Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, was a fine movie but it’s better as an adaptation of Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld. What am I talking about? Well a lot of people didn’t see it, but this is movie is the plot with new aesthetics. Sure there’s a lot of lore maneuvering and new characters, but it is there.
Why Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld?
Now some fans are probably familiar with Shang-Chi, a character with a lot more importance than people realize. But it wasn’t always that way, despite some creatives best efforts, Shang-Chi doesn’t always play important roles. Probably because of some of the culturally racist background surrounding him. I mean his dad was Fu Manchu before a name change, but he was also mixed race before retcons. Most of the time Shang-Chi is a martial arts instructor for Marvel heroes and a supporting character. Because it’s one way to wash Fu Manchu off. Other times he leads teams like the Protectors or New Agents of Atlas.
Again, it’s only until Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld that Shang-Chi actually demonstrates his modern qualities. It’s in this spin-off of Marvel Secret Wars that Shang-Chi serves as the son of Emperor Zheng Zu. Not only that but he lives as an aimless drunkard after killing an important lord in his land. Because Emperor Zu, the Mandarin and master of the Ten Rings mystic martial arts style, asked him to. With a fighting tournament ready to make the next emperor, Shang enters to help the outcasts and reclaim his honor.
How Does That Translate To The Legend Of The Ten Rings?
You probably think I’m crazy for even thinking that’s this mini-series has anything to do with the movie. But here’s the thing, MCU flicks like Avengers are loose adaptations of stories and combine elements. Shang-Chi just happens to have the outline of Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld while adapting for contemporary audiences. And because elements like K’un-L’un have to be cut cuz the MCU’s Iron Fist was lame.
Similarities
Now let’s go over what this movie adapts. Shang-Chi is still a directionless man if a sober one. Because after all of his training and killing a target, he finds no gratification. The only meaning he can find is a mundane life with a friend and drunk karaoke. But an encounter with Ten Rings thugs led by his father’s henchman Razor Fist leads to confronting his father. A character who combines Zheng Zu with Iron Man adversary the Mandarin, a mystically powered man who commands influence everywhere. All of which leads to one final battle with Shang-Chi besting his father with mastery of his Ten Rings fighting style.
Slip-Ups
But yes, some cultural slip-ups are present. As Accented Cinema points out, the name Zheng Zu makes more sense with his age and his children’s naming. Because Wenwu is actually from the more recent Cantonese language. Was Marvel Studios concerned that traditional mandarin was too easy a target for this character?
And despite this sharing the conventions with Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld and other MCU movies, there’re some missed opportunities. For one, there’s a lack of a complete act that the source overcomes. Unlike the movie, Master of Kung Fu Shang-Chi sacrifices his honor for someone else, and its her presentation that shows how powerful it is. In Battleworld, Shang-Chi completes an assassination Red Sai (Elektra Natchios) couldn’t so that her clan would survive Zheng Zu’s wrath. All while Zheng Zu scapegoats his son to cover his own political tracks. In Legend of the Ten Rings, Shang is never seen killing the target that leads to his self-exile. As such the audience does not connect with Shang, even worse is the fact he abandoned his sister after promising not to. Shang-Chi just exposits everything throughout the movie.
Advantages Over Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld
But that’s not to say all of Legend of the Ten Rings waste opportunities. For one the Ten Rings show themselves through a historical context and their brutal training. The fight choreography is definitely one of the highlights of the movie, before the final battle anyway. Every scene with Death Dealer feels dangerous, even in the scene where Shang-Chi almost kills him. That same scene also shows how much of a threat Wenwu is, living up to his reputation in the opening.
But the movie also shows Wenwu as a tragically human character. He found love in Shang-Chi’s mother surpassing his need for power, only to lose it with her death. It was those obsessions that helped push Shang-Chi away from him. Even after losing his son, there are still elements of his humanity like when takes in the orphaned Razor Fist. It’s what makes Razor Fist’s loyalty feel a little more authentic. Unlike the more menacing Zheng Zu who in Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld is a tyrannical public figure. But maybe that’s because of Wenwu’s actor, Tony Leung.
Final Match!
It goes without saying that despite sharing an outline, neither story surpasses the other completely. Shang-Chi despite being the title character is actually the weakest link in Legend of the Ten Rings. As some people including YouTube channels Just Write and Nerdstalgic point out, Marvel Studios’ reliance on their self-made trends and lack of a target audience hold back a lot of their main characters. Unlike Wenwu who Savage Books sees as probably the most compelling perspective. But while Master of Kung Fu: Battleworld has the Shang-Chi this movie needs, it’s dependent on the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Thanks for coming to the end, and as always remember to look between the panels.