With Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Natasha Romanoff now gone, who will rise up to lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe? There are certainly some candidates already around, but the newest contender is arriving September 3: Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Shang-Chi explores a whole new story and set of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… mostly. That “Legend of the Ten Rings” does, in fact, tie tangentially into several other Marvel movies and shows, but exactly how, we’ll have to wait and see. For now, all we know is that it’s the story of a man struggling with his past, his family, and discovering that he might have what it takes to be a hero.
In the following slides you’ll hear from three of the stars talking about their characters, followed by six brand new character posters with fantastic looks at the film’s heroes and villains.
Who are the stars of Shang-Chi?
This video features actors Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Meng’er Zhang discussing their characters: Shang-Chi, Katy, and Xialing. The thing that really pops here is just how much fun the cast seems to have together. That’s very encouraging. Now let’s look at everyone on their own.
Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
The hero of our film. A man who was trained to be a weapon when he was growing up, but gave up that life, and his family. Now, he’s going back — and that family, which is wrapped up in a long, mysterious past, will not be instantly welcoming.
Awkwafina as Katy
The fact that Katy is played by the hilarious Awkwafina is all you need to know. The Raya and the Last Dragon star is no stranger to Disney; here, she plays a hotel valet and buddy of Shang-Chi in his new life, who’ll join him on his journey. She’s definitely comic relief but this poster shows things go a bit further too.
Tony Leung as Wenwu
Wenwu, played by the legendary Tony Leung, is Shang-Chi’s father. He’s also known by another name, the Mandarian. Yes, the character Guy Pierce and Ben Kingsley pretended to be in Iron Man 3. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps as the holder of the mysterious 10 rings, but now? We aren’t so sure.
Meng’er Zhang as Xialing
Xialing is Shang-Chi’s sibling. We think she too was trained by Wenwu and that she too may have left the family. How she ended up in similar (but also different) circumstances from her brother is likely to play a big part in the story.
Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Na
Little is know about Jiang Na. Some have assumed she’s Shang-Chi’s mother. She’s described as “the guardian of a mythic city.” It’s likely she trained him a bit growing up. All we know for sure is if she’s played by Michelle Yeoh, she’s important. (Yeoh also appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as another character but we assume Shang-Chi is just gonna ignore that.)
??? as Death Dealer
Who is the Death Dealer? What role does he, or she, play in the film? Probably one that won’t be good for Shang-Chi. But if they’re getting their own character poster, we’d assume its crucial.
We’ll learn a lot more about these characters, and the rest of the film’s cast, in theatres on September 3, when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens.