WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home, now playing in theaters.
One of the most disconcerting aspects of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailers was how accepting Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was of Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) request to mind-wipe the world and make them forget he was Spidey. At first, he was flippant and dismissive, but as he carried forth, it felt arrogant and dangerous, especially as Strange knew the repercussions of messing with space and time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But shockingly enough, amid all the evil incursions from the Sony films, No Way Home's worst hero was actually this reality's most incompetent wizard. However, the sad thing is, it's not even Strange.
This is none other than Benedict Wong's Wong, who audiences learn has taken over as Sorcerer Supreme after Strange went missing in the Blip. In the icy Sanctum Sanctorum, he intruded on Strange and Pete plotting to use the spell to erase people's knowledge, with Strange even admitting he once used it on Wong and other mages after a "full-moon party" at Kamar-Taj.
Wong simply objected and warned them to behave before departing through a portal for some mission. His warning was the bare minimum, and honestly, one of the most irresponsible acts Wong could have committed given the "children" he was lecturing. He's now the senior of all these wizards, and this position should be taken seriously, especially as it's something he wanted after years of training under the Ancient One.
Thus, he's a lot more experienced and should know better, especially as Wong knows Strange has an ego and loves breaking rules. Literally hearing him and Pete discussing this, knowing Pete's desperate and seeing Strange being condescending and smug are all the red flags the leader needed. Instead, Wong came off way too preoccupied, operating nonchalantly over tampering with their mystical arsenal.
This made him just as culpable because, despite being vociferous on how powerful the spell was and how it could backfire to damage the fabric of reality, he left the duo to their devices. A true hero would have stopped this plan dead in its tracks or perhaps placed a preventative spell to avoid reckless behavior rather than just verbal condemnation. Instead, Wong lacked any proactivity or command whatsoever, and as a result, Strange and Pete proceeded with the spell that led to the multiverse threats spilling over into the MCU.
Perhaps Baron Mordo was right in critiquing Strange, as well as Wong because, clearly, there's no chain of command, zero respect for authority and minimal accountability. Audiences expected more from Wong, but after seeing him getting wasted in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings when he should have been investigating the beacon the weapons sent out to space, it seems he's not fit to be the Sorcerer Supreme. Because as No Way Home confirmed, Wong's lackadaisical attitude can create more harm than good.
Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters.