Doctor Strange: Kevin Feige regrets whitewashing The Ancient One

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

In the comics, Doctor Strange's mentor The Ancient One was portrayed as a wise, old Asian man, and when Marvel Studios began developing the Doctor Strange movie, they knew that they wanted to avoid that particular stereoype. Director Scott Derrickson said, "My first thought was that would be an Asian woman but then it felt like it was falling into the Dragon Lady stereotype—the domineering mystical woman with a secret agenda. I wasn't going to perpetuate that stereotype." At the end of the day, the ethereal Tilda Swinton was cast in the reimagined role, but the move was criticized as whitewashing.

While speaking with Men's Health, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige addressed the controversy and admitted that they had made a mistake.

We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge. 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.

As played by Tilda Swinton, The Ancient One would go on to make a brief but pivotal appearance in Avengers: Endgame, but that's the last we've seen of the character. Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown more diverse, with the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings serving as an example of Marvel's new path of increased representation. Feige added that Shang-Chi has been on their radar since the very beginning of the MCU, just waiting for the perfect time to make his introduction. "Once we finished what we call now The Infinity Saga, we rolled up our sleeves and said, 'OK, what's next?' What are we going to kick off the next?" Feige said. "The next sort of evolution of the MCU post- our first big saga, and that's why Shang-Chi was at the very top of that list."

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film is set to hit theaters on September 3, 2021. As for Sorcerer Supreme, he'll be back for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on March 25, 2022. What are your thoughts on The Ancient One whitewashing controversy? Did Marvel make a mistake or was Tilda Swinton a good fit for the character?