Shang Chi and the importance of history, ancestry, and legacy in heroic journey
Note: This recap and analysis do contain spoilers.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
In much of the previous phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was the common story arc following the development of heroes whose ventures were made possible by access to innovation and improving technologies. Fans admired when the Avengers employ new armors and abilities that are only made possible by great minds — Bruce Banner, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, Tony and Howard Stark. They marvel at Wakanda — a nation that has utilized its vibranium supply to its full potential shown through its sophisticated technology that has aided both the nation at large and the Black Panther.
Yet, after watching Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, my mind automatically went to the meme: “reject modernity, embrace tradition.” Following films like Doctor Strange film and the lore of the infinity stones themselves, it’s refreshing to see the MCU continue to explore the mythical, the ancient, and the historical. Following Black Panther, this is also one of the few MCU hero origin films that deeply explores the ancestral. (I think other films touch on the significance of lineage and family, but few emphasize the significance of spiritual links to the past that we see in a hero like T’Challa and Shang Chi.)
Even from a purely cinematic perspective, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings felt like a homage to the historical. Much of the film showcased various genres and techniques throughout the history of martial arts in film. When Shang Chi’s parents meet, it feels like we are watching a scene out of a Wuxia film, like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers. The brawl on the bus in San Francisco, when Shang gets his necklace stolen, is reminiscent of Jackie Chan in the Police Story bus chase scene.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Within the plot itself, we see the theme of family and personal history follow Shang Chi and his sister Xialing, as they both leave the Ten Rings compound and try to escape their family legacy and the traumatic influence that their father has had on their lives. When we meet the pair of estranged siblings, Shang Chi works as a valet in the Bay Area and seemingly “typical” American guy, while Xialing is running an underground fight club in Macau. It isn’t until their father’s bidders make a physical appearance in their lives and seek out their pendants that they are forced to confront their past. In doing so, we learn the impact that their mother’s death and their father’s grief and relationship with power have had on the siblings.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
More so, much of Shang Chi’s actions and sentiments are a rejection of being a man like his father and the rigorous training, discipline, and values that his father, Wenwu, tried to instil in him. Xialing, on the other hand, has lived in the shadows without the expectations and attention that Shang Chi had from their father. Rather than rejecting this lifestyle, she takes parts of it and makes her own and builds her legacy. This contrast shows how interpersonal relationships, and the way that their relationships have differed with their father, manifest. We even see how this has impacted their potential roles throughout the MCU in the two post-credit scenes. What they ultimately want is shaped by these relationships.
The connection that the two siblings possess with their mother is prevalent throughout the film as well. Starting in a flashback scene before Shang Chi goes on his first hit, Xianling describes how she feels and hears her mother. When Shang Chi is in the water and meets the Great Protector, he feels his mother’s guidance. We hear their mother repetitively instil lessons that they are a product of all that come before them including herself and their father, their ancestral lineage, both the “light” and the “dark.” Rather than running from his father, it is evident that his father is a part of Shang Chi and owning that identity is an important contribution to his heroic journey.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
We see this in the death of Wenwu, when the love between the father and son is highlighted, even though his father is a morally flawed man, their connection is very real and Wenwu’s history is Shang Chi’s history.
Aside from personal histories, we also see the role of ancient methods, belief systems, and practices in the ultimate victory over the Dweller-in-Darkness at the Battle of Ta Lo. Shang Chi and Xialing’s aunt, Nan, warn their father’s army that their modern weapons won’t work on the soul catchers. It’s the dragon scale ancient weaponry that allows the villagers and the Ten Rings to fight the soul catchers and it is the fighting style that Nan teaches Shang Chi that allows him to overtake his father at some point throughout their battle. This is a stark difference from the way we have seen modernity and technology being the major path to victory for Avengers like Iron Man, War Machine, and Falcon, who are otherwise normal humans. It’s also the way that Avengers like Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, and Bucky Barnes have developed their powers, through experimentation and science. This difference leaves for curiosity in what other natural and historic wonders lie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has yet to be explored.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
In the first post-credit scene, we learn that the ten rings are of an unknown origin that Wong, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers are speculating on, showing that the history and artifacts from Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will play an integral part in the next big, overarching MCU plotline. Knowing that The Eternals is the next MCU film debuting, a group also likely to introduce more lore and historical context into the MCU, it will be interesting to see what the past continues to illuminate for our favorite heroes.
