Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange was a hit when it landed in theaters in 2016. However, the film came under fire due its casting of several white actors, calling many to say the studio had whitewashed its cast.
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In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige acknowledged the mistakes, and said he regrets how they went about things. One of the biggest criticisms the film faced upon its release was the fact that Tilda Swinton was cast as The Ancient One. While Feige and the folks at Marvel thought they were being a bit subversive in their casting, it didn’t work out.
“We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge,” Feige explained. “We’re not going to do the cliché of the wizened, old, wise Asian man. But it was a wake-up call to say, ‘Well, wait a minute, is there any other way to figure it out? Is there any other way to both not fall into the cliché and cast an Asian actor?’ And the answer to that, of course, is yes.”
Feige acknowledged that things could have been handled better, and from the sounds of things, it seems like the company is doing a much better job of figuring out how to be more inclusive going forward. With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on the horizon, it’ll be interesting to see how the film handles future character introductions and casting choices.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees the return of Benedict Cumberbatch as he reprises his role as Dr. Stephen Strange. This time the Sorcerer Supreme will be joined by Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlett Witch, who is coming off from the critical success of WandaVision. The sequel is being described as the first MCU horror film and is expected to tie into the events from WandaVision, Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home.