The MCU Franchise’s Phase 4 looked uncertain at the beginning of 2021; however, Marvel’s latest release, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, exceeded expectations. The movie incorporates phenomenal choreography, CGI, acting performances, and fight scenes, rivaling Marvel landmark movies such as Iron Man and Black Panther.
Many are asking what is next for the future of the MCU, and Marvel CEO Kevin Feige has vaguely reassured that we “will see that question addressed” as these next movies come out. At the given moment, Marvel has a movie planned for each month for the rest of 2021: Venom 2 in October, Eternals in November, and Spider-Man: No Way Home in December. Some expressed concern over the announcement of these projects as they feared that this news would overshadow Shang-Chi. However, Black-Widow and Shang-Chi performed well at the box office.
Post-Avengers: Endgame, the future has been looking risky for the Marvel franchise as the older, more well-known heroes, such as Iron Man and Captain America, have left the scene. In order to fill that void, Marvel has had to step up their game with Phase 4, releasing multiple Disney+ shows and movies. Among these series include WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If, Black-Widow, and Shang-Chi, all performing tremendously well given the revenue they brought in for Marvel.
Shang-Chi follows the life of a martial-arts master, Shawn (Simu Liu), who discovers the evil plans of a terrorist organization, The Ten Rings, run by his father. Seeking the help of his sister, he plans to stop his father and reestablish peace in his world. Though the plot follows the archetypal hero’s journey, director Destin Cretton was able to create a powerful story using advanced cinematography, cultural music, and epic fight scenes. The audience fell in love with the dynamic between stars Shawn (Simu Liu) and Katy (Nora Lum), exhibiting humor and sincerity.
Shang-Chi has already broken several records, competing with the numbers produced by Captain America: Civil War, one of Marvel’s biggest MCU projects. The film was a definite success, receiving an audience score of 98/100 on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score given to any superhero movie ever. Many people are comparing these statistics to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight; however, this may be questionable as Shang-Chi has only been out for two weeks.
Marvel has demonstrated that they still have a lot to show in these upcoming films. With these next projects coming out in the near future, it is exciting to see how Marvel will weave the story of Venom and the Eternals into the same universe as Iron Man and Captain America. 2021 began with doubt and uncertainty. However, Shang-Chi has shown Marvel fans and movie enthusiasts that the MCU is far from over.
