Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to serve as Marvel's first film with an Asian lead, notably showcasing a character who was in talks to get a possible film as far back as the 1980s. Fans of Marvel, its comics, and the Shang-Chi character have been wondering which characters are going to appear in the final film, even after more characters and actors have been confirmed.

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Characters transitioning from comics to film can be a tricky situation. Sometimes, actors might be cast in undisclosed roles or, even when they have been named as other characters, they might turn out to be a canon character all along or at least take on the roles that other traditional characters had in the story. Other times, certain characters might be cut entirely or combined into a singular entity. On the other hand, some characters might have been planned to appear but get cut sometime during the production, even when they've been mentioned in early leaks or press releases.

7 Confirmed: Simu Liu Will Play Shang-Chi

shang-chi character

Shang-Chi, as the title character, naturally has to appear in his own namesake film. The character, inspired by the Kung Fu television program, was introduced as the son of Sax Rohmer's pulp villain Dr. Fu Manchu, although he himself is an original character. Also known as Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, he is a skilled martial artist. He has appeared throughout various Marvel titles, although his origins have often been changed since Marvel subsequently lost the rights to Dr. Fu Manchu.

Simu Liu has been cast in the title role. As the character is not known to wear a mask, Liu was actually required to perform most of his own stunts. In the film, he left the titular Ten Rings organization in the hopes of finding a normal life.

6 Rumored: Xialing Might Be A Version Of Fah Lo Suee

Jiang Li Necklace

Fah Lo Suee, also known as Zheng Bao Yu and the Cursed Lotus, is a supervillain also developed by Sax Rohmer. In Marvel stories, she is often made Shang-Chi's older half-sister. As with Fu Manchu, Marvel losing the rights to the original character has seen her role replaced with other similar characters.

A character named Xialing, played by Meng'er Zhang, will appear who is Shang-Chi's sister and a daughter of Wenwu. It's possible that she will serve as a version of Fah Lo Suee, especially considering her name was been changed before.

5 Confirmed: Tony Leung Will Play Wenwu/The Mandarin

the mandarin shang chi

As mentioned, Marvel no longer has the rights to Fu Manchu, so Shang-Chi's backstory was already expected to be changed. Tony Leung has been cast as Wenwu, also known as The Mandarin, and will appear in the role and has been confirmed to take the role of Shang-Chi's father.

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In the film, Wenwu is an ancient figure with a criminal past who raised his son not to follow in his villainous ways. While Wenwu is technically an original character, one of his titles, "The Mandarin," is a legacy character within the Marvel universe. A character using the alias, ultimately revealed to be an imposter, previously appeared in the MCU via Iron Man 3, with a "real Mandarin" hinted at in the short film, All Hail the King. Wenwu is believed to be the real incarnation of the character finally making an appearance.

4 Rumored: Fin Fang Foom Might Appear With The Mandarin

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda Fin Fang Foom

Many fans suspect the upcoming film will showcase many added supernatural elements, either to show off visual and special effects and/or take advantage of the large library of Marvel characters. Some think this will be done by giving mundane characters, like possibly Shang-Chi himself, superpowers, but others suspect this will come out through appearances by some of the more fantastic Marvel characters, like Fin Fang Foom.

Fin Fang Foom is a Marvel villain known to be an alien creature that resembles a dragon. Over the years, he's especially become known as an associate of the Mandarin, serving as both a henchman and guardian. As a version of the Mandarin is set to appear in the film, it makes sense for a version of Fin Fang Foom to appear in some faculty.

3 Confirmed: Florian Munteanu Will Play Razor Fist

Razor Fist Marvel

Razor Fist is a legacy character in the Marvel Comics, with various characters taking on the mantle over the years. All versions of the supervillain are known to lack superhuman abilities, but still have immense strength, speed, and agility. Skilled with razors, different versions of the character usually end up with one or two hands surgically replaced with blades.

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A Secret Wars storyline made him a student of the Ten Rings school who mastered the Mortal Blade technique, keeping his hands razor sharp. This reality pits him against Shang-Chi, who he attempts to arrest. As punishment for failing in his goal, Emperor Zu has his hands chopped off as punishment. Florian Munteanu will play a version of the character. This incarnation of the supervillain is still a skilled martial artist complete with blades for hands. He will be hired to assassinate Shang-Chi.

2 Rumored: Michelle Yeoh's Jiang Nan Might Be Two Characters In One

michelle-yeoh-marco-polo

In his early comic stories, Shang-Chi is mixed race, with his mother being a Caucasian woman. In fact, it's a confrontation with his mother that causes Shang-Chi to learn his father's true colors. However, another character exists who is romantically involved with the Mandarin, a fiancée named Mei Ling.

An Inverse article claimed that actress Constance Wu was once in talks to play a character named Mei Ling, who was identified as Shang-Chi's mother, in the film, suggesting plans to combine the two characters. Neither the actress nor a character named Mei Ling are currently set to appear in the final film. That said, Michelle Yeoh is set to play a character named Jiang Nan who is suspected to be a possible version of the character.

1 Confirmed: Death-Dealer Will Appear In The Film

Shang-Chi Death-Dealer

Death-Dealer, also known as Li Ching-Lin, is a recurring nemesis for Shang-Chi. He is an MI-6 agent infamous for his brutality, serving as a double agent for Shang-Chi's father. He takes on the "Death-Dealer" alias when his true colors are revealed. Even after the character was killed off, his son, Huo Li, appeared to confront Shag-Chi.

Death-Dealer is confirmed to appear in the live-action film that will mark Shang-Chi's debut. That said, the actor portraying the character, whose face is concealed behind a mask, was not immediately made known during early press releases and it remains to be soon who it actually is/will be.

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