Shang Chi Will Restore Your Faith in Marvel

This asian cast stole the hearts of many Marvel Fans the moment they came onto screen.

Marvel Studios' most recent box office smash is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a film that raked in over 100 million in ticket sales within the first five days, according to Forbes. After the departure of many of the franchise's popular characters, such as Robert Downy Jr’s Iron Man and Chris Evans' Captain America, Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, knew he needed a new star. Shang-Chi accomplished just that and more – it delivered a fresh new cast of characters audiences instantly fell in love with.

Simu Liu was the perfect cast for the titular character to start up a new phase of heroes as the Marvel franchise’s first Asian superhero. Liu brought an organic vulnerability to the screen that we do not see much in Marvel’s previous films. Because of his massive success, people started to go back into his social media and found a tweet people cannot seem to get over. In 2018, following the announcement of the movie, Liu called on Marvel to cast him as Shang-Chi. 

“OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi,” the tweet said.

Liu’s co-stars including Awkwafina, Meng' er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung Chiu-wai all brought heartfelt performances to the film. Awkwafina’s Katy, Shang-Chi’s closest friend and Zhang’s, Xailing, Shang Chi’s sister in the movie, were standout characters. Awkwafina brought the perfect combination of funny, at the beginning of the movie, and more serious in the final battle scene, taking on a larger role as compared to most side characters. Zhang displayed elegance throughout her time on screen, especially in her exquisite fight sequences.       

Shang-Chi demonstrates Marvel's first venture into Chinese culture and the Mandarin language. Following the massive success of Black Panther, a 2018 film with almost an entirely black cast showing off some of the best actors in the industry – roles they have previously been denied – Marvel noticed the audiences’ outcry for a more diverse cast of superheroes. Shang-Chi accomplished this through its primarily Asian cast, in addition to a large portion of the movie being spoken in Mandarin with English subtitles at the bottom, which added another level to the craftsmanship and care dedicated to this movie.    

Along with the brilliant performances, the colorful costumes and stunning visuals, Shang-Chi incorporated martial arts into the film, a fresh twist on the lasers and arrows viewers are used to. The resulting hand-to-hand combat was choreographed perfectly, with the film culminating in a final battle with much more nail-biting action than the typical MCU film. The fact that Liu already knew martial arts before the role was evident, and made for tense battle scenes juxtaposed with gentle hand motions that made viewers antsy in their seats. 

The way director Destin Daniel Cretton composed these scenes brought a fantastic amount of color to the movie that made the visuals unique. Cretton used colors to show the progress of Shang-Chi’s character, with a lot of gloomy dark colors appearing in the sky and clothing when he feels like he has lost his way. Everything was much more muted and sad. Then towards the end viewers saw much more vibrant shades when Shang-Chi found his people and his new life. The screen exploded with colors and new costumes.      

Fans remember that in the third installment of the Iron Man trilogy Marvel briefly talked about the Ten Rings and used “the Mandarin” as a figurehead for an American terrorist organization. Shang-Chi addresses this controversial decision and incorporates it flawlessly, bringing some humor to an otherwise serious movie. 

With all that said, this is exactly what the MCU needed after Endgame. Black Widow was a great movie for a character who fans loved to watch for many years, but Shang-Chi was the right character to introduce next.

Shang-Chi has single-handedly reignited people's love for seeing movies in theaters and for the MCU in general. Many people, including me, have been hesitant about phase four of the MCU, but this two-hour and twelve-minute adventure will restore your faith in Marvel.

Shang-Chi incorporated martial arts into the film, a fresh twist on the lasers and arrows viewers are used to. Source: Alison Karpowich '23