This year will see Marvel introduce yet another new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – one that was previously teased in Captain America: The Winter Soldier – when their latest film hits movie theaters in November: Doctor Strange. It’s a film that, much like last year’s Ant-Man, has seen its fair share of criticism early on, mostly because of the decision to cast Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, as opposed to casting a Tibetan actor/actress to properly represent the character from the comics. It was a decision that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has previously stated was to avoid the classic stereotypes often depicted within the Doctor Strange comics. So it isn’t entirely surprising to hear that the studio has also reworked Wong’s (Benedict Wong) portrayal for the film as well.
Wong, who is currently promoting the upcoming second season of Netflix’s Marco Polo, took some time out to talk with the folks over at Den of Geek about his role in Doctor Strange and what we can expect from this take on Wong. According to the actor, the Wong we see in the film is going to be different from the version we’ve come to know. Per Wong, the character will be “more of a drill sergeant”.
“I’m certainly not going to be the tea-making manservant. We’re heading in a different direction. He’s more of a drill sergeant.”
For those hoping to see Wong physically fight alongside Strange, however, Wong has confirmed we won’t see any martial arts from Wong in the film.
“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.”
When it comes to the typical Marvel contract, actors generally sign on for multiple films. This, of course, doesn’t guarantee there will be multiple films produced. It all comes down to how well a release performs and whether Marvel decides to move forward with a sequel. Thankfully, for the most part, each film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been lucky enough to see a sequel happen with the lone exception of The Incredible Hulk. So while Wong currently seems unsure of whether Wong (his character) will return for more films? I’d say it’s safe to assume that unless the film tanks in November, we’ll see Wong and the cast back for a sequel in Phase Four.
“That would be nice! No, we’ll start off with the first one. I’m just happy nearly completing in Doctor Strange. I’m very excited to see what happens.”
Doctor Strange, which will hit theaters on November 4th, is still a bit of a mystery at this point. While cast members have opened up about the project, often teasing the psychedelic feel of the film, we’ve only seen a teaser trailer for the film so far, and interestingly enough, Wong was nowhere to be found. Given that the teaser trailer only briefly showcased this latest, insane installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the exclusion of Wong wasn’t entirely surprising. However, with the film set to take the stage at SDCC next month, it’s highly likely we’ll see some new footage – if not a new trailer – so here’s to hoping we’ll finally get a look at Wong as Wong, as well as the horror feel previously teased by Scott Adkins.
For now, you can follow along here for all things Doctor Strange!
Source: Den of Geek.
