The marketing for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will ensure that those of us who will be unable to see the film in theaters get enough bits and pieces to relish the ride. After the scaffolding sequence, Marvel Studios today dropped another clip where Shang-Chi surprises Awkwafinia’s Katy by revealing himself to be an A-grade martial arts fighter. He stops a few thugs on a bus in a scene that has been the staple of almost every Shang-Chi trailer released thus far and is possibly the one where Shang-Chi reveals his identity.
Shang-Chi has escaped his family and past and started life anew in San Francisco. It’s clear that Katy is unaware of his mythic past, or even his combat capabilities until this sequence. This should snowball into a much bigger set piece as glimpsed in the trailers and culminate with Shang-Chi finally revealing to Katy who he really is and where he comes from. With some nudging, Shang-Chi would probably attempt to reconnect with his family and his father, probably to his dismay.
Interestingly, the sequence also features Zach Cherry as the bus rider live streaming the fight with his commentary. He previously appeared as a street vendor in Spider-Man: Homecoming and continues the streak of Marvel casting the same actor in multiple insignificant or significant roles. The first one to do so was Enver Gjokaj who appeared as a cop in The Avengers before going to play Agent Souza later in Agent Carter. The most famous one was of course Alfre Woodard who played Miriame Sharpe in Captain America: Civil War for one scene and antagonist Mariah Stokes in Netflix’s Luke Cage. This is probably unique in that both properties Cherry has appeared in are MCU movies.
Anywho, another curious point was the pendant and the thieves trying to steal it. Nothing to think about if it’s an ordinary pendant but the slow-motion shot seemed to suggest the pendant could have an interesting history of its own. Were this a Phase 3 movie, everyone would have suspected it of carrying an Infinity Stone. Marvel knows the USP of the movie and is therefore intent on showcasing more of the fight choreography.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters on September 3, 2021. Let me know what you thought of this action sequence in the comments below.
