No MCU solo movie would be complete without a sidekick for the hero to banter with. Every Marvel superhero needs a Rhodey to their Tony; a Ned to their Peter; a Maria to their Carol; a Bucky to their Steve; a Luis to their Scott — the list goes on. 2016’s Doctor Strange introduced us to the New York-based magical duo of Stephen Strange and Wong. In addition to sharing the same first name, Benedicts Wong and Cumberbatch share brilliant on-screen chemistry and a fun comic rapport. So, here are Doctor Strange and Wong’s 10 Most Memorable Moments in the MCU.
Their first meeting (Doctor Strange)
When Wong first met Stephen Strange in Kamar-Taj, he didn’t like him. And who can blame him? At the start of his MCU journey, Stephen is a total jerk to everyone around him, consumed by arrogance and unwilling to open himself up to new opportunities.
The two would eventually become best friends, but Stephen needed to change a lot about himself before Wong would let him in. It’s fair to say that Strange will be the new Tony Stark in the post-Endgame MCU — the self-centered, goateed superhero who’s there for the Avengers when they need him, but not wholeheartedly affiliated with the team.
Shielding the battlefield from Thanos’ warships (Avengers: Endgame)
Midway through the intense Battle of Earth sequence in the final act of Avengers: Endgame, Thanos decides that he’s had enough of the Avengers and orders his warships to open fire on the battlefield. As the cannons get ready to rain fire upon Earth’s mightiest heroes, Doctor Strange, Wong, and the rest of the Masters of the Mystic Arts conjure up shields to protect their allies around them.
They did this without a second of hesitation. Fortunately, the cannons don’t get a chance to fire, as Captain Marvel tears through Thanos’ fleet and joins her fellow Avengers on the battleground.
Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to reverse time and save Wong (Doctor Strange)
Director Scott Derrickson expertly subverted the MCU’s third-act battle trope in 2016’s Doctor Strange, in that the title character’s goal is to prevent any city-wide chaos from ever taking place. We don’t see buildings getting blown up and citizens fleeing for their lives, because Strange uses the Time Stone to make sure none of that ever happens.
He creates a time loop in order to get Dormammu to leave the physical realm alone. But before any of this, the damage was already done and he was too late. Wong was actually dead when Strange arrived at the scene. Strange’s time loop brought him back to life.
Wong returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum after Strange is abducted (Avengers: Infinity War)
Now, this is trust. In Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange quickly becomes a target for Thanos, because the Mad Titan is collecting Infinity Stones and Strange wears one around his neck. Thanos sends Ebony Maw to abduct the Sorcerer Supreme, and he succeeds. He manages to get Strange up onto his Q-Ship, restrained behind a blanket of hovering blades, and disappears into outer space.
Instead of trying to help his friend, Wong trusts that Strange can get himself out of trouble and instead returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum, which has been left unguarded, to fulfill his duties and protect it.
“Try me, Beyoncé.” (Doctor Strange)
Ever since Joss Whedon set the house style with 2012’s The Avengers and James Gunn cemented it with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, every MCU movie has been required to include quippy one-liners and an abundance of pop culture references. It’s clear that some of the screenwriters hired by the MCU are adept at this kind of dialogue (namely, the writers they’ve poached from shows like Community and American Dad!), while others aren’t so much.
There are a couple of one-liners in Doctor Strange that land. The best one sees Stephen Strange comparing Wong to celebrities like Bono, Drake, Eminem, and Adele for going by a single name, and there’s a later callback to this comparison when Strange calls Wong “Beyoncé.”
“Maybe they’ll make you a metaphysical ham on rye.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
When we catch up with Doctor Strange and Wong in Avengers: Infinity War, they’re on their way out of Sanctum Sanctorum to grab lunch. Strange is irked that Wong doesn’t have any money on him, because it means he’ll have to pay.
Wong tells him, “Attachment to the material is detachment from the spiritual.” It’s a valid point. The more meaning you place on material items, the less true meaning you’ll be able to find in life. But as Strange points out to him, if you view reality that way and want to live in New York City, you simply won’t be able to get food.
Attending Tony Stark’s funeral together (Avengers: Endgame)
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, we see every major Avenger from the MCU attending Tony Stark’s funeral. These Avengers include Doctor Strange and Wong. Wong barely met Tony in Infinity War, so he has no real reason to attend the funeral beyond paying his respects for the sacrifice, but it seemed to be an intimate affair, because otherwise, billions of people would have shown up to pay their own respects for that reason.
Wong was really there for Strange. Strange developed a strong bond with Tony in Infinity War. He traded his own death for Tony’s life, because he’d already seen Tony’s sacrifice in the future. Wong accompanied his friend to the funeral to help him cope.
“A Hunka-Hulka Burnin’ Fudge is our favorite.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
When Doctor Strange and Wong show up in Avengers: Infinity War, the stakes are clear from the off. They have the Time Stone, Thanos wants the Time Stone, and they’re sworn to protect the Time Stone with their lives. When Wong mentions this, Tony tells him that he once swore off dairy, but returned to it when Ben & Jerry’s named their “Stark Raving Hazelnuts” flavor after him.
Wong says that of all the Avengers-themed Ben & Jerry’s flavors in the Marvel universe, “A Hunka-Hulka Burnin’ Fudge is our favorite.” Sharing a favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is the sign of a pretty close friendship.
Doctor Strange sneaks books out of Wong’s library (Doctor Strange)
Wong is initially skeptical of Stephen Strange because he doesn’t think he’s committed to reading all the necessary theory to learn the Mystic Arts. Meanwhile, the Ancient One sees the process of learning magic as much deeper and more spiritual than simply studying ancient texts.
When Strange starts to get the hang of his new powers, he dips in and out of the library that Wong is sworn to protect via portals. As Wong begins to suspect something’s up, he turns around. And then, while he’s not looking, Strange takes the opportunity to swipe the book he’s actually reading from his desk.
“Is that everyone?” “What, you wanted more?” (Avengers: Endgame)
The portals scene in Avengers: Endgame was one of the most gloriously cinematic sequences in recent memory. It brought the house down in every screening. We went into Endgame knowing that Doctor Strange had foreseen the future, and right before the movie’s final battle, Strange opens a bunch of portals and brings every superhero he can find to join Captain America on the battlefield.
What makes Wong’s sarcastic line play even better on subsequent viewings is that there are actually more heroes to come. Seconds later, Giant-Man busts out of the rubble of New Avengers Facility with War Machine, Rocket, and the Hulk in his hand.
