To the surprise and delight of fans everywhere, Marvel Studios released the first trailer for the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film, which stars Simu Liu as the title character, is set to explore a whole new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The teaser introduces fans to Shang-Chi, an expert in martial arts who has been training his entire life. But since the character already possesses incredible fighting skills, audiences are left to wonder where he's been for the past ten plus years of the MCU. Well, the answer is provided in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings teaser trailer.
Whenever Marvel Studios introduces a new superhero in the MCU, a wide tapestry with an intricate history, there always comes the question of how these characters fit into the larger narrative of this expansive universe. Such was the case with Captain Marvel, which revealed that Carol Danvers had been away fighting aliens on the other side of the cosmos since the 1990s. Shang-Chi is in a similar situation: unlike Doctor Strange, he doesn't go through an ordeal that propels him into a new world as an adult. No, Shang-Chi is already one of the world's greatest fighters and, in order to achieve that, he had to train most of his life.
The trailer goes on to reveal that, for the last decade, Shang-Chi's father, Wenwu, aka the Mandarin, allowed his son to roam the world and have a life of his own before he pulls him back into the Ten Rings organization. So, while Shang-Chi was trained all of his life by his father, he was given the time to see the world and build a life of his own. It's unclear if this time away was mandated by his father, or if it was a request made by Shang-Chi himself, but it explains why the character was inactive for the last decade.
During that time, Shang-Chi was not a superhero, and he was likely keeping a low profile. It's also possible he hasn't yet found his heroic drive. After all, all his life, he has been trained to take his father's place as leader of the Ten Rings, and it's likely during his time away that he comes to understand who Wenwu really is. It's only when Shang-Chi returns to his father's side that he will assume his role as the MCU's next major superhero.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Daniel Callaham, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Jiang Nan, Meng'er Zhang. Ronny Cheng, Fala Chen and Jiang Len. The film arrives in theaters Sept. 3.