Marvel Studios is preparing for the arrival of its first Asian-led superhero movie in the form of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” The film, which stars Simu Liu, will see a new expansion of the MCU both for representation and in the MCU narrative. And many are excited to see where the MCU goes from here. So, Marvel Studios unveiled its latest trailer for the upcoming film during the NBA Western Conference finals.
Many MCU fans know that the Ten Rings were first introduced as a terrorist organization who kidnapped Tony Stark in “Iron Man.” They then made another appearance in “Iron Man 3,” where they were led by the Mandarin who was bent on seeing the world burn. However, it was all a front, and that Mandarin was an imposter played by an actor named Trevor (Ben Kingsley), who was hired by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce).
But based on what we’ve seen so far, it looks like the real Wenwu aka the Mandarin (Tony Leung) and the Ten Rings are ready to come out of the shadows. “Thoughout my life, the Ten Rings gave our family power. If you want them to be yours one day you have to show me you are strong enough to carry them,” Wenwu says to his much younger son, Shang-Chi. And just like that we have a better idea of the family rift that serves as the conflict between Shang-Chi and his father, Wenwu.
The trailer provides more exposition as it introduces Jiang Nan (Michelle Yeoh) who tells Shang-Chi that he is a product of all that came before him. “The legacy of your family. You are your mother. And whether you like it or not, you are also your father.” We get to see contrasting images of the different training sessions with Shang-Chi. With his mother, its familial and peaceful, whereas we see Wenwu, watching over a group of warriors training in unison.
The action gets more explosive as Shang-Chi fights the fearsome Death-Dealer head on.
“You’re just a criminal who murders people,” Shang-Chi says confronting his father after years of being estranged. “Be careful how you speak to me boy,” Wenwu replies.
From there, we get to see a mix of Wuxia cinematic martial arts along with that classic Marvel action. “I thought I could change my name, start a new life,” Shang-Chi says reflecting on his past. “But I could never escape his shadow.”
But as much as Shang-Chi tries to run from his past, he was destined to become a great warrior. As such, we get to see something that lives up to that has the two go ring to ring in what appears to be the climactic confrontation. And it wouldn’t be much of a Marvel trailer without a very intriguing tease. And it doesn’t get any more intriguing than what appears to be Abomination fighting Shang-Chi in a cage match.
Here’s the official synopsis for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:”
Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten” Rings debuts in theaters on September 3, 2021.
