Doctor Strange has faced accusations of whitewashing after Tilda Swinton was cast as The Ancient One in the movie, a baffling turn of events considering the fact that the comic book version of the character has pretty much been portrayed as a racist stereotype since day one. Of course, a big part of that stems from the when the Sorcerer Supreme was created.
Take for example one of the hero’s closest allies, Wong. He’s essentially Doctor Strange’s manservant, something which may have worked back in the 60s, but is far from politically correct today. After all, who would want to root for a superhero with an Asian manservant?!
Thankfully, Benedict Wong (The Martian) has cleared up exactly what kind of take on Wong we’re going to get in the movie, and it sounds like it will be a fresh new take on the character. “I’m certainly not going to be the tea-making manservant. We’re heading in a different direction,” he confirmed. “There isn’t any martial arts for Wong in Doctor Strange actually, he’s more of a drill sergeant to Kamar-Taj. He’s one of the masters of sorcery.”
That’s a huge relief and actually sounds like a really cool and fresh new direction for Wong.
The friendship between him and Doctor Strange has developed a lot in recent years, and seeing that play out on the big screen has a ton of potential, especially with two actors as talented as Benedict Cumberbatch and Wong. More details on the movie are expected to be revealed at Comic-Con next month ahead of its release worldwide this October/November.
