Doctor Strange: Wong’s Role Revealed

When Wong was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first introduced in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963), the Asian character (whose name wasn’t revealed until August 1966) was Doctor Strange’s loyal sidekick and relegated to being a manservant for the most part, cooking meals, serving tea, keeping the Sanctum Sanctorum looking tidy, and nursing the Sorcerer Supreme back to health time and time again. Eventually, Wong’s backstory and importance were beefed up, making him a master in the martial arts of Kamar-Taj and developing a real friendship with Strange.

Even so, when Scott Derrickson began working on Marvel’s Doctor Strange, he put Wong on the sidelines; however, the director had a change of heart after Tilda Swinton was cast as the Ancient One. That controversial decision erased a significant potential Asian role, and to make up for it, Derrickson put Wong back in the film. But he made a conscious effort to rework the character to avoid falling into any of the stereotypes of the comics.

During a Doctor Strange set vist, Derrickson opened up a bit more about his updated version of Wong.

“Wong is another thing altogether, because it’s a racial stereotype, let’s be blunt about it, as is The Ancient One,” he told ComicBook.com. “Wong, even more than The Ancient One, I think, was a character that … There just wasn’t a lot that was fundamental about his character that was usable, so, instead of being a sidekick, he’s a master of the mystic arts. Instead of being a manservant, he oversees the library at Kamar-Taj and is an intellectual mentor to Strange. We kind of flipped everything that he was. It’s related to the comics in that we took the things that were, in retrospect, insulting and elevated them in just the same way, and that became, suddenly, ‘Wow. This is a great character.’ That seemed to work and has relatability only in that we basically inversed what his character was and, then, kept the name, kept him Chinese. Other than that, that’s about it, I think, to be honest.”

45-year-old British actor Benedict Wong, who you probably know from his roles in The Martian and Kick-Ass 2, is portraying Wong.

From Marvel comes DOCTOR STRANGE, the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place – a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange – armed with newly acquired magical powers – is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. Join Strange on his dangerous, mystifying, and totally mind-bending journey.

The cast features Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Into Darkness, The Imitation Game), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) and Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel).

The film is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister) and written by Derrickson, Jon Spaihts (Prometheus), and C. Robert Cargill (Sinister).

Marvel’s Doctor Strange is produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth, Stephen Broussard and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

Marvel’s Doctor Strange will cast a spell on audiences November 4, 2016.