Every comic book adaptation takes creative liberties with its original source material and the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings appears to be no different.

While the comic book Shang-Chi is the son of pulp literary villain Fu Manchu, the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation is rumored to be the son of the Mandarin, portrayed in the film by Tony Leung, as the film's central antagonist. Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Ed Brubaker, who pit Shang-Chi against his father during his acclaimed Secret Avengers run, commented on the rumors that Marvel Studios had potentially changed the martial arts superhero's to the Mandarin.

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"Well, that’s obviously a rights issue. Fu Manchu was a license that Marvel lost a long time ago, so they can’t use him in the movie or the comics," observed Brubaker in an exclusive interview with CBR. "But the struggle against an evil father is the primary thing Shang Chi is about, so you need a replacement father one way or another, to tell his story."

Principal photography on the MCU film has temporarily been suspended in Australia due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Simu Liu will star as the world's greatest martial artist, battling against the Mandarin for the fate of the world.

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Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu, Tony Leung and Awkwafina. The film is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2021.