Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has mostly nailed down its casting choices with regard to its heroes. However, over on the opposite ends, things have not always been as smooth. The most famous of those occasions came in 2016's Doctor Strange, when Tilda Swinton was cast as the Ancient One, a decision Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has now come to regret.

Traditionally in Marvel Comics lore, the Ancient One is depicted as an Asian man because, well, that’s what writers back in the '60s thought made the most sense for a Himalayan sorcerer. Regardless of that, Doctor Strange's Ancient One was introduced as an androgynous Celtic woman who mentors Benedict Cumberbatch’s character to become the powerful Avenger he is now, although years later Feige has gone on the record to explain his reasoning behind that decision.

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During an interview with Men’s Health, Feige discussed the topic while talking about Marvel’s newest Asian-themed project, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. According to him, casting a woman as the Ancient One felt like Marvel Studios was "being so smart, and so cutting edge” because going with Swinton meant Doctor Strange would avoid falling into the Asian wise man or Dragon Lady stereotypes. However, in hindsight, producers weren’t really being that smart considering the kind of backlash that choice still generates.

While it’s fair to recognize the Ancient One as a character who would demand a fair amount of nuance to adapt on-screen, his Tibetan roots might have also played a part in that decision considering the complications it would have added to the movie’s release in China. Luckily, Feige claims Marvel has learned its lesson and Shang-Chi is the perfect opportunity to prove that with “great characters who could make great movies regardless of how famous they were,” something for which Disney's backing certainly helps a lot.

As Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings get ready to pull off a superpowered “Crazy Rich Asians” move for the MCU, it bears reminding that The Mandarin’s inclusion in Iron Man 3 was another instance where Marvel dropped the ball when the obvious choice would have been to cast an Asian actor. Even if Ben Kingsley’s faux Mandarin ended up being more of a plot device, it’s worth wondering if the choice would have been the same had The Mandarin been chosen as that movie’s main villain.

For now, since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still almost a year off from its premiere, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stands as the MCU’s best way to get proper representation done right, mix kung-fu flair with CGI magic. All while cuddling up to that bountiful Chinese box office while they're at it.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 25, 2022.

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Source: Men's Health