Marvel's Kevin Feige Regrets Casting Tilda Swinton, Whitewashing Doctor Strange

Marvel head Kevin Feige admits they could have done better while casting Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in Doctor Strange.

In an interview with a magazine, Marvel’s Kevin Feige admitted whitewashing Doctor Strange character, the Ancient One by casting Scottish Tilda Swinton. The Ancient One is portrayed as an Asian male character in the comics.

The studios faced backlash from many Asian actors in 2016 for casting a white woman prior to the release of the movie. The director, Scott Derrickson defended his choice by telling The Daily Beast, “I really felt like I was going to be contributing to a bad stereotype.”

Back in 2016, Marvel stated that it is proud to have Tilda Swinton to portray the unique character of the Ancient One in a statement, “The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic. We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast.”

Recently, Kevin Feige acknowledged this controversy in a cover story for the upcoming Asian-led Marvel feature Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. He admitted that the company could have handled it differently by casting an Asian actor in the movie.

“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.”, Kevin told the magazine.

Marvel’s upcoming Asian-led Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is set to release on September 3. The character of Shan-Chi will be played by Canadian actor of Asian descent, Simu Liu.