From Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man to Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, MCU has mostly hit the ball out of the park with their casting choices, and Benedict Wong’s casting as Wong is no different. Despite playing second fiddle to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange in the 2016 film, Wong eventually became a fan-favorite and has made a total of 8 appearances in the MCU.
And it was Matt Damon’s The Martian that helped the Gemini Man Star earn the role of the hilarious character, whose presence keeps on elevating the MCU projects he is involved in.
The Martian Paved the Way for Benedict Wong’s MCU Journey
When Benedict Wong joined forces with Matt Damon and Chiwetel Ejiofor, he lacked an agent and also didn’t have much knowledge about Doctor Strange and his mythos. However, things eventually changed after his The Martian co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor got selected to play the gig of Baron Mordo in Doctor Strange, as this sparked some interest in Wong to look at the character and his sidekick. Upon learning about the sidekick’s name, which was coincidently similar to his, the actor got interested in the role. He explained to Variety,
“We were working on ‘The Martian’ together and having lunch, and he told me he was going to be doing this thing called ‘Doctor Strange.’ I looked it up on the internet and saw a photo of Strange with Wong peeping out on the side, and my jaw dropped. I joked about having a petition called ‘Wong for Wong.’ One day, I got this mysterious email asking me to audition.”
Fortunately, the actor aced his audition and eventually got the gig when he was on the set of Marco Polo, and immediately reached out to his The Martian co-star.
Wong Was Almost Cut From Doctor Strange (2016)
Since making his MCU debut, Benedict Wong’s character has become an integral part of the magic segment of the MCU. However, according to director Scott Derrickson, he almost didn’t include Wong in the first Doctor Strange, following the Asian stereotypes that he was built on in Marvel Comics. Luckily that didn’t end up being the case, as the character was rewritten for his live-action appearance, and instead of being a servant, he was a friend and mentor to Doctor Strange.
It does showcase that shifting from the source material may end up benefiting the story in certain circumstances, and fans can’t wait to witness more of Wong in the ever-expanding MCU.
Doctor Strange is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Source: Variety
