Though this year’s Avengers: Infinity War saw Doctor Strange turn to dust, it seems all but inevitable that we’ll see the Sorcerer Supreme once again in Avengers: Endgame, and the same can apparently be said of his loyal friend Wong.
In a recent interview with Collider, actor Benedict Wong briefly alluded to his involvement in Anthony and Joe Russo’s next feature, recalling how the project created some scheduling conflicts with his scenes as Master Lin in the upcoming TV series Deadly Class.
“Yeah, there was a time when I was doing Avengers 4,” Wong revealed. “Normally it would be a logistical nightmare with the hair and negotiating that, but it’s great. I’m grateful to be on a double Russo Brothers production. It was streamlined.”
It shouldn’t come as much of a shock to hear that the Annihilation actor is returning, not least because the star himself shared a bizarre behind-the-scenes photo several months ago in which a layer of prosthetic skin and hair is seen being applied to his head.
Naturally, the fans had their theories on why Wong would have this slightly creepy effect applied to his scalp, but it seems that the actual explanation is of no in-universe significance, instead coming back to Wong’s need to balance his time between the movie and his new TV show.
“Yeah, it did [help that the Russos were involved with both projects].” Wong explained. “They made a very expensive silicon wig [for Wong in Avengers: Endgame] that they glued on because they wanted to keep me with hair more for Lin.”
What remains to be clarified is whether or not Wong was among the victims of the Infinity War snap, and while you’d think that the actor would be careful not to blab about his comeback if he had indeed died, it’s worth remembering that the cast was told very little about the plot details of Endgame. And since Wong wasn’t dusted onscreen, perhaps that still leaves open the possibility that he suffered the same fate as his friend Stephen Strange.
Nonetheless, we already know that Benedict Wong and Benedict Cumberbatch will return for Doctor Strange 2, which is thought to be heading for a 2021 release. In the meantime, you can expect to see both of them again when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.