Wait a second...Was Dr. Strange originally a Chinese man in the comics

[Random4]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFI3sz-YMk8

I fell into this podcast where this guy at 2:45 talks about how originally Dr. Strange was a Chinese man and they casted a white man for the role?

is this true?

[Panic]

Didn't we do this thread already?

For the first 3 or 4 stories Dr Strange was drawn with heavily-lidded eyes that appeared closed; when his origin was told (his 4th or 5th story) he was depicted with the standard western features he's been depicted with ever since.

[Iron Maiden]

Didn't we do this thread already?

For the first 3 or 4 stories Dr Strange was drawn with heavily-lidded eyes that appeared closed; when his origin was told (his 4th or 5th story) he was depicted with the standard western features he's been depicted with ever since.

I think that was more or less Steve Ditko's style though.

[Of Atlantis]

It's not true, I think he must've been misinformed.

The way Steve Ditko drew eyes was misinterpreted and taken out of context to suggest to others he was Asian. Unfortunately, that misinformation managed to spread because of a combination of lack of fact checking and confirmation bias.

That's not to say an Asian actor couldn't have been cast as Dr. Strange, but to suggest it was whitewashing is inaccurate.

Originally, Dr. Strange grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania.

[Bor]

It's not true, I think he must've been misinformed.

The way Steve Ditko drew eyes was misinterpreted and taken out of context to suggest to others he was Asian. Unfortunately, that misinformation managed to spread because of a combination of lack of fact checking and confirmation bias.

That's not to say an Asian actor couldn't have been cast as Dr. Strange, but to suggest it was whitewashing is inaccurate.

Originally, Dr. Strange grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania.

Yeah this. If you look at Ditko Spider-man too there is a lot of examples of characters that are like that to.

Maybe the guy confused it with the ancient one being asian and replaced with a non non-asian woman?

[MichaelC]

Lot's of white men have squinty eyes, especially once they get older, or if they work in the sun a lot. Ditko's image of what a man's eyes "should" look like, at least on a subconscious level, was probably influenced by older and/or men who worked in the sun. If anything, the image we have of all white men having big wide eyes is created by Hollywood, which tends to favor actors with unusually expressive faces. Look around you, you will find plenty of squinty eyed white men.

[Of Atlantis]

Yeah this. If you look at Ditko Spider-man too there is a lot of examples of characters that are like that to.

Maybe the guy confused it with the ancient one being asian and replaced with a non non-asian woman?

That's also definitely a possibility.

[CaptCleghorn]

Yeah this. If you look at Ditko Spider-man too there is a lot of examples of characters that are like that to.

Maybe the guy confused it with the ancient one being asian and replaced with a non non-asian woman?

I'm not sure what would be less observant, being confused about race or gender in this case.

[zensunni]

And we know the good Doctor was based in part on Chandu the Magician, who also had somewhat hooded eyes, but was not an Asian character...

IMG_0063.jpg

[Thor-Ul]

It's not true, I think he must've been misinformed.

The way Steve Ditko drew eyes was misinterpreted and taken out of context to suggest to others he was Asian. Unfortunately, that misinformation managed to spread because of a combination of lack of fact checking and confirmation bias.

That's not to say an Asian actor couldn't have been cast as Dr. Strange, but to suggest it was whitewashing is inaccurate.

Originally, Dr. Strange grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania.

Exactly. It mostly a confirmation bias and lack of understanding of historical context.

[Michael Watkins]

if he had been something other than white, you'd know it. it would have been painfully obvious. he certainly wouldn't have been named 'Stephen.' he'd be 'Strangu the Mystic' or something like that.

[Sighphi]

Strange was originally the "Master of the Black Arts". So he was drawn as a weirdo crazy-looking wizard.

[ed2962]

It was just Ditko's style then.

[Orbus]

It could be a Dr Droom situation where making a master of the mystic arts magically gives you Asian features.

[ZoomZolomonZoom]

No. He was drawn in a way that appeared asian before his backstory was explained. Since then he has been established as caucasian in every single adaptation.