Wong is the Blue-Collar Sorcerer Supreme
Recently, I’ve read and viewed a lot of opinions on the Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) and its much-maligned Phase Four content. In fairness, some of the new MCU stuff doesn’t hold up compared with the first decade or so of films. But I don’t think it’s right to say everything they’ve done is awful. With so much film- and streaming content coming out, even a company as cookie-cutter as Disney/Marvel has to occasionally get it right.
Case in point: Benedict Wong’s MCU character, Wong. Going back to the first Dr. Strange movie, the actor has built up a consistent set of performances that make the Sorcerer Supreme one of the most relatable people in franchise history. Lately, Wong has been in just about everything (Shang-Chi, No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness) Marvel has put out, and I think relatability is a big reason for that.
Think about this for a second - if you watched Multiverse, you know the scene where Stephen Strange tosses aside his cocktail to go fight the one-eyed critter, right? Okay, so when Strange and America Chavez are getting tossed around like rag dolls, who shows up with the energy whip to wrangle the beast and get the good guys on the winning track? Wong, that’s who. Don’t tell me you didn’t get a jolt out of watching the dude with the average-guy build and no-BS demeanor take charge of the situation!
Wong doesn’t mince words or put on airs, and can’t even get the egotistical Dr. Strange to do the bowing thing (even though it’s customary). All the Sorcerer Supreme does is get the job done. Y’know, because he’s a hero.
In these new movies, I think of Wong as the guy who doesn’t really care about who gets the credit as long as the world gets saved. He’s completely unpretentious, and you can’t help rooting for him even when he’s rigging a for-pay fight with the Abomination in Shang-Chi. We never get a backstory, but I imagine Wong as like this truck driver from Hong Kong who somehow finds out he has this potential for being a great sorcerer. So, what does he do? Wong gets out the spell books, puts in the study time, and becomes a superhero. Never gets his own movie, but ends up being one of the best things about everybody else’s.
So, for my money Wong is the real hero of Phase Four - he’s the blue-collar Sorcerer Supreme, the people’s champion.
Go get ‘em, Wong.
