Kevin Feige responds to China's backlash towards Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, particularly in regards to the perceived inclusion of Fu Manchu. For its next big screen adventure, the MCU is focusing on a brand new hero: Shang-Chi, a character known in the comics as the Master of Kung Fu. Kim's Convenience star Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi for the franchise, making him the MCU's first Asian lead on the film side. After some speculation that Shang-Chi could receive a Disney+ Premier Access streaming run like Black Widow, Disney CEO Bob Chapek reaffirmed its status as a theatrical release last week.

Shang-Chi has quite the task ahead. In addition to introducing a character non-comics fans aren't very familiar with, the movie must sidestep some of the more stereotypical and outdated elements of Shang-Chi's history. Marvel and director Destin Daniel Cretton have been careful to remove or rework certain pieces, particularly when it comes to Shang-Chi's family tree. In the comics, Shang-Chi's father is the poorly named Fu Manchu, who is often regarded as one of the most racist characters in Marvel's history.

Related: How Marvel Making Shang-Chi The Mandarin's Son Changes His Story

As Shang-Chi gets closer to release, Marvel has entered the final stages of promotion. One point of concern in the movie's prospects is China; Shang-Chi has yet to receive a release date there, and audiences are lukewarm-to-negative about the movie itself for a number of reasons. To assuage certain fears, Feige recently sat down with Chinese film critic Raymond Zhou (via Variety) and answered questions about Shang-Chi. On the topic of Fu Manchu, a character Chinese audiences are understandably against, Feige adamantly stated he is not a part of the movie and won't ever be featured in the MCU. He said:

“[Fu Manchu] is not a character we own or would ever want to own. It was changed in the comics many, many, many years ago. We never had any intention of [having him] in this movie... Definitively, Fu Manchu is not in this movie, is not Shang-Chi’s father, and again, is not even a Marvel character, and hasn’t been for decades.”

Shang Chi and Fu Manchu

Instead of Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi's father in the movie is Wenwu, or the MCU's actual Mandarin (Tony Leung). The Mandarin is another controversial figure from Marvel's past, and 2013's Iron Man 3 lampooned him somewhat. However, Shang-Chi promises to offer a more complex iteration of the character, one who avoids stereotypes that might have flourished decades ago. Whether Shang-Chi will manage to please everyone remains to be seen, but Marvel has taken care to distance it from the questionable elements of before.

Much like Black Panther three years ago, Shang-Chi marks a major turning point in the MCU. While the franchise started off focused mainly on white male heroes, recent movies and shows have increased its scope. Shang-Chi is just the latest in a growing line of diverse projects, and the early buzz is so far positive. Earlier this week, the world premiere took place, and the first reactions to Shang-Chi have been largely enthusiastic when it comes to the action scenes and Liu's performance. In moving away from the outdated elements of the comics, it looks like Shang-Chi is really coming into his own in the MCU.

More: Shang-Chi: Why Marvel Is Right To Replace Fu Manchu With The Mandarin

Source: Variety

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