Ming-Na Wen Talks Fong Wing's Journey of Self-Discovery in GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH

Courtesy Max

By Sarah Musnicky

Taking place one year after the events of season one, GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH follows Gizmo, Sam, and Elle as they travel from their home in Shanghai to San Francisco, bringing even more magic, mystery, and Mogwai mayhem. Hot on the trail of a new brood of evil Mogwai, our heroes journey deep into the American West, coming up against new supernatural creatures and picking up a few mysterious characters along the way.

With Sam, Gizmo, and Elle in San Francisco, it's not long before his parents Fong Wing (Ming-Na Wen), Hon Wing (BD Wong), and his grandpa (James Hong) follow after him. The journey is as much about them as it is about the kids in THE WILD BATCH.

For GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, Creepy Kingdom's Sarah Musnicky participated in a roundtable with actress Ming-Na Wen, who voices Fong Wing in the series. During their conversation, they discussed how Fong's relationship with Sam is evolving now that they've been separated once again to Fong's complicated journey of self-discovery with her father and what Wen hopes Fong embraces if a third season gets greenlit.

What can you expect from Fong Wing in Season 2?

In season one, Fong Wing and her husband have their own separate trials from Sam, where industrialist Riley Greene captures them for his mad agenda. In GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, Fong looks forward to a normal life for her family. But, of course, the mogwai have other plans. During our roundtable, Heather Hurt of Nerds Rule The World pointed out how Fong's strength has rubbed off on Sam this season. But how does that change how Fong sees him when Sam is still very much her baby boy?

Part of it is the new location the Wings find themselves in this season. "In season two, they're placed now in San Francisco," explains Ming-Na Wen. "What's great about that is, not only do you get these backstories of what Chinese immigrant life was like in the 1920s, but you also get to place these characters in a situation they're unfamiliar with, so they have to adapt. They have to figure out who they really are and what their strengths and weaknesses are."

Being placed in that position of self-reflection is an eye-opener for Fong in some ways. Wen further elaborated: "For Fong, I think she's starting to see Sam as someone who can make his own decisions, someone who should be allowed to make his choices about what he wants." Once separating herself from her son and realizing that she doesn't need to worry so much about Sam opens up new pathways for Fong. "I think Fong realizes that she needs to let go and maybe have a little fun herself."

That would be something if a bit of fun means finally exploring the magic and silliness that her father relishes. But, for Fong, there is a bit more resistance ahead as GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH forces the two together again.

Courtesy Max

Fong and Grandpa Wing's Relationship in GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH

One of the most fascinating relationships from the GREMLINS animated series is the relationship between Fong and her father. They are such polar opposites, and it is clear that there's so much left to explore underneath the surface. In Season 2, Fong is paired off again with her husband and father, leaving more room to wade into their dynamic. When Creepy Kingdom asked what she hoped to explore in Fong's relationship with her father, Ming-Na Wen reflected a bit before diving in.

"For Fong, it's learning to respect and understand her father a little bit more and recognizing that [the magic] is something that was in her that she was sort of denying." This is a relatable experience, one in which the adults watching GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH will likely empathize with from their lives. The process of self-discovery turned into the most rewarding thing for Wen as she was embodying Fong.

"I think we all go through that a little bit as we're going through the process of self-discovery and what our potential is, and not negating or preventing yourself from doing something that is probably genetically encoded into her is a wonderful thing to explore in a character," shared Wen. "It brings [Fong] closer to her father, and it brings her closer to realizing that he enjoyed his adventure so much because it offered him such rewards. And so, instead of it being a bad thing, her own appreciation and acceptance of the magic [grows]."

While the first half of GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH doesn't feature Fong yet exploring her own magical background, the relationship between her and her father is starting to shift and change for the better.

Future goals and aspirations for Fong Wing

Season 3 of GREMLINS has not been verified yet, but that doesn't stop us from dreaming about the future. While the bulk of GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH focuses on the youngsters and Gizmo, Sam's family has its own part to play and its own trials to endure. With Fong on a path of self-discovery, surely there's more to be explored there. In Ming-Na Wen's opinion, there most certainly is:

"She's a badass in her own way, because of her love for her family and wanting to protect everyone, and that's her motivation and her driving force. But I think deep down inside, she wants to have the adventure, too. She just won't admit it to herself."

If there is anything Wen hopes for the most for Fong, it is that she loosens up a little: [I hope] that she just parties a little bit more, that maybe she definitely allows Grandpa to teach her a lesson or two about what their abilities are." Upon reflection, this exploration would track best with Fong's character as far as audiences know her. This would realize Fong's character arc, starting from season one, where she was so closed off from magic and silliness, to ultimately embracing it if we got a hypothetical third season of GREMLINS.

However, nothing is set in stone. If we want to see Fong's full journey, audiences will need to tune into the first half of season two of the critically acclaimed GREMLINS prequel animated series, GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, which will is now available to stream on Max. 

To learn more about the series, check out our review here.