, Wong started to lose faith in him.

When the Empirikul, an interdimensional super-science army, destroyed almost all magic on Earth, Strange and his new ally Zelma Stanton searched the world for any trace of magic. In a temple in the Himalayan Mountains, they found Wong and The Disciples of Strange. Trained by Wong, these disciples paid a steep price for every spell that Strange conjured and suffered for it. Expressing frustration with Wong for having kept this secret, Wong admitted that he wasn’t proud of deceiving his friend but understood that Strange would be dead without it. Strange believed he was above such things, so he knocked Wong out to prevent his interference, and forced everyone to leave. 

Zelma stayed at the temple and believing in magic, she continued to take on Strange’s pain as did many others, including an awakened Wong, to help him in the battle against the Emirikul’s leader, the Imperator. At the Sanctum, Strange joined with the Thing in the Cellar—a monster created from Strange’s own pain and suffering—and he fought the Imperator. Wong, Zelma, and the Disciples supported Strange from afar until he defeated the Empirikul, but it left the world depleted of most magic. Wong continued work at the temple, but instead of disciples that were mortal men, he employed superhumans, like Robert Reynolds, AKA the Sentry, who could handle the cost.

When Strange regained his title of Sorcerer Supreme, Wong ended up assimilated by the Thing in the Cellar, now called Mister Misery. Strange performed an exorcism to separate the two and in taking accountability while causing himself pain, reabsorbed his misery unto himself, freeing Wong.

When Zelma helped Strange track down the last remaining items on Earth that possessed magic, she ended up dying from a mystical poison. Strange insisted they save her using magical food that would change her physiology and make her more like him. Wong took issue with Strange’s methods and refused to be part of it. He then left the Sanctum and embarked on creating a life of his own.

While watching television one evening, Wong received an unusual visitor in the form of Bats the ghost dog, who informed him that Strange needed his help. Wong vehemently refused at first, but Bats relayed that Hell Lord Mephisto had claimed Las Vegas and the Avengers. After hearing what Strange’s hubris had gotten him and the world into, Wong decided to help. Using sorcery, he called upon the Midnight Sons, including the Daywalker vampire slayer Eric Brooks, AKA Blade, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, the living weapon Danny Rand, AKA Iron Fist, the cloaked avenger Marc Spector, AKA Moon Knight (at the time going by Mr. Knight), and the Houngan Supreme Doctor Voodoo, the legendary Ted Sallis, AKA Man-Thing, and the Spirit of Vengeance Johnny Blaze, AKA Ghost Rider. Once Wong got them all into a room, he convinced them to go up against Mephisto and a platoon of his Ghost Riders, which also included a corrupted Strange. 

While the Midnight Sons battled the possessed Avengers, Wong protected himself from the evil Strange until Bats possessed him to keep him busy. Meanwhile, Wong had plotted with Blaze to usurp the throne of Hell while Mephisto was away, so when Mephsito killed Blaze, the former Ghost Rider took over. Not too pleased, the demonic Mephisto opened up the ground below them, taking Wong down to Hell. Man-Thing caught him, but Wong insisted on being let go. Strange watched helplessly as his friend plummeted to the fiery depths, but Wong landed safely thanks to Blaze, the new Lord of Hell. Wong asked another favor of him: to restore Strange’s faith that others would stand by his side. Blaze bestowed upon Strange all the Avengers’ power to help him defeat Mephisto. When the former Hell Lord seemingly gave up, he actually made his escape and Wong returned to the land of the living. Wong and Strange reconciled, and Strange apologized for letting Mephisto get away. However, Wong assured him that Blaze was on top of it.

When a mysterious and magical “accountant” stole the Ancient One’s powers, forcing him back to the mortal plane for help, he also kidnapped Wong, Zelma, and their ally, the arcanologist Pkzkrfmknna, AKA Kanna, as Earth’s collateral. Captured in the accountant’s office, they were soon liberated by Strange. The accountant revealed that Strange had racked up magical debt while drawing magic from the Faltine—the race of monsters led by Dormammu and they arrived on Earth to collect their price.

The Faltine were gigantic, causing massive destruction across New York City. Strange zapped the trio back to the accountant’s office, with instructions to find something unknown. Suddenly, Zelma found the Ancient One’s knowledge of magic in a bauble. They unlocked it and taking in the Ancient One’s centuries of knowledge, the trio entered the fray against the Faltine. Wong grew to monstrous size and battled the enormous Faltine, employing his martial arts skills and taking them down.

But Strange soon learned that the Ancient One’s knowledge was poisoning them and removed it. It then returned to the Ancient One, and he arrived, sending Dormammu and his Faltine packing. Afterward, Wong worried that Dormammu wasn’t the one pulling the strings and had a boss.

One summer, Wong hiked Mount Tai and learned about a beast that feasts on mystical energy. Tucking this information away, Wong remembered when Egor of the Momenstross Clan came knocking on the Sanctum’s door in the guise of an innocent little girl. When Wong turned his back, Egor grew monstrous into its true form. But Wong, ever the prepared protector, had the Quill of Genoe at the ready and with his skills in martial arts, Wong defeated the beast.

After the restoration of magic, Wong taught at Strange’s school for mystically-inclined students, the Strange Academy. In Mystical Defense 101, Wong sparred with fellow teacher and sorceress Ilyana Rasputin, AKA Magik. Though she lost, he taught the students a valuable lesson—that it’s important to know what kind of defense to use against magical attacks.

When Wong found Strange stabbed through the chest, he fell to his knees and sobbed over his friend. Zelma and Doctor Voodoo arrived, as did Baron Mordo and his lackey Kaecilius. Wong lashed out at Mordo, blaming him for Strange's murder, but Zelma and Jericho held him back, unsure of who was responsible for the death of Doctor Strange. Mordo admitted he desired Strange's death but that at his hands, not anyone else's.

Meanwhile, Earth's magical defenses that warded off other-dimensional threats went down with Strange dead, leaving Earth exposed to multiple dimensions that were suddenly invading. But Wong, in his grief, could only argue with Kaecilius. Suddenly Doctor Strange appeared, explaining that he had previously severed one week from his life span and, in so doing, created a temporal remnant to wrap up his affairs.

Clea—the Sorceress of the Purple Dimension and Strange's estranged wife—suddenly fell from the sky and explained that the warlords from other dimensions weren't invading; they were fleeing from the Three Mothers: The Wyrd, The Crown, and the Crawling, who annihilated a million magical beings on their way to Earth so they could feed the apex predator known as the Peregrine Child. The combined might of Wong, the sorcerers, and the Avengers wasn't enough to defeat the threat. When Mordo stole the Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto, Wong joined Clea and Strange at Mordo's castle to take the artifacts back. Surprisingly, Mordo handed them over and suggested someone was trying to frame him. 

Artifacts in hand, the trio returned to the Sanctum, where Strange became overwhelmed by requests coming in from the Avengers. Wong offered to liaise with the Avengers in his stead. Strange eventually solved his future self's murder but needed Wong to join the power of Earth's magicians to cast a spell of binding so that he could confront the killer, Kaecilius, who had stolen Strange's hands and soul for himself. With Wong's help, Strange cast a healing spell that healed his hands and restored the original Doctor Strange for a limited time to defeat the Three Mothers and the Peregrine Child together.

When Clea Strange was named Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Wong spent evenings in the Bar with No Doors. After one late night at the bar, Clea told Wong that she intended to bring Strange back, and he admitted that his heart hurt so much he could barely function, let alone stop her. So he helped her learn about her newfound responsibilities.

Together, they faced a new threat: the Blasphemy Cartel—a gang of ruthless mystics targeting innocent magical refugees and resurrecting dead superhumans known as Revenants and doing it with military precision. When they attacked the city, Wong helped Clea sift through the rubble and healed the injured. Clea transformed into a fiery version of herself and to Wong’s shock, called herself Warlord-born and was ready to go to war. 

In investigating the Cartel and one of their wards, Wong recognized it but couldn’t place it, realizing there was a hole in his memory. Feeling like a failure having lost Doctor Strange, Wong, with Bats the Dog by his side, searched for answers to his memory issue while Clea sought out the Harvestman. Wong started at the Bar with No Doors, where he ordered from the bartender Flickering Jenny, who was apparently cursed with a constantly changing appearance. Wong confided in her about his memory situation, and she recommended that he let it go, but he couldn’t for fear of losing another Strange. Thanks to managing Strange’s correspondence, he reached out to their mutual ally Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow. Natasha helped him understand that the Cartel wasn’t Hydra’s Department of Occult Armaments (D.O.A.), 666 Commando, nor Department X’s Koschei Squad and that the magical underground remained under-governed. She wished him luck and departed. Wong then faced the Lost Boys, gangsters hopped up on Pixie Dust and looking for violence, who told him to stop asking questions. Typically composed, Wong let loose his frustration, grief, rage, and pain on the Lost Boys, fighting them with his fists instead of spells, but still didn’t feel better.

Wong’s next stop was Central Park at the Treehouse of the X-Men. He asked the telepathic Jean Grey, AKA Phoenix, to dig through his memories. With her help, Wong found his missing memory and asked to borrow Mysterium, a powerful antimagic that could break spells. He returned to the Bar with No Doors and tossed the Mysterium to Jenny, breaking her concealment glamour and revealing her true identity. She was Pandora Peters, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Wizardry Alchemy Necromancy Department (W.A.N.D.). Wong demanded to know why he couldn’t remember her nor W.A.N.D. and why the Cartel was using W.A.N.D. tactics and equipment. Peters revealed that the Blasphemy Cartel was, in fact, W.A.N.D. and that they wanted her dead. 

Wong returned to the Sanctum with Peters to find the Harvestman was actually Stephen Strange, who had a contract with Death. Wong happily embraced his returned friend, and introduced Peters to their war council. Peters revealed that the Cartel, led by Director None, had wiped everyone’s memories to take over the magical underground. But None had sent their Revenant Prime, Sentry, to deal with the Sorcerers. Clea and Strange merged their magical energies and defeated the Sentry and None. Having fulfilled his bargain with Death, she restored him to life. With the Stranges reunited, Wong continued teaching the students at the Strange Academy.