Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: The Exciting New Entry into the MCU

Last month, we were given the first teaser trailer for Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and it made Marvel fans lose their minds. It’s the fans’ very first look at the new superhero and it could not have come at a better time. This is the MCU’s first Asian protagonist as well as its first martial arts film. This is just one of the many reasons it will be one of the most exciting movies to come in the fourth phase of the MCU.

The trailer gives us many easter eggs of what’s to come in this next phase but especially for its new hero, Shang Chi. Simu Liu takes on this role and gives the audience something to be excited about. He's a Canadian actor (being from Canada myself, I love that) and previously starred in the television series Kim's Convenience (2016-2021) which was a big hit for its five seasons. The fans also get to see Awkwafina take on a role in the MCU (finally) which is just another reason for audience members to ooh and aah at this first look. Fans have already seen her in big blockbuster hits like Ocean's 8 (2018) and more recently as the voice of Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). She also made her mark when she starred in Crazy Rich Asians (2018) which was another big blockbuster. She has great comedic timing and I'm super excited to see her enter the MCU.

Now, the movie itself. It is something the MCU has never done before and adds a hero we haven't seen on the big screen to the brand-new roster of Avengers. The trailer gives us not only a superhero vibe but also uses more motifs from martial arts movies such as Enter the Dragon (1973). The trailer gives mystery and intrigue and makes the fans more anxious to see the full trailer that is to come (not soon enough).

We have also received the order in which the new MCU series and movies will be released. We already knew about the exciting and long-awaited Black Widow (2021) which is finally set to release this July. Then of course, as I mentioned earlier, we have Shang Chi coming this September but these movies are not all. There is a total of 21 other films and television besides these two and the other television shows that have already been aired. All of these are set to release this year as well as 2022. That is only about a year and a half and that is a total of 25 productions. That is insane and so exciting for the fans who had the long dry spell of 2020 where we got zero content. This includes ones like The Eternals (2021) and Spiderman: No Way Home (2021) which are two of some of the most exciting ones in my opinion. The Eternals shows a whole new group of superheroes we have never seen before and personally, being only a movie fan rather than comics, know little about them so I'm excited to see it. The new Spiderman installment looks like we will get our first taste of the multiverse and hopefully so exciting twists. But first, let our minds focus on ones like Black Widow and Shang Chi and not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Something else that fans are surely excited to see is how it will fit into phase four? Will there be other superheroes in this film? What will the end credit scene give us, an introduction to a sequel or the next film in the MCU? So many questions that unfortunately won’t be answered until September 2021. Until then, sit back, catch up the shows like Wanda Vision or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, get excited for Loki (2021-) and Black Widow (2021), and get prepared for this exciting installment of the universe so many adore.