The right kind of Wong
doctor strange’s loyal friend and servant Wong has been getting some well-deserved attention in the marvel Cinematic universe lately.
FOR a character who seems to be increasingly important in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Wong still remains relatively lowkey and unfazed by all the superhero action going on around him. And that’s what makes the character so cool in the MCU.
Whether it’s fighting the Abomination in Shang-chi And The Legend Of the Ten Rings, chopping off the hand of Thanos goon Cull Obsidian in Avengers: Infinity War, or actor Benedict Wong’s deadpan delivery of his lines, Wong has grown to be a genuine fan favourite among MCU fans.
Not bad for a character who didn’t even get a face in his first comic book apperance, and only got a proper name nine issues later.
In celebration of Wong’s recent hilarious and scene-stealing appearances in She-hulk: Attorney At Law, here are some things you should know about the MCU’S Sorceror Supreme.
Nameless beginnings
Wong was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (the same guys who created Doctor Strange and Spider-man) and made his first appearance in Strange Tales #110. But unfortunately for him, his first appearance was just as a nameless, almost faceless valet for a certain Doctor Stephen Strange. Heck, all Wong did in his first appearance was to open the door and show a guest to Strange.
It was only in issue #119 that Strange actually called Wong by name, and even then, it was just to tell him to take the day off!
Former servant
While the MCU’S Wong made his debut as the head librarian of Kamar-taj, and went on to become the Sorceror Supreme when Strange was “blipped” by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, he doesn’t have such great powers or status in the beginning of his comics story.
As mentioned, Wong was initially just Stranger’s valet and servant in the Sanctum Sanctorum. His origin story would only be told in 1980’s Doctor Strange #44, where Wong was kidnapped by a demon queen called the Shadowqueen.
As it turns out, Wong is part of a long line of monks who have served the master magic practitioners, beginning with a Chinese monk named Kan, who lived over a thousand years ago.
On one of his travels, Kan came across a temple with a strange black mirror which transported him to another dimension, one ruled by King Jehan of Siridar. There, Kan fell in love with Jehan’s sister, Princess Shialmar, and assists them in fighting a war against the Wizard Kings who ruled this realm.
Although Kan managed to lead them to victory, Jehan was betrayed by his resident wizard Vung, who was secretly serving a demonic race called the N’garai. Just as Vung was about to sacrifice Kan and Shialmar to the N’garai, Shialmar struck a deal with the demons, offering her soul in exchange for mystical power, and in doing so, she became the Shadowqueen. She then killed Vung and sent Kan back to China.
Back home, Kan sought to repent for his sin of helping Vung unleash his demonic masters, and decided that he and all his descendents’ first-born sons will serve the mages who fight for good.
Wong’s father, Hamir the Hermit, was the 10th generation to do so, serving Strange’s predecessor, the Ancient One. As a child, Wong trained in magic and martial arts and learnt the ins-and-outs of serving a powerful magic sorcerer, and when he came of age, he was sent by the Ancient One to America in order to serve Strange.
No lack of powers
In the MCU, Wong is a highly skilled sorcerer, as evidenced by him becoming Sorcerer Supreme, which would suggest he is at least as skillful in the mystical arts as Strange (perhaps even better, in fact, as he was already in a high position as librarian of Kamar-taj long before Strange got there). Even when Strange returns, Wong remained in that position.
In the comics, however, Wong’s magical prowess often appear to be nowhere near that of Strange, though he HAS also been considered for the position of Sorcerer Supreme before. In later stories, he proved his magical prowess by casting spells that have assisted Strange as well.
He is also a highly skilled martial artist, and is a match for any non-superpowered adversary he encounters.
Strange loyalties
The “master-and-servant” relationship between Wong and Strange was not exactly the best way to start their stories, as Wong was initially just a faceless servant in the early Doctor Strange stories. However, he gradually grew in prominence as the Sorcerer Supreme became more popular with comic book fans, as proven from the aforementioned stories in which he was central to some of Strange’s classic adventures.
Wong’s loyalty to Strange was highlighted in the rebooted Doctor Strange title in 2016. In it, Wong recruits a group of magical practitioners to protect Strange from the magical harm of unstable magic by absorbing it themselves.
Another story that emphasises Wong and Strange’s friendship is 2007’s The Oath, when Strange finds out that Wong has a brain tumour, and decides to look for a cure for cancer!
Hero of his own right
Still, Wong’s greatest moment is arguably the one in 2018’s Damnation storyline. In that story, Strange decided to magically restore the city of Las Vegas, which had been destroyed by Hydra during the Secret Empire event.
Unfortunately, in doing so, he also inadvertently raised a structure called Hotel Inferno, run by the devil himself, Mephisto, who claims that Las Vegas is now a part of Hell. Strange then plays a game of “brimstone blackjack”, betting his own soul for the human souls in the devil’s possession ... but loses, and is turned into a Ghost Ridertype spirit serving Mephisto.
Enter Wong, together with Strange’s ghost dog Bats, who decides to reform the Midnight Sons with some of Earth’s mightiest supernatural heroes – Blade, Iron Fist, Elsa Bloodstone, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, Man Thing and Doctor Voodoo. With his new team, Wong storms Hotel Inferno, defeats Mephisto, and rescues Doctor Strange in the process. After the battle, Wong decides to stay behind at Hotel Inferno to watch over the defeated devil.
It’s a storyline that underlines Wong’s importance to Strange, and also proves once and for all that he is much, much more reliable than the Sorcerer Supreme himself! (We also find out that Wong is an Arsenal FC fan, but like Blade, we won’t hold it against him).
Love affairs
In all his appearances in the MCU, Wong seems to be a rather private and very busy person, constantly skipping out on the action to “protect the Sanctum Sanctorum” or to do something else. In Shehulk: Attorney Of Law ,wesawa different side to him, where we found out that he is a fan of The Sopranos, and saw him making a new friend called Madisynn (who can’t stop spoiling The Sopranos for him).
While fans hoping to see Wong and Madisynn hook up should probably stop holding their breath, Wong is known to have been involved in one or two relationships in the comics.
The most prominent relationship is with a woman named Imei Chang, who was betrothed to him by Wong’s father before she was even born. Imei was unfortunately killed by a demon named Sister Nil during a battler in the Sanctum – 1993’s Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (Vol 1) #60 – an event which created a rift between Wong and Strange, as the latter made a decision to save others instead of Imei.
Later, another demon, Xaos, impersonated Imei and convinced Wong to help capture Strange and bring him to the ancient demoness Salome, but Strange managed to defeat her and the two friends eventually put aside their differences.
Wong has also had another love interest in the form of Sara Wolfe, a former neighbour of Strange’s who came to work for him as a secretary and then became romantically involved with Wong.