Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is doing the evil father trope that Iron Man was initially attempting to do. The  MCU project - directed by Daniel Destin Cretton and starring Simu Liu - has a lot of ties to Tony Stark's story; both the Ten Rings and the real Mandarin, were first established in the Avenger's standalone movies, are making their proper debut in the upcoming blockbuster. But other than that, there's also one aspect from the Iron Man films that Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings is also exploring — a full-on conflict between son and father.

Announce at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is arguably one of the most exciting projects in MCU Phase 4. The film is set to launch a new hero into the universe in Shang-Chi. It's also the franchise's first Asian-fronted project with Liu being joined by Akwafina and legendary Chinese actor Tony Leung among others. This furthers Marvel Studios' efforts in diversifying its talent pool both in front and behind the camera. Following a series of delays, the film is now expected to hit theaters in September; marketing has kicked off with the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings' first trailer that reveals more about what to expect from its story.

Related: Everything We Know About Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Marvel Studios updates Shang-Chi's origins stories; instead of being the son of Fu Manchu, the MCU's version will be the offspring of Wenwu aka the real Mandarin — a crime lord who heads the Ten Rings. As seen in the trailer, Wenwu has groomed Shang-Chi to be his right-hand man and eventual successor, but his son wants nothing to do with it, effectively putting them at odds with each other. Shang-Chi knows that his dad is up to no good and he doesn't want to be involved with his bad dealings. Pitting Shang-Chi and Wenwu against each other does what the Iron Man franchise initially planned on doing but ultimately wasn't able to follow through. The first two Iron Man movies demonized Howard Stark in terms of being a father. While he did have a more troubled relationship with Tony, like Wenwu, he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and take over the family business one day. Despite Tony's complicated feelings towards his dad, he didn't have any problems inheriting Stark Industries. In fact, even as people criticized it for war profiteering, Tony subscribed to and even defended his father's business principle when it came to selling weapons.

Tony Stark in Avengers Endgame

Iron Man's disdain for his father mostly came from his parenting or lack thereof; he called him cold and pointed out how he's often absent from his life. It's different for Shang-Chi, however; it doesn't seem like he harbors any ill feelings towards how he was raised despite going through rigorous training. He's mostly focused on not wanting to be entangled with Wenwu's criminal activities, hence why he left home to live a very humble life as an immigrant in America. From the looks of it, this is non-negotiable as Shang-Chi outright rejects the Mandarin's plans of making him his successor. Meanwhile, it was Tony who gradually changed his feelings towards Howard. Iron Man 2's archive video of him talking to his future son humanized the character. From there, it fell on Tony's shoulders to come to terms with his father's flaws, resulting in their reunion in Avengers: Endgame which essentially functioned as a reconciliation.

Leaving home and refusing to become his father's successor is Shang-Chi's way of saving himself. He was willing to give up the lofty lifestyle for a simpler one if that means that he doesn't have to be involved with the Ten Rings' criminal operations. But eventually, Shang-Chi will have to actively go up against his father to save other people from being hurt, or worse, killed. This will be his heroic journey in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as he realizes that only he can stop the Mandarin's villainous activities given his skills, not to mention intimate knowledge of how his dad run the evil group.

More: Shang-Chi Trailer Hints Major Change To The Ten Rings

Key Release Dates