There is a significant relationship between Doctor Strange 2 and Jialing’s weapon of choice in Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten Rings.
One of Marvel Studios’ most popular Phase 4 films, Shang-Chi added a lot to the MCU, including the franchise’s first Asian star.
Wong, one of Marvel’s most popular Asian characters as the Sorcerer Supreme, made several appearances in Phase 4. Most notably, he used a traditional Chinese weapon in Doctor Strange 2.
Shang-Chi Connections in Wong’s Weapon from Doctor Strange 2
Wong summons a supernatural rope dart to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness during his fight with Gargandos. The rope dart is a Chinese weapon that has existed for a long time. It is made of a rope with a metal spike attached to the end.
The climactic fight in Da Lo from Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings involves Xu Xiaoling using the same type of weapon. It turns out that Wong’s magical wind-up dart in Multiverse of Madness is based on the appearance of the wind-up dart in that movie.
Graham Churchyard, the film’s costume designer, explains in the Marvel Studios book Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: The Art of the Movie why he wanted to “depart” from the typical rope dart design:
The rope dart used by Wong is a martial arts weapon, similar to a taser. It also appeared in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” filmed simultaneously by Marvel Studios, although it was a traditional rope dart worn at the waist. I had to get away from that, and when I went to places like the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and the nearby British Museum, which has a field of Middle Eastern armor, I saw armor handcuffs.
Churchyard provided more information about the rope dart used by Wong in the film, which was intended to “grow in size” when the user threw it at his target.
“Some of the deadliest ancient weapons are so finely crafted that they look like jewelry. It’s always strange to discover that a weapon was intended to kill someone. We had to move away from the size of the largest arrow used in the ‘Shang-Chi.’ “, which shrank to fit on a doll. I liked it. So in my head, I just said, “Well, there’s all this supernatural magic.” That’s why I convinced them that it would get bigger if it escaped from Wong’s hands.
Below are the full pages of the art book containing concept art for the ethereal rope dart used by Wong in Doctor Strange 2:
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Marvel Studios projects are interconnected
One feature of an MCU project often has a relationship with another, which happens frequently.
Sometimes even a small special effect needs to be changed (perhaps mid-production) so it doesn’t look like one of the other Marvel movies or TV shows.
That’s how movies are made. Marvel material in particular sometimes feels open to last-minute changes to better fit the world and brand at large.
Wong uses the same weapon as Xialing in another movie, although it doesn’t seem like an option at the end of the game, it definitely needs to be discussed behind the scenes to prevent them from being too similar.
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings are available to purchase and stream on Disney+.