Simon Wang

**Simon Wang** is is a main character in the Disney+ original series *American Born Chinese* portrayed by Chin Han. He is Jin Wang's father and the husband to Christine Wang.

## Background

### Personality

Simon starts off being very quiet and withdrawn, giving him the appearance of a stern father. In actuality, he cares greatly for his family and sees their value, but is afraid of speaking up and overcoming being ignored. Upon finally having something to say for himself and his family, he makes it very clear that he is much more observant than he lets on and knows how people view him. Once he finds his voice, he begins to take charge and openly voices how much he loves his wife and cares for her.

### Physical appearance

He is a mature Asian man wearing glasses, and appears to be middle-aged with short dark hair and facial stubble.

## History

### Season 1

In What Guy Are You, at dinner it is apparent that Christine wants Simon to ask his boss about something at work. While Christine believes that Simon should speak up, Simon thinks that he should just continue to work until he is noticed. This is because Simon is afraid of asking for a promotion for fear of losing his job.

In A Monkey on a Quest, at work, Simon's coworker Patrick invites him to the break room to talk with their boss John who is in mid-conversation with "Bozo McDingdong". Simon attempts to get a word in about football, but John gets distracted by another employee, deterring Simon from speaking again. Simon is sitting in his car listening to Bon Jovi when John comes by to speak to him. Amused by his interests, John shows him a photo of himself when he was younger dressed as Bon Jovi and they click. Simon continues bonding with John over Bon Jovi and tries to ask about a promotion, only to learn that he is retiring in a month. Simon later informs Christine that it is too late for him to ask for a promotion due to John leaving, but Christine believes that this is instead an opportunity for him to get the new position. Simon cannot bring himself to vie for the job.

In Abracadabra, Just as Simon returns home, he comments on the necklace and reveals that the two halves represented their families which were initially at war with one another. They had the two jade pieces redone to fit one another. At The Golden Temple, as Simon and Christine sing "Sweet Caroline" at the karaoke station, Simon lets slip that he did not get the promotion at work and that Patrick got it instead. Christine is disappointed, but Simon explains that he will quit his job and find a new one. Christine admits that this is impossible as she used up half of their life savings for inventory of the herbal remedies. Simon leaves dejected.

In Hot Stuff, Jin has two separate conversations with his mom and dad. Christine insists on focusing on her drink, which she hopes to have it become her new business, while Simon does not think it is a sound investment. Later, now both at home, Christine and Simon both realize that Jin lied to them about wanting to talk, but are both amused by it.

In Beyond Repair, Jin suspects that Christine is separating from Simon. Later, Simon and Christine both arrive to talk to Principal Finney, during which it is apparent that Finney has a set idea as to who the "Wangs" (pronounced literally) are like and makes some microaggressions. Simon finally speaks up and corrects her beliefs about them as well as how to pronounce their name. As the two parents leave, Christine thanks Simon for finally speaking up for them and he points out that they both have changed, but can be better people as a result.

In The Fourth Scroll, Jin has a dream that he is on *Beyond Repair* talking to Jamie Yao as Freddy Wong, but is interrupted by the appearances of Christine, Simon, Anuj, and Guanyin. Later, Simon returns home from work early to tell Christine that they should go look for the pendant together. They head back to the Golden Temple, but the manager acts cold towards them and they leave. They sneak into the basement where they find Sun Wukong who is alive, but greatly injured. They give him some of Christine's drink, along with the jar of green powder that Wei-Chen had given to Jin, and they part with Wukong giving wise advice to the two. Simon and Christine decide to go to Jin's soccer game while Wukong notices his son's handwriting on the jar. Unfortunately, when Jin enters his house, his parents are missing. He is confronted by Princess Iron Fan who demands that he come with her if he ever wants to see his parents again.

## Quotes

* "Sometimes the best way to get people to notice you is to work hard."

## Trivia

* In the original graphic novel, Simon, who is unnamed, has only a minor role and does not have as well a developed backstory as he does in the series.

## Appearances: 8/8

* What Guy Are You
* A Monkey on a Quest
* Rockstar Status
* Make a Splash
* Abracadabra
* Hot Stuff
* Beyond Repair
* The Fourth Scroll