“Got those mind maggots stuck”: Regan Aliyah confirms Zelma Stanton’s backstory in Ironheart

Ironheart Episode 4, "Bad Magic", introduced us to the mysterious Zelma Stanton, played by actress Regan Aliyah. It is revealed that Riri's mother, Ronnie's friend Madeline, and her daughter Zelma Stanton are magic users in the MCU. We meet Madeline briefly in the first episode, "Take Me Home", as a woman who believes in crystals.

While Madeline may not give a great impression at first, it is to be noted that the fourth episode shockingly reveals that she was a student at Kamar-Taj, the same place where Doctor Strange was trained. It is in the same episode of Ironheart that we meet Zelma, who, like her mother, also uses magic and is quite adept at it. It is because of her impressive talents that she even works with Doctor Strange in the comics.

While viewers believed that Zelma's history with Doctor Strange would play out after the six-episode Disney+ miniseries, it looks like that might not be the case. That's because actress Regan Aliyah was recently interviewed by Digital Spy on July 2, 2025.

In the interview, she confirmed that Zelma had already encountered Doctor Strange in the MCU before the events of the show. She said:

"I think a lot of comic fans will realise that even when she's talking to Riri and Riri's Mom, there's a point where she grabs this jar and she's like, 'Hey, don't touch that. Once those get in your brain, they're kind of hard to get out.'"

"That’s showing that her backstory has already happened, which is she got those mind maggots stuck in her head and then she goes to Doctor Strange and he helps her get them out. So she’s already meddling. She already knows this man."

Ironheart's Zelma Stanton’s history with Doctor Strange explained:

Zelma was introduced in Doctor Strange #1, which was published in October 2015. Written by Jason Aaron, Zelma's first appearance in the series saw her struggling with mind maggots in her brain. In that story, Doctor Strange manages to get them out of her brain. Sometimes later, Strange offers Zelma the position of librarian in the Sanctum Sanctorum, which she accepts.

Zelma Stanton would later go on to play a role in the Strange Academy comics as she is a part of the faculty. The post-credit scene of the Ironheart finale may be setting up a Strange Academy project, which was reportedly put on hold early this year. This scene has some fans hoping that the Strange Academy show or movie might just be put on hold and not canceled.

Other than confirming Zelma's connection with Doctor Strange, the actress also addressed Zelma's future in the yet-to-be-confirmed Ironheart Season 2.

Regan Aliyah addresses her character's future:

As of now, Ironheart has not been officially renewed for a second season, but the surprisingly warmer reception to the series points towards a chance of getting renewed for season 2. When asked about the future of her character, Aliyah responded that if there was indeed a second season, her character would need someone to serve as a voice of caution. The actress's exact words were:

"If we do get a Season 2, or if this is gonna connect to something else in the future, I don't think homegirl is gonna stray too far without somebody reeling her back in and be like, 'You don't know what you're doing right now.'"

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Watch Regan Aliyah's interpretation of Zelma in Ironheart, which is streaming on Disney+.

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