Marvel has a huge line-up when it comes to characters, both sides, and leads. The fictional storylines have been crafted perfectly to fit the current time. For decades now, we have been feeling like a part of these different timelines. In the wake of recent events, Marvel decided to switch to hyperspeed with the marketing of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. From trailers to official posters, we have got it all. Shang-Chi will finally introduce fully blown-out martial arts into the MCU, with Simu Liu playing the titular character.
This particular Destin Daniel Cretton’s directorial, and a script from Dave Callaham, is bound to break the cultural barriers. The rest of the cast includes Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy, Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as fellow MCU newcomers Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng. The movie will revolve around Shang-Chi denying his father’s (Mandarin) legacy, and him dealing with villains like Death Dealer and the wicked members of the Ten Rings organization. It is bound to dwell into Shang-Chi’s childhood as well.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is ready to bring in some mythical plots as well. Some of these plots will reportedly include locations like the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon, which has ties to the legendary creature Fing Fang Foom from the comics. This singled-out plotline will have a vital role in the movie, as broadcasted by the recent merchandise reveal from Shang-Chi’s first solo film. All this is proved by an action figure. This character will debut in the film. The figure is a white and red-colored dragon described on the box packaging as “The Great Protector.”
Images of the Shang-Chi dragon can be viewed in @SCBRMidia’s Tweet below:
.@ShangChiBR pic.twitter.com/Ca3E3bz9Qu
— SCBR Mídias (@SCBRMidia) April 21, 2021
There is no specific character with such a name in Marvel Comics. Maybe this a call-out for an entirely new character, or it is our very own Fin Fang Foom. Marvel alters characters from the comics all the time. So we could just assume that MCU’s Fin Fang Foom is white and red instead of the usual green. It is shown as a sort of villain/anti-hero in the comics and is capable of epic destruction. A Fin Fang Foom Easter Egg was spotted in the MCU once in an extremely quick look. The character’s concept art could be seen in an advertisement on the streets of California. This happened in Iron man (2008). The dragon’s role is clearly a mystery in the upcoming Shang-Chi movie, but it is definitely destined to expand the MCU even further.
It seems promising that the movie will dwell more into Shang-Chi and his lands of culture. His revolt against Mandarin’s legacy will lead him into a journey where he might come across these creatures. It will be exciting to see how he will become allies or enemies with this creature. But Fin Fang Foom is destined to wake up now. The Asian history and mythology will definitely expand the MCU. In fact, we’ll get to see Foo Dogs and other little dragons as well. It is not yet clear how the Shang-Chi solo film will amalgamate with the rest of the MCU timeline. Most of the concrete details are still kept under wraps. But we can expect more information and Easter eggs in the next trailer that may release soon.
The trailer has already suggested that the characters in the movie are too powerful and full of finesse. Shang-Chi is shown to be the master of Kung-Fu, just like in the comics. Marvel Cinematic Universe has been steadily inclining more towards the comics and its style. WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is just a perfect example of such correlation. Shang-Chi can also be heavily driven directly from the comics, and that will be heavily supported by the fans.
Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi has never been mentioned in the MCU before. It will definitely be exciting to see a character whose backstory is never been spoken of in the MCU. Moreover, the real Mandarin is making his appearance and it will tie to this history of other Marvel movies. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will debut in theaters on September 3, 2021.
Here’s the official synopsis for the Marvel Studios project:
“Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.”
