Shang-Chi’s Cultural Impact on Asian Americans

By: Lydia Choe

Since the release of Iron Man and Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment in 2009, Marvel Studios and its films released thereafter have not only been held on a pedestal in quality, but also at the box office. Since then, every new release has garnered international attention and critical acclaim. Because of this prominence, being cast in a Marvel film is also considered an achievement for actors and actresses. From Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth in the Thor franchise to Elizabeth Olsen in the Captain America franchise, Marvel has been able to take obscure actors and actresses and transform them into household names.

            In 2018, Marvel released Black Panther, the studio’s first film to feature a Black superhero. Though it is internationally acclaimed, the movie was considered a big step in terms of representation of Black Americans in mainstream media. The film pushed an entire cast of people of color (POC), bringing joy to Black Americans because they were able to find themselves in prominent roles that they had not seen before. Black Panther resonated in the hearts of every person who watched it not only then, but now.

            Riding that theme, Marvel Studios most recent release has, not unpredictably, also achieved acclaim. Like Black Panther, it promotes a strong POC cast. The second in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to spotlight a person of color in the titular role, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings weaves a poignant tale of familial loyalty, Chinese culture, and even the mundane details of life as a Chinese and Asian American.

Just under a month since its release, Shang-Chi has remained number one at the box office, accruing almost $400 million worldwide. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, box office sales have been stunted for the past two years, however, the film has surpassed pandemic records and is set to pass Black Widow, another Marvel film, as the third highest-grossing film of 2021 thus far.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been celebrated by not only Chinese Americans, but also every other Asian American in the United States. Other than Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, the number of accurate Asian American representations–that have not been used as caricatures–is paltry. The film is a remarkable step in mainstream media that correctly advocates for POC. Not only that, but given the powerhouse that Marvel Studios is, the film’s release gives Asian Americans the approval and vindication that they have received only a small number of times before. In a sense, because of the influence that Marvel has, it allows Asian Americans to feel that because an entire movie illustrating the intricacies of their culture and family dynamics, they are worth watching and worth the millions of dollars earned and spent.

From the action sequences including martial arts to honoring the extensive symbol of the dragon, the movie is overflowing with Chinese cultural references that are satisfying to its POC audience. The latter, especially, is a significant symbol in Eastern Asian culture, representing power, strength, and knowledge. In the film, not only is it threaded in his mother’s culture and illustrated throughout, but it is also literal, entering the final battle with Shang-Chi, Xialing, and the villagers of Ta Lo. Although these otherworldly images sidestep the borders of reality, the scenes showing Shang-Chi gallivanting around San Francisco with Katy, his best friend, singing at karaoke, eating breakfast with her family, and seeing the humdrum of everyday life was a slice of authenticity that you would not expect from a superhero film, let alone one centered around the lives of Asian Americans; this is because the status quo of America is one centered around the lives of white Americans, and anything deviating from this norm is considered strange and bizarre.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a force to be reckoned with. Assuming it is the start of another trilogy, the next three films that will give Asian Americans access to correct representation is something to look forward to.