Marvel's Phase 4 slate is an exciting one, including the launch of a number of unexpected new franchises. One of the most interesting of these is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which promises to introduce Marvel's premiere martial artist.
The MCU's version of Shang-Chi is clearly going to be very different to the comics, in part for licensing reasons. Fu Manchu has aged poorly, and is now considered the embodiment of a racist trope. Instead, Marvel has switched things up, and Shang-Chi will be confronting the threat of the real Mandarin, the legendary ruler of the Ten Rings.
At this stage, nothing else is known for certain about the plot. There are certain recurring rumors, but Marvel has kept details under wraps. No doubt set photos from the shoot in Australia would have been informative, but production has been put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and Shang-Chi's release date has been pushed back as well. For all that's the case, though, on close examination the comics may well drop some important hints.
Shang-Chi's New Origin Story
Shang-Chi's new origin story appears to have bound him tightly to the Mandarin, to the extent there's been some informed speculation he may be the Mandarin's son. According to an official synopsis for Shang-Chi, he seems to have been educated in an isolated Chinese compound, where he has been trained in martial arts. The MCU's version of this will probably be modeled on Islamic State's indoctrination camps for child soldiers, given their version of the Ten Rings has always been patterned on Islamic extremists; the point was driven home quite forcefully in Iron Man, when Tony Stark was captured by the Ten Rings while he was in Afghanistan.
However this is presented, something will naturally cause Shang-Chi to doubt the philosophy of the Ten Rings, and as a result he rebels. This fits with a leaked audition tape from October 2019, which described Shang-Chi as "the wonder boy who ran away." It's difficult to say what causes this change of heart; whether it's some innate goodness in Shang-Chi's character that leads him to escape, or the inspiration of seeing someone resist the Ten Rings. Still, this will mean the wonder boy is now a free operative, with unrivaled knowledge of how the Ten Rings operate.
The Mandarin's Role In The Ten Rings
The Mandarin is undoubtedly the true master of the Ten Rings, but he's likely to be very different to the comics as well. In the comics, the Mandarin was a young criminal who became a fugitive after the communist revolution in China. Fleeing for his life, he stumbled upon the wreckage of an alien spacecraft, and he stole ten artifacts of power, fashioning them into rings he wore upon his fingers. Using these rings, he subjugated an entire area, even acquiring his own piece of land, which he called "Mandarin City."
In contrast, in the MCU, the Ten Rings are a cell-based terrorist organization who may have existed for centuries; according to the Marvel one-shot "All Hail the King," they have been active since the Middle Ages, always ruled by a legendary figure called the Mandarin. They're akin to a cult, with the Mandarin serving as their god, which explains why they took such exception to Trevor Slattery's presenting himself as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. This ancient history means the MCU's version of the Mandarin must be adjusted as well; either he is a quasi-immortal being, or there have been a succession of Mandarins, with each Mandarin granting power to their successor. The latter possibility would explain why Slattery seems to have found competing portrayals of the Mandarin during his research, which he then fashioned into a composite.
This drastically rewrites the Mandarin's backstory, but curiously enough it sounds similar to another idea in the comics. There, the Atlas Foundation is one of the oldest, most pervasive secret societies in the world. Wielding both advanced science and sorcery, it regards itself as the perpetuation of the ancient Mongol Empire, with each Khan choosing their successor. If Marvel is indeed drawing inspiration from the Atlas Foundation in of their presentation of the Mandarin and the Ten Rings, then it could well mean Shang-Chi is destined for a pretty dramatic role in the MCU.
Shang-Chi Could Become The New Mandarin
In the comics, for much of the 20th century, the Atlas Foundation was led by a terrorist named Yellow Claw, and he became increasingly focused on securing a successor. Yellow Claw intended to wed a number of women who had been judged to have superior genetic traits, and to father sons by these women. When they reached manhood, he envisaged these champions fighting one another to the death, with the sole survivor becoming his heir and ruling over the Atlas Foundation. The plan failed, and instead Yellow Claw chose a different successor, his old adversary Jimmy Woo.
Shang-Chi writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton has claimed he's looking at classic kung-fu movies for inspiration, which will differentiate the movie from everything seen in the MCU to date. Interestingly, a persistent rumor has suggested Shang-Chi will enter some sort of fighting tournament, an obvious callback to films like Enter the Dragon. It's possible this concept is adapted from the comics; that Shang-Chi is one of several children of the Mandarin, and he will enter a tournament to become the Mandarin's successor. Presumably Shang-Chi would end with its titular hero triumphant, a good man who rises to a position of supreme power in an evil empire.
This Shang-Chi Arc Would Be Perfect For The MCU's Phase 4
In thematic , this idea would dovetail perfectly with Marvel's overall approach to Phase 4. The studio appear willing to change their Earth completely, abandoning the idea their films are set in "the world outside your window," but with superpowers. Phase 4 will explore the consequences as ancient forces step out of the shadows and make themselves known to the world; the Eternals, the Asgardian refugees at New Asgard, and Black Panther's Wakanda. Even the Masters of the Mystic Arts appear to be public knowledge now, given Mysterio modeled some of his special effects on Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The Ten Rings could essentially be another ancient empire who emerge as a force for good in this changed world.
It's true some comic book readers will be upset Shang-Chi has taken the role traditionally held by Jimmy Woo, as lord of a reforming criminal organization. However, the Ant-Man & the Wasp, and he's frankly unsuited to this kind of role. What's more, there are so many striking similarities between the Atlas Foundation and the Mandarin's empire that Marvel would risk repeating themselves if they tried to do both. In any case, Jimmy Woo and the Agents of Atlas could well end up working alongside Shang-Chi - explaining persistent rumors this film will serve as setup for a spinoff or Disney+ series exploring just that concept.
