Here’s proof that we’ve been living through our own ‘Blip’ recently: it is, somehow, five years since Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings hit cinemas. Destin Daniel Cretton’s MCU debut arrived not only among the first wave of Marvel movies released post-Avengers: Endgame, but came in the wake of the first rush of Covid too. Even amid those circumstances, it proved a blast, introducing Simu Liu’s martial artist Shang-Chi into our roster of heroes, battling family demons, and actual demons too. The film was well-received, and performed admirably at the box office at a time when audiences were still wary of entering enclosed spaces with strangers. So, where the hell has Shang-Chi been for the last five years?
It’s a good question, and there’s no obvious answer. While the Multiverse Saga of the MCU has undeniably been a shakier road than the Infinity Saga that preceded it – expanding not just into other realities, but widening the character roster considerably too – Shang-Chi emerged as one of the coolest and most likeable new faces in the shared universe. The film made $432 million worldwide, which is more than 2021’s Black Widow and Eternals, and on track with Phase 1 origin movies like Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. We should be swimming in Shang-Chi stories by now.
Perhaps Shang-Chi’s cinematic comeback got lost in the shuffle. It shouldn’t have.
Or at least, other appearances from Shang-Chi himself. To take another hero introduced that same year, just look at Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova – who arrived in Black Widow, and along the way has popped up in Hawkeye, had a major role in Thunderbolts*, and had a part to play in this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day too. It’s baffling that Shang-Chi hasn’t been seeded through other MCU projects; Liu has only returned to voice the character in animation, on What If…? and Marvel Zombies.
There are many reasons why we’re desperate to see Shang-Chi again. The Ten Rings’ martial arts-driven fight sequences are outstanding – not just the oft-mentioned bus brawl (the action highlight of the movie), but the scaffolding showdown too. As well as proving ultra-likeable in the role, Liu really moves when the action kicks into gear. The additional of the MCU’s take on Eastern folklore brought something fresh to the already sprawling universe, and Shang-Chi’s ring-based power-set has a unique visual identity.
The film boasted a stacked supporting cast too: the great Tony Leung adding major gravitas as Shang-Chi’s grieving father Wenwu; Michelle Yeoh was here just a year before bagging her Everything Everywhere Oscar; the dependably amiable Awkwafina shines as Katy in the ‘sweet sidekick’ role; and Meng’er Zhang, another instant standout, kicked ass as Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing. All of them would be welcome return presences.
Maybe, if all had gone to plan, there would have been a Shang-Chi sequel by now; or at least other appearances from the character. The film pre-dates many of the troubles that seem to have hit Marvel Studios over the course of its second major Saga: a pivot in direction away from a Kang storyline, an explosion of output with a barrage of Disney+ shows, the underperformance of several features. In among that time, the studio more or less took a year off from releases to recalibrate; Destin Daniel Cretton was due to make Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and when that fell apart he ended up directing Spider-Man: Brand New Day – on which he did an excellent job. Perhaps Shang-Chi’s cinematic comeback got lost in the shuffle. It shouldn’t have, though.
Thankfully, we will – at long last – be seeing Shang-Chi again soon. Avengers: Doomsday will finally bring the character back to the screen, already seen in the film’s trailer going toe-to-toe with Channing Tatum’s mutant Gambit. Hopefully he’ll have a significant role to play, and the film can hint at what he’s been up to over these five years. And while Marvel has major plans for the X-Men in the wake of Secret Wars, here’s hoping they can factor in a return of Shang-Chi, and the Ten Rings too. Better late than never.
Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings is streaming now on Disney+
