Every now and then, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will recast an actor that's played in their sandbox before. Peter Quill's mom in Guardians of the Galaxy was once an "autograph seeker" in Captain America: The First Avenger. Hell, Cap himself was Johnny Storm / The Human Torch in an entirely different Fantastic Four timeline. So it's not a huge shock to learn that Kenneth Choi, better known as Howling Commando Jim Morita, has found himself snagging a role in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Deadline snagged this most recent item, which sees Choi coming back to the MCU fold after his appearances in Captain America: The First Avenger and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as one of the elite fighting force that helped Cap and Agent Peggy Carter take the fight to HYDRA. So what does Choi's new slot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe entail? Well, if the rumors are true, you'll see Kenneth Choi playing the world saving role of Peter Parker's high school principal. While it's not the action packed heroic appearance we've seen Choi previously make in Marvel's interconnected universe, at the very least we'd expect some comedic relief from his school administrator. Especially considering one of his students happens to be one of the most iconic heroes in a post-Sokovia Accords world.
Outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kenneth Choi has built quite an impressive resume, both on the big and small screen. His TV credits not only saw him playing Henry Lin on Sons Of Anarchy, but more recently Choi played Judge Lance Ito in the acclaimed limited series American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson. If those appearances don't ring any bells, then perhaps his role in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street might be more easily recalled. Playing Chester Ming, one of Jordan Belfort's confidantes / enforcers, Choi scored one of the most memorable moments of the film, as he slugged Jordan's butler during a rather comedic interrogation. If you skip ahead to 02:27 in the video below, you can relive that moment for yourself - but be warned, the video is obviously NSFW.
With a little over a year to go between now and Spider-Man: Homecoming's opening day, the casting process is going to get even more fast and furious. With Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei already established in Peter Parker's universe, and Michael Keaton getting set to become the first solo villain that Spidey will face off against, the cast couldn't be more stacked. If anything, Kenneth Choi's casting in Jon Watts' introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sort of good luck charm, as apparently including a cast member from Captain America: The First Avenger in your film makes everything that much better. That in mind, we'll look forward to grabbing more information on who's joining the web of intrigue, as Spider-Man: Homecoming is set to open on July 17, 2017.
