What If…?: What’s hidden in plain sight in episode 4
By Mike McNulty
The Vishanti
Right before Doctor Strange goes off to face Strange Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong) inscribes various protection spells onto Strange’s body which he describes as “the Wards of Vishanti.” In Doctor Strange canon, Vishanti isn’t the name of a particular person; it is the title granted to three persons, the original guardians of Earth and the source of all magic.
Also known as the “Those Who Sit Above,” the Vishanti consists of Oshtur, Hoggoth, and Agamotto. Oshtur is one of the Elder Gods, along with Gaea (the Greek Goddess of Earth), Set (Egyptian God synonymous with Set, who, in the comics, is depicted as a giant serpent and also featured in Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories), and Chthon (the same guy who authored the Darkhold and the first practitioner of Chaos Magic). She goes by Ishtar, one of the goddess of ancient Sumeria, and, apparently, may have a connection to another Marvel superhero, Ororo Monroe, a.k.a. Storm of the X-Men.
Hoggoth is, apparently, the last survivor of an alien race who, apparently, was also one the Elder Gods of his people. If, by people, you mean a race of bipedal, tiger-like humanoids. He and Osthur met while she spent centuries galivanting across the universe, and decided to travel along with her.
As for Agamotto, he was born from one of Oshtur’s teardrops after she watched a group of children playing. And yes, the name definitely should sound familiar, as this is whom Doctor Strange’s Eye of Agamotto is named after. You may also recall from watching Doctor Strange that Agamotto was Earth’s very first Sorcerer Supreme and the architect of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Moreover, recent comics reveal he was a member of the very first team of Avengers, which included Odin, the first Black Panther, the first Iron Fist, the first Ghost Rider, the first human to possess the Phoenix Force (from the X-Men comics), and the second person to possess the power of great cosmic energy known as the “Starbrand.”
One other thing about the Vishanti. The large window on the Sanctum Sanctorum is the Vishanti’s symbol, with the circular pattern and crosshatch itself dubbed the “Seal of Vishanti.”