It’s time for a solo superhero movie like no other, and Marvel Studios is setting out to deliver just that with their new MCU Phase 4 entry Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) directed, with Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu cast as Shang-Chi, a skilled martial artist who is trying to live a normal life in San Francisco despite being trained at a young age to be an assassin by his father Wenwu (Tony Leung). The movie examines Shang-Chi’s origins but in the present day we see him get drawn further into the clandestine Ten Rings organization, and he is ultimately forced to confront the past he thought he left behind.
Along with Chloé Zhao’s Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of Marvel’s 2021 blockbuster gambles. Both movies introduce new characters from the comics who will have a huge impact on the MCU going forwards, while more audience-familiar installments like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder prepare to release in their wake.
It is unclear how much of an impact the events of Marvel’s multiverse-exploding Disney+ series Loki will have on Shang-Chi’s story at this stage, but no doubt all will become clear when the film finally debuts early next month after several delays.
Liu has been hyping up Marvel fans over on Twitter, posting “We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”
Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh star alongside Liu in Shang-Chi, which Marvel maestro Kevin Feige hopes will be a game-changer.
“When you have the opportunity to showcase a hero that looks like a huge segment of the globe that feels like they haven’t been showcased, the magic can happen if you deliver,” he told THR. “I think Destin (Daniel Cretton) and Simu have delivered for this movie.”
Most MCU projects tie in to other upcoming Marvel Studios films and Shang-Chi is no different, with Feige confirming that “there is a direct line of where [Shang-Chi] heads to next.”
Ahead of its release, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in the midst of being screened for select audiences, including various film critics.
Here’s what people are saying about the film so far…
Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be released on September 3.