Marvel fans are eagerly awaiting the studio's upcoming return to theaters, which kicks off in July with four movies set to release in 2021. The second of these is September's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, bringing the MCU's first new leading hero into play since 2019's Captain Marvel.
While plot details are being mostly kept under wraps, the movie's first trailer from April built up considerable hype with Marvel bringing its first look into the ancient world of martial arts. Simu Liu's titular character showed off his top-notch fighting skills against multiple villains while the trailer teased his complicated relationship with his father, the real Mandarin, played by Tony Leung.
In light of the movie's promotional tour ramping up, new images are arriving that feature some of the film's leading heroes and villains.
RAZORFIST AND XIALING ALONGSIDE SHANG-CHI
Merchandise listings on Amazon revealed six new promotional images from Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The pictures feature new looks at Simu Liu's Shang-Chi, Awkwafina's Katy, Meng’er Zhang's Xialing, and Florian Munteanu's Razor Fist.
Florian Munteanu's Razor Fist is featured in full color, and one of the razors coming out of his hands is glowing gold.
Meng’er Zhang's Xialing is shown off in a blue and white outfit, likely the suit in which she will fight. Her relationship with her brother will be a key plot point through the story.
Shang-Chi is in the upper center of this image with Awkwafina's Katy to his left and Xialing to his right. His sister and friend will undoubtedly be a solid support system as he fights his way through this adventure.
Xialing is seen in a black & white image, sporting a similar outfit like the one in previous pictures.
Razor Fist is featured in the same pose as his earlier image, although this one is in an eclectic color scheme of mostly blues.
Awkwafina's Katy is displayed in a red dress sporting a bow and arrow. Fans haven't seen her fight skills from footage released thus far, but this surely teases some big moments for her in the movie.
AN ALL-STAR SUPPORTING CAST
Marvel Studios is continuing its trend of bringing excellent supporting actors alongside the leading stars of its films in Phase 4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is no exception, with these promotional images putting Shang-Chi's family, friends, and enemies alike into the spotlight.
While Toney Leung's Mandarin is confirmed to be this film's big bad, Florian Munteanu's Razor Fist already appears to be set to give Shang-Chi more than a few problems to deal with. His weaponry looks like a formidable challenge for the martial arts master, and it will be exciting to see how his character develops through the course of the story.
As for Xialing, Meng’er Zhang will have the opportunity to bring complexity and a challenging dynamic to Shang-Chi's life taking into account that he will be reuniting with his "estranged sister," as has been reported. Whatever the details of their problems may be, it will be exciting to see them put that aside to stop their father and his evildoings.
All in all, these images continue to build hype for the MCU's 25th outing. The film already appears to be one of the most action-packed adventures in Phase 4, and fans always look forward to new additions to the MCU as well in terms of characters.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will debut in theaters on September 3, 2021.
