SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS Trailer

The MCU continues to expand in interesting ways with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

Once again bringing in a character that isn’t well known outside of comic book fans (or at least I’ve never heard of him), Shang-Chi is a man with very familiar problems: his dad isn’t the greatest. In fact, he leads some sort of international evildoers organization called Ten Rings, and Shang-Chi has been hiding out from him for years. Still, the childhood he spent training with his father means he’s uniquely capable of bringing him down, so when his past catches up to him, he decides to finally deal with his destiny.

If the plot is familiar then everything surrounding it isn’t, with the movie introducing the first Asian superhero for the series. It’s fitting, then, that Cretton was brought on to helm the film. He fits the bill both as the kind of seasoned indie filmmaker the MCU is widely utilizing for phase 4 (he’s best known for Short Term 12) and as someone of Asian descent who can hopefully steer this away from the racist elements that were part of the comic books.

The groundbreaking character is played by Kim’s Convenience alum Simu Liu, who will become an instant star. Co-starring with him are legends Tony Chiu-Wai Leung and Michelle Yeoh while red-hot Awkwafina is perfectly positioned to deliver some comic relief.

From the glimpses we’ve gotten of phase 4, it seems to be working hard to rectify issues that have built up as the MCU played it safe for far too long. Shang-Chi will be an early test of how much they’re really committed to change.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung. It will be released in the US and the UK on September 3rd, 2021. For international release dates, click here.

Are you excited for more of the MCU? Let us know in the comments!