Doctor Strange 2 Star Benedict Wong Speaks Out on Learning Wong's Fate as the Sorcerer Supreme
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film to hit theatres, and it's doing quite well at the box office. The new movie sees the return of some MCU favorites, including Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. Fans were also thrilled to see Benedict Wong as Wong back in action. The actor has been thriving in Phase Four and has already appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home. Since Doctor Strange was snapped by Thanos for five years after Avengers: Infinity War, Wong now holds the title of Sorcerer Supreme. During a recent chat with Variety, Wong talked about his character's new and important title.
"When I first embarked on the role, we looked at the old source material and it needed an update," Wong explained. "I remember my opening gambit when I was in the trailer and waiting to meet with Kevin and producer Stephen Broussard, and was vehemently not into doing what was in the old source material. And thankfully, neither were they." He added, "So, we created this no-nonsense, midfield general librarian with hints of Roy Keane [former Manchester United player] in there. This character has progressed now, and I found out when [director] Sam Raimi was on a conference call and talking me through the story. Here was this legend. He said, 'Of course, you're going to be the Sorcerer Supreme,' and as this geek, it's so great what they've done with the character and how he stands toe-to-toe with Doctor Strange."
Wong added of his MCU journey, "It's been a wonderful 30-year overnight career. It's been six years since Doctor Strange started, and to start from the very beginning to play this character Wong has been amazing for me. I've been collecting these comics since I was a kid, and the Spider-Man comics, all three of them. To find myself in the MCU has really been bizarre. I don't know whether something has been manifested along the way, so I'm grateful for it."
You can read the official description for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness below:
"Now that Iron Man and Captain America have left after a fierce battle in Avengers: Endgame, former genius surgeon and the strongest magician of them all, Doctor Strange, is expected to play an active role as a central figure in the Avengers. However, using his magic to manipulate time and space at will with a forbidden spell that is considered the most dangerous has opened the door to a mysterious madness called 'the Multiverse.'"
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing exclusively in theatres.
