New magazine covers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings tease the full look at the movie's massive dragon. Phase 4 is expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe by introducing new characters and corners of this vast superhero franchise. Shang-Chi is part of that effort, as it will feature the MCU's first Asian superhero played by Simu Liu, flesh out the Ten Rings organization, and set up more mystical elements like giant dragons.

The promotional campaign for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has alluded to all of the movie's different aspects. The martial arts action scenes continue to excite viewers looking for a new type of Marvel action, but the potential for it to include magic and mysticism is also high. Recent Shang-Chi footage included a look at Simu Liu's Master of Kung Fu underwater coming face-to-face with a huge dragon. The white and red dragon was only teased at this moment, but it has also been confirmed that it is not the well-known dragon-looking alien Fin Fang Foom.

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With just over a month to go until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' release, the movie has taken over the upcoming issue of Empire Magazine. The outlet shared two new magazine covers for its upcoming September issue. The regular cover shows Shang-Chi in the middle with his friend Katy (Awkwafina) on the left and his sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) on the right. Empire also shared a subscriber-exclusive cover that teases Shang-Chi's dragon. Check out both covers below:

Little is known about the dragon that will appear in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The trailer labels the dragon as The Great Protector, but it is unknown who or what the dragon is protecting. There were old rumors that Michelle Yeoh's character was linked to a place known as the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon. Yeoh has since said that she's a guardian over a mythical city, so that location secretly harboring an ancient dragon could make sense. But, it is unknown if the dragon in this Shang-Chi magazine cover is meant to emulate The Great Protector or if it was simply chosen due to Shang-Chi and Chinese mythology's ties to dragons.

In any case, the appearance of a dragon in Shang-Chi is already something that many fans are excited about. After Iron Fist barely used the mystical and powerful dragon Shou-Lao, seeing Marvel Studios embrace dragons and other mythical beasts in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a treat. With the movie's release nearing, thankfully it won't be long before the MCU officially gets a dragon.

MORE: Shang-Chi Already Teased Him Beating The Mandarin

Source: Emire Magazine

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