Ming-Na Wen addresses joining another popular franchise with her upcoming role in Karate Kid: Legends. Wen previously played the prominent role of Melinda May throughout all seven seasons of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She more recently portrayed the bounty hunter and ᴀssᴀssin Fennec Shand in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and The Bad Batch. In Karate Kid: Legends‘ cast, she plays the mother of the protagonist, Li Fong (Ben Wang).

While speaking with ScreenRant‘s Joe Deckelmeier at AwesomeCon, Wen was asked about what it is like to join another legendary franchise. She enthusiastically discussed her experience working with Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan, and Wang, teasing that audiences will “fall madly in love” with the young star making his Karate Kid debut. Wen emphasized that she feels like “the luckiest girl in the world” to have now starred in the Marvel, Star Wars, and Karate Kid franchises. Check out her comments below:

I’m so excited for Karate Kid: Legends. It’s the new film that’s coming out with Ralph Macchio, the original, of course. We love him. And Jackie Chan! And the new Karate Kid is Ben Wang. He’s amazing. You’ll fall madly in love with him; I know I did. He plays my son.

And I can’t wait. I can’t wait for it to come out. I haven’t seen it yet. I’ve only seen the trailer, too, so I’m really excited. I’m just the luckiest girl in the world, really. I feel like I’m the queen of franchises, and that’s not a bad thing to be.

What This Means For Karate Kid: Legends

Ming-Na Wen Is A Well-Deserved “Queen Of Franchises”

Getting to play major roles in the Marvel, Star Wars, and Karate Kid franchises is a rare and impressive feat. Along with her stellar performances, part of what makes Wen’s involvement in these franchises so rewarding is to see her genuine enthusiasm at being part of them. She does not take the opportunities for granted and revels in getting to be part of these distinct, long-running, and richly developed fictional worlds, whether that means playing a bounty hunter or a mother concerned about her son’s well-being.

Li and his single mother moving to New York City is one of many ways that the upcoming installment feels similar to previous Karate Kid movies. Despite some of the familiar setup, Wen’s excitement is a promising sign that Karate Kid: Legends will feel different and satisfying from what has come before. She leaves no question about whether Li will be a protagonist who will be easy to be invested in. While she focuses more on her co-stars, Wen’s performance will surely be equally impressive, and help distinguish Legends from its predecessors.

Our Take On Ming-Na Wen’s Comments

She Continues To Be A Wonderful Addition To Every Franchise She Joins

Wen’s Karate Kid: Legends character already piqued my interest in the CinemaCon trailer with her sincerity and insistence on Li trying to put the past behind him. Her comments make me further intrigued to see how her character impacts the story and Li’s overall arc, and I hope she gets to interact with Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and Mr. Han (Chan) as well. I love seeing how much Wen enjoys being part of these mᴀssive franchises and how much she openly supports the peers she works with on each project, with Karate Kid: Legends being the latest in her increasingly impressive resume.