Since its announcement at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con, the path of Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings it has been long. It was Marvel’s first big risk in a phase full of them. Also from a lucky experiment that opens the door to a new perspective on the most profitable franchise in cinema. The first film of the house of ideas with an Asian superhero is also the ideal vehicle to understand the magnitude of Phase 4. Also one that had to face a character already appeared in other installments, but necessary for the plot: the Mandarin .
But Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings It has had to go through all kinds of moments to get to the big screen. The first Attempts to make a Shang-Chi movie date back to the 1980s. However, on all occasions, the production did not have the necessary reception and ended up becoming an uncomfortable project.
In fact, the character’s history dates back to the previous decade, chen Marvel tried to buy the rights to the series Kung Fu. But its owner DC refused. So the publisher acquired those of Fu Manchú, a character currently controversial for his stereotyping of Asian identity.
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In 1973, cartoonist Steve Englehart and screenwriter Jim Starlin created Shang-Chi with a single goal: that Fu Manchu was his villain. In contrast, Shang would be a young hero who would face his criminal father. For the next two decades, Shang-Chi faced his father over and over again. Finally, he watched him die.
The parent-child mystery box
All of the above had to be summarized in a film that would also exclude Fu Manchu. The possibility of a fundamental change in the history of Shang-Chi aroused considerable anticipation. How would the plot manage to tell the story without one of its essential edges? The answer was in the Mandarin, of course.
One of the big questions about Destin Daniel Cretton’s film was just how to solve the environment of an Asian character. The spectrum on the stereotype caused Marvel to take special care in developing the plot of the film. Fu Manchu, who for decades was the father / nemesis of the character, would have to be eliminated from the story. How could this be accomplished without harming the character’s considerable legacy in the comic?
So one point of interest was to replace the troublesome Fu Manchu with The Mandarin, to be played by Tony Leung. Now, the problem was how to deal with the fact that a character posing as the latter had already appeared in the franchise. If you remember, in Hombre de Hierro 3 a fake Mandarin played by Sir Ben Kingsley tried to trick Tony Stark. How to solve the mess?
The script written by Destin Daniel Cretton, David Callaham and Andrew Lanham does so in a subtle and brilliant way. Instead of ignoring Mandarin’s previous existence, or looking for a complex explanation around a confusing character, he tackles it head-on. Sir Ben Kingsley reprises his role and makes clear its false and artificial origin. On the other hand, it highlights and exalts the character of Tony Leung. The result is a strange fatherly relationship that turns the film into a painful look at loss, inheritance, and filial love.
The Mandarin, a complex character
To give a bit of context: the real Mandarin debuted in the comic book world in Tales of Suspense # 50 from 1964. As the work of Stan Lee and Don Heck, he was much more than a flat villain or even, just created to oppose the hero. He is a complex character with unique abilities. Born in China before the communist revolution, El Mandarin grew up studying science and combat. Which made him a scholar.
A little later, the character reached his tipping point when he encountered Makluan’s ship, an alien dragon. In it he found ten powerful rings that allowed him to take power and take his abilities to a new level. Turned into a supervillain, Mandarin faced Tony Stark on more than one occasion. But unlike Fu Manchu, the character celebrated the Chinese culture of origin. A castle in China had a dragon named Fin Fang Fo.