Marvel’s Shang-Chi Movie Cast Is Almost Entirely Asian

The cast of Marvel's upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will consist almost entirely of Asian actors. Shang-Chi is a superhero who first appeared in 1973 during the Bronze Age of Comic Books and during the boom of martial arts films in the U.S. Created by artist Jim Starlin and writer Steve Englehart, Shang-Chi is a master of all martial arts, who has the power to duplicate himself.

While many may be unfamiliar with the character, Shang-Chi is a powerful hero who has beaten Thanos' forces, gone toe-to-toe with Namor, and even defeated Spider-Man. He also joined the Avengers roster during the Marvel NOW! relaunch. His popularity is bound to increase once the movie is released in 2021. Besides shedding light on a cool character, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be Marvel Studio's first ever Asian-led movie and will be a huge step forward for representation.

During a recent New York Film Academy Guest Speaker event, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige discussed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and revealed that 98% of the cast will be Asian. During a Q&A, an attendee asked what the process is when deciding which characters to show in the MCU. Feige stated that the choice of characters can vary. He said, "Like Shang-Chi, we’ve wanted to make that movie for a long time. We want to make a movie with a 98% Asian cast." This checks out, as Marvel has had a Shang-Chi movie in development since even before it acquired the movie rights to the first Iron Man.

Questions about diversity were a significant part of the speaker event, as Feige also discussed other movies in the MCU. In regard to Black Panther and Captain Marvel, Feige said, "We wanted to keep showcasing heroes from the comics that represent the world that goes to see our movies. So our intention was always to continue to do that." Feige says he is excited that the movies were hits because he hopes that "it squashed any sort of question otherwise" and thinks "it inspired other companies around the world to do the same thing and tell those different types of stories.”

While Hollywood has come far from the 'Long Duk Dong' days of offensive Asian portrayal in media, there has still been a relative dearth of Asian representation in film. The MCU has had Asian representation, from actors such as Benedict Wong as Wong (Doctor Strange), Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds (Spider-Man: Homecoming), or Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). However, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will put actors of Asian descent at the forefront, with actor Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Tony Leung Chiu-wai as the Mandarin.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may also help fix issues of erasure of Asians from media. It's difficult to forget the controversy with the Iron Fist casting. Marvel writer Marjorie Liu once shared her thoughts about this, stating that Marvel missed an opportunity to reclaim an offensive trope. The mostly Asian cast and team behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will also allow those of Asian descent to reclaim a character created by non-Asians. In fact, even Jim Starlin, one of the creators of Shang-Chi explained that he hopes the character Fu Manchu won't be included in the upcoming movie. Starlin stated he found Fu Manchu to be “kind of embarrassing” in its portrayal of Asians, as the character has roots in bigoted attitudes of the past. With an almost entirely Asian cast, hopefully Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is on a different path.

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Source: New York Film Academy