Benedict Wong has had quite a journey within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the Master of Mystic Arts, Wong. In a supporting role, Marvel has given Wong his own separate arc, though not featured in detail. The character has grown in his own way amidst the universe-changing events that have occurred around him.

In Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness, Wong will have a bigger role, with far more action than he received in the previous films. But is it going to be his last appearance? Well, we certainly wish that’s not the case. In a recent interview with Collider, Wong teased an ‘end’ of his character in the film. Upon being asked about his experience being a part of Wong Cinematic Universe, he said:

Thank you. Yeah, it is the WCU. Thanks, Kevin.

I think we’re coming to the end of it now, and we’re due another discussion.

As a comic book fan and having collected all the Marvel Comics, to be on board, I’m just living this dream, really, as the nerd that crossed the line and gets to play with these amazing actors, auteurs, writers and producers. It’s just a win-win for me.

Wong may not necessarily mean that the character would die, but rather the fact that his continuous streak of appearances in Phase Four projects of MCU may end with the sequel. Wong’s role in MCU has grown more important than before. He first appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, recruiting both Shang-Chi and surprisingly, Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky/Abomination after a fight, for a mysterious mission, maybe. He also voiced the character in What If…?, and once again appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the latter, the character was seen traveling to various locations, seemingly stressed, on an unknown assignment (which may connect to the Doctor Strange sequel).

Owing to this continuous streak of appearances, even the actor called Phase Four of the MCU, Phase Wong. The interviewer’s tease, Wong Cinematic Universe, was also a reference to the character’s multiple appearances in the past few films of the franchise. It’s possible that by “end”, Wong meant the end of his character’s constant pop-ups in MCU projects and that it might be a while before we see him again.

The statement, however, is a tricky one. From the trailers, it’s clear that Wong will be taking up fights against multiversal monsters alongside Strange, Wanda, and Chavez. Given his new role as the Sorcerer Supreme, the character would have more responsibility to fix whatever has led to multiversal doors and branches opening up. We certainly hope Marvel doesn’t do that, but it’s possible that for Strange to become Sorcerer Supreme, Wong might have to sacrifice himself at some point.

Though that’s not something we are prepared for, given Wong being the best supporting character of the franchise, Marvel is known to be cruel in this regard.

Wong Has Come a Long Way

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Marvel Studios / Disney

Benedict Wong made his MCU debut alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange (2016) as the Master of the Mystic Arts at Kamar-Taj. The character was introduced as the librarian of the facility, with a strict sense of regulations. After Doctor Strange, Wong appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In Endgame, Wong assembles an entire army at the behest of Strange to fight Thanos in the ultimate showdown.

And now, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the character would be the Sorcerer Supreme, which changes the dynamic in his relationship with Strange. Coming all the way to this point and becoming such an important aspect of the franchise is amazing, especially considering that Wong was killed off in Doctor Strange, only to be revived by Strange using the Time Stone.

It would be interesting to see him continue the role of Sorcerer Supreme in the upcoming film. He has been recruiting and researching some important stuff, for what it seems from his cameos in the past films. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is probably more about Strange and the consequences of his actions that lead to the multiverse crumbling upon Earth-616. We’d just love to see Wong getting to continue his own arc in the film.