Marvel executives received backlash for casting a white woman as The Ancient One in 2016 “Doctor Strange”, and Kevin Feige regrets the decision. They were accused of whitewashing what should have been an Asian character.
He explains to Men’s Health magazine that it was borne out of overthinking. “We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge,” Feige said. “‘We’re not going to do the cliche? of the wizened, old, wise Asian man'”, he said they had told themselves while making the decision.
According to Marvel Comics, The Ancient One was indeed a Tibetan wizened old man. However, in making the “Doctor Strange” film, the executives wanted to cast a woman. It was tricky because, as director Scott Derrickson explained, using an Asian woman may fall into the derogatory Dragon lady stereotype.
Thus, they went with Scottish actress Tilda Swinton. Feige said they have realised their mistake and will do better next time.
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“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 cliche? and cast an Asian actor?’ And the answer to that, of course, is yes,” the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment said.
They will likely rectify casting issues in the upcoming sequel “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. There are different takes on whether the critics are being overly sensitive on something that should not matter.
But as Derrickson aptly put it when speaking to The Daily Beast back in 2016, “I was very aware of the racial issues that I was dealing with. But I didn’t really understand the level of pain that’s out there, for people who grew up with movies like I did but didn’t see their own faces up there.” People who feel media erasure will always be hurt by such a move.
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Critics and their way of thinking.