China more excited for Thor and Doctor Strange than Shang-Chi
Marvel Studios casts its first titular Chinese superhero, but fans don’t know actor Simu Liu
After nearly two dozen films spanning over a decade, Marvel Studios is finally working on a film with an Asian superhero in the lead role. But Marvel-mad Chinese fans are actually more excited about other sequels than seeing Shang-Chi.
At San Diego Comic-Con International over the weekend, the studio teased a tantalizing lineup of at least 10 new movies and shows slated for up to 2021. The majority of titles will see the return of familiar characters like Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and Black Widow, but others will debut brand new stories and superheroes.
In China, though, the most talked-about project is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the first Marvel movie to feature a Chinese actor in the title role. In an apparent attempt to woo Asian audiences, the movie is scheduled for a North American release on February 12, 2021 -- the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Not that Chinese netizens seem particularly tickled by Shang-Chi for now.
As for Shang-Chi, many netizens seem disappointed by the casting of an actor relatively unknown in China.
“A plain face that no one would bother to take another look at on the street,” said another harsh commenter.
“Can’t find his entry on Baidu Baike,” one person wrote, referring to Baidu’s equivalent to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that’s banned in China.
“Picking an American-born Chinese [sic] to star as Shang-Chi and a Chinese person to star as villain Fu Manchu [sic],” commented a Weibo user who erroneously stated that Hong Kong actor Tony Leung will play Fu Manchu. The character today is known as a racist caricature who appeared in the original Shang-Chi comics as the protagonist’s evil father. Leung will actually play the Mandarin, a different character seemingly alluded to in Iron Man 3.
“The villain is always Chinese,” one person wrote in a popular comment.
For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.