Stephen had hoped to find his counterpart in this universe, only to discover that this version of Doctor Strange had died during the battle against Thanos.
America asked curiously, "If you died in this world, then who's the Sorcerer Supreme?"
In their own universe, after Stephen had been snapped away, Wong had taken on the title of Sorcerer Supreme. So, logically, it should be Wong here too, right?
But on screen, a Black man appeared.
Stephen's expression darkened instantly. "Mordo…"
Off-screen, Stephen gave a wry smile. "Ha, so he finally got what he wanted, huh?"
In one of the earlier quiz videos showing glimpses of the future, it was revealed that after the Ancient One's death, Mordo had left Kamar-Taj. Back then, he had clearly shown distrust toward Stephen—bordering on outright hostility.
Of course, after those future videos came to light, the Ancient One put Mordo through a series of trials to resolve the doubts in his heart, hoping to keep him from going down a dark path.
Privately, Stephen and Mordo had always had a complicated relationship—part rivals, part allies. Stephen knew all too well how much Mordo coveted the title of Sorcerer Supreme. Even when those future clips had more or less "designated" Stephen as the next Sorcerer Supreme, Mordo hadn't changed course. He continued competing with Stephen, headstrong as ever.
While the Ancient One was still around, their rivalry remained healthy. The two developed a love-hate dynamic of sorts.
Back in the video, however, Stephen was visibly on guard. America asked, "You know him?"
Stephen replied gravely, "Yeah. He was the first one to take me to Kamar-Taj."
The mysterious girl nodded. "That's not so bad."
Stephen added, "He later tried to kill me. Willing to die just to do it."
America's face fell instantly.
Mordo approached them, his expression serious. "I've always imagined this day would come—because you're always so suspicious."
Tension crackled in the air. It felt like a fight could break out at any second.
But then Mordo suddenly smiled. "My brother, come, tell me all about your universe." He opened his arms for a hug, signaling peace.
Stephen blinked in surprise, then smiled too and stepped forward to embrace him.
At that moment, the video paused and a new question appeared on the light screen:
[Which of the following mysterious organizations does Mordo belong to?]
[A: The Avengers
B: The Illuminati
C: Hydra
D: S.H.I.E.L.D]
Stephen cracked his neck and said, "Since Mordo replaced me—or rather, replaced Wong—as the Sorcerer Supreme, I'd guess he joined the Avengers?"
Pietro gave him a side glance. "This isn't our universe. What if the Avengers don't even exist here?"
Peter chimed in, "What's the Illuminati? I've heard of the other three groups, but not this one."
Stephen crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "As far as I know… it's kind of like the Avengers. A group made up of powerful heroes, formed to face threats to the universe—sometimes even beyond the universe. But don't quote me on that. My info might not be reliable."
He'd spoken with other Sorcerer Supremes from across the multiverse before, and learned quite a bit from them. One of the things that came up was the Illuminati—apparently, a version of him in another universe had been a member.
Still, his main focus back then had been magical knowledge, so he hadn't dug deep into that topic.
Pietro thought it over and said, "Let's go with B, then. The unfamiliar option is probably the right one."
Stephen nodded in agreement.
So, as soon as the countdown began, they hit the buzzer first, and confidently chose B.
On the other side, Erik, Charles, and Logan also chose B. In truth, they weren't really familiar with any of the options. They just made a lucky guess—and it turned out to be correct.
Team B answered first and correctly, earning 4 points each. Team A also chose correctly, gaining 1 point each.
Stephen let out a breath. "So Mordo is with the Illuminati… I guess that means he's on our side. But honestly, even though he acts all warm and friendly in the video, I still feel like he's gonna stab us in the back."
Pietro shrugged. "You're just paranoid. Everyone looks like a villain to you."
Stephen shook his head. "I used to think I was just being overly suspicious. But after spending time with Nick Fury and Bruce, I realized I'm actually the normal one."
As they talked, they waited for the video to resume—but instead, another question popped up:
[Which of the following is not a member of the Illuminati?]
[A: Charles Xavier
B: Spider-Man
C: Captain Marvel
D: Doctor Strange]
Pietro grinned. "That's an easy one. Gotta be A. He's nothing like the other three."
Stephen frowned. "I don't know… maybe it's B? From what I've heard, the Illuminati has pretty strict entry standards. Peter—don't take this the wrong way—but you're still a bit too immature for something like that. You get what I mean?"
Peter didn't seem offended. He looked at Stephen with curiosity. "Mr. Strange, is the Illuminati really that powerful? How do they compare to the Avengers?"
"Well… I don't know all the details. But from what I remember, Tony was one of the members. This group only takes in the best—richest, smartest, strongest… basically people who stand out in their field. And they're super secretive. Their goals and methods are also different from the Avengers, so it's not easy to compare."
Stephen scratched his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure how to answer this one."
Stephen leaned toward B, while Pietro still believed it was A. In the end, Peter cast his vote for Stephen's choice, saying with a bit of embarrassment, "I don't think I'm qualified to join something like the Illuminati."
Two votes to one—they went with B.