Benedict Wong revealed in an interview with Den of Geek that his character Wong will be very different from the comics version in Marvel's Doctor Strange movie. In the comics, Wong was a martial arts master who drives Stephen Strange around and generally acts as a sidekick. Bendict Wong talked about how the movie changed the rather stereotypical role, saying "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."
He also said they will be dispensing with the martial arts angle for the character. "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." Wong hopes his character will be in more movies, but doesn't know if he will be. "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 has faced a lot of criticism for whitewashing the character of The Ancient One, but I'm glad for Wong that he at least is getting a part in the movie and that the movie gave him a less stereotypical role compared to his comics counterpart. Many critics have pointed out that "Asian martial arts master" and "white man's Asian servant" are common stereotypes in media, so I think it was a good idea on the movie's part to reject those aspects of the comics character.
What do you think of the changes to Wong's role? Are you looking forward to seeing him in Doctor Strange?
Read: Mads Mikkelsen's Villainous Character in Doctor Strange Revealed
Read: Marvel Reveals New Doctor Strange Synopsis
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Fandoms