Marvel studios, probably recognising the phenomenal success of Black Panther as something they’d be interested in repeating, has fast-tracked its first ever superhero film featuring an Asian protagonist.
The film is Shang-Chi. In the Marvel comics universe, Shang-Chi is a character who first appeared in December 1973, in the middle of the global martial arts movie craze. Shang-Chi is supposed to be the son of a shadowy Chinese figure. He’s raised in isolation from the rest of the world in Honan, China, where he becomes superhero-level good at martial arts.
When he’s set free to do his father’s bidding, Shang-Chi realises that daddy may not be the good bloke he’s always maintained himself to be – he is, in fact, The Devil’s Doctor!!!! (??? I dunno, I’m going purely on what Deadline has reported here – but Shang Chi’s comics, the Master of Kung Fu series, have him as the son of evil genius Fu Manchu.
So we’ve got superhero martial artist with daddy issues who’s never been in the outside world before and will probably have an almighty showdown with his evil dad (who might be hundreds of years old apparently) at the end. I am HERE FOR IT. So is everyone else apparently, which, good.
https://twitter.com/captainslouis/status/1069661993332826114
I’m calling it now, #ShangChi will be for Asian people what Black Panther was to black people. The hype is REAL. pic.twitter.com/gVcUW2rOa1
— TASK: Niggles With Attitude #BLM #StopAsianHate (@UpToTASK) December 3, 2018
We’re going to get this interaction and I can’t wait for that. #ShangChi pic.twitter.com/VumG3MtqIE
— Shah! (@SuperShah10) December 3, 2018
Reasons why Shang Chi is awesome: he used Pym Particles to enlarge himself so he could knuckle up with an actual Kaiju.
I’m not joking.
This actually happened. pic.twitter.com/VOsYGr7ZhV
— Collier “CJ” Jennings #WGASolidarity (@CJWritesThings) December 3, 2018
Marvel has tapped Wonder Woman 1984 writer Dave Callaham to write the script, and is reportedly actively seeking out Asian and Asian-American directors for the film.
Like Black Panther, Shang-Chi looks to be an opportunity for the studio to modernise a character that may have been a little, uh… unwoke at the time of its creation. Deadline says it’s also a chance for Marvel to make a film that blends Asian and Asian American themes, created by Asian and Asian-American filmmakers, in the same way that Black Panther was a predominantly African and African-American production.
When Spider-Man lost his spidey sense Shang-Chi trained him on how to not rely on them. Shang-Chi is a badass. pic.twitter.com/wruYDfBcJX
— TASK: Niggles With Attitude #BLM #StopAsianHate (@UpToTASK) December 3, 2018
Basically if you’re not stoked for this, what the hell is wrong with you. We don’t have a production date for Shang-Chi yet, but watch this space.
