Premiering in theaters on Sep. 3, 2021, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” joined the legacy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film follows Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu, as he suddenly embarks on an epic journey to the village of Ta Lo, where he is forced to revisit the past he thought he had left behind forever. Alongside Liu, we see Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Awkwafina and Ben Kingsly. 

“[I] really loved the plot, and I thought the movie was super funny,” Eunice Chen (10) said. “I loved all the characters and Shang-Chi’s backstory.”

The thrilling and fast-paced plot follows Shang and his childhood best friend Katy Chen as they leave their mundane hotel valet jobs to track down his sister, Xu Xialing, in Macau. Awkwafina’s character seemed to add some much-needed comedic relief in some of the stressful situations throughout the film. Some fans noticed a comedic air similar to “Thor Ragnorak,” which is known in the MCU for its comedic timing. 

“I think [Katy Chen] will keep her humor through the upcoming movies, and I think she will become a better fighter as well,”  Baron Hendricks (11) said.

Upon discovering his sister’s address at The Golden Daggers Club, Shang was accidentally signed up to fight on the grand stage. Preparing for his match, he looks up to see the opponent he never would have expected: his sister. 

“I liked how even though she wasn’t allowed to train with the others when she was younger, she still worked hard and became an incredible fighter,” Alexander Moreno (11) said. “I also liked how she ran that underground fight club; it really shows how powerful she is.”

True Marvel fans are revealed when they do not leave the theater until the lights go up since they know Marvel loves to sneak in as many credit scenes as possible. This time around, they gave fans two shocking post-credit scenes. The first included a few of the Avengers inspecting the Ten Rings that had been left behind by Shang’s father. The second shockingly revealed the new leader of the Ten Rings Army and a co-ed army, breaking the Ten Rings tradition of an all-male infantry. 

“[The moment that surprised me the most was] at the end of the movie when we saw Bruce Banner (dehulked with a cast) and Captain Marvel when they all were talking about the Ten Rings,” Hendricks said. 

These credit scenes open the door to several paths that the upcoming MCU films or even a show on Disney + could go towards. Showing the Avengers hinted that Shang could return later in Phase five and be the first Asian superhero on the team, but there are still many speculations as to which direction the character will go.

“Considering Wong and Bruce Banner were in the movie, he could possibly make an appearance in a future “Hulk” movie or “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” or possibly in an end-credit scene of the third “Ant-Man” movie because Shang-Chi is from San Francisco,” Chen said. “I also loved the second [scene…] I was almost screaming in the theatre from joy.”