doctor strange

Marvel provided the following statement to Mashable in response to the heated speculation over potential whitewashing of Tilda Swinton's 'The Ancient One' character in Doctor Strange:

"Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life. 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."

Doctor Strange screenwriter C. Robert Cargill provided the following reasoning for his changing of the character for the film:

"He originates from Tibet, so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he's Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullshit and risk the Chinese government going, 'Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world? We’re not going to show your movie because you decided to get political,'" said Cargill. "If we decide to go the other way and cater to China in particular and have him be in Tibet… if you think it’s a good idea to cast a Chinese actress as a Tibetan character, you are out of your damn fool mind and have no idea what the f*ck you’re talking about."

What do you make of all this?

And of course the trailer, in case you need a refresh on that Doctor Strange hype:

Ant-Man may be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon, but we've got another classic Marvel hero on deck eyeballing his own spot on The Avengers. Doctor Strange, The Sorcerer Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch), is getting his own movie late in 2016, and Tilda Swinton is coming along for the ride.

We've known for a while that she was in talks to play The Ancient One, mystical mentor to Strange and his nemesis, Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Now, in an interview with ScreenCrush, she's confirmed the casting.

"I’m a Marvel fan and I think this particular world that Doctor Strange goes into is really, really, really exciting. I’m really interested as both an actor and a fan to see what’s done in this particular world. It’s all about creativity. It’s not about everything exploding at the end. It’s about something very different. The idea of playing The Ancient One is really just too tickling. I can’t say no to that!"

Casting Tilda Swinton for The Ancient One is a pretty radical choice. Traditionally, the mystic has been portrayed as an older, Asian man which Swinton is not.