Rumor alert: A scooper says Marvel is casting Emily Bright and Doyle Dormammu, the son of Doctor Strange's archenemy, as the leads of Strange Academy. Marvel hasn't confirmed it, and the project has been on pause since February 2025.
Marvel's school for teen sorcerers may be taking attendance again. At least, that's the rumor.
Scooper James Mack reports that Marvel Studios' Strange Academy has found its leads: Emily Bright as the protagonist and Doyle Dormammu as the co-protagonist. Marvel hasn't announced any casting. It hasn't even confirmed the project is back on.
Mack shared the scoop on his Patreon, and The Comics Show posted it on X. When a follower asked about Emily's role, Mack replied, "yup, protagonist." He labeled Doyle "Co-Protagonist" in a separate post.
SuperHeroHype reported that Marvel is in the early stages of casting. ComicBook.com, describing the same scoop, said Marvel wants an actress for each role. If that's right, Doyle, a boy in the comics, would be played by a girl. Mack's own posts don't mention Doyle's gender.
Here's the catch. Deadline reported in February 2025 that Marvel had paused development on Strange Academy. By our math, that's about 21 months of near silence before this week's report.
What is Strange Academy?
It's a Marvel Comics series by writer Skottie Young and artist Humberto Ramos. Issue No. 1 hit shelves March 4, 2020.
The setup: Magic has gotten dangerous, so Doctor Strange finally opens a school for young sorcerers in New Orleans. Doctor Voodoo, Jericho Drumm, runs the place day to day while Strange stays hands-off. Think Hogwarts, but with beignets.
Students come from all over the Marvel map, including Asgard, Jotunheim and Limbo. The first run lasted 18 issues. The class later came back for Strange Academy: Finals and a set of one-shots with Miles Morales, Moon Knight and Spider-Man.
Who are Emily Bright and Doyle Dormammu?
They're the two students the comic leans on most.
Emily Bright: She's had huge magical power since she was a baby, including the ability to hold off death, Marvel says. She enrolls to understand her gifts and to stay safe.
Doyle Dormammu: He's the son of Dormammu, Doctor Strange's archenemy and ruler of the Dark Dimension. Yes, the giant floating face Benedict Cumberbatch kept bargaining with in 2016's Doctor Strange. Doyle has his dad's power. The big question is whether he follows his dad's example.
In the comics, Doyle is also Emily's love interest. ComicBook.com guessed a gender swap would turn that into a friendship. That's speculation stacked on a rumor, so file it accordingly.
Other classmates include Shaylee Moonpeddle, a human and fairy hybrid; Asgardian twins Iric and Alvi; Guslaug, a Frost Giant; Zoe Laveau, a descendant of Marie Laveau; and Calvin Morse, a foster kid who found an enchanted leather jacket.
Is Strange Academy coming to Disney+?
Nobody official will say. Marvel was developing it as a Disney+ series, with Benedict Wong's Wong set to oversee the New Orleans school, Deadline reported in 2025.
It was never officially greenlit. Marvel paused it in February 2025, along with Nova and Terror Inc., as the studio moved toward fewer and cheaper TV shows.
Since then, scoopers have floated a few formats. Daniel Richtman said Marvel considered a movie. Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus said it's being developed as a "special presentation," like Werewolf by Night. ComicBook.com now thinks it sounds like a feature film.
Marvel's streaming push has cooled in general. Disney+ canceled Wonder Man in July, just months after renewing it. So even if the casting report is right, a Strange Academy series is far from a sure thing.
Didn't Disney already make a magic school show?
Kind of, and it's also in New Orleans. Coven Academy, a non-Marvel series about three teen witches at an elite magic boarding school, premiered Oct. 1 on Freeform and streams on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney+ renewed it for Season 2 in late October.
So if Strange Academy does happen, Disney will have two teen magic schools in the same city. Somebody should check the zoning.
Until Marvel says something, consider Emily and Doyle's enrollment pending.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
SuperHeroHype (Nov. 3, 2026), James Mack's report, the casting stage and the Perez and Richtman format reports
ComicBook.com (Nov. 3, 2026), Mack's posts on X and the actress casting detail
Marvel.com (Sept. 7, 2020), the comic's premise, students and creators
/Film (Feb. 20, 2025), Deadline's report on the development pause and Wong's planned role
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