Marvel made an internal list of Asian stereotypes to destroy in ‘Shang-Chi’ film

August 31, 2021

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is setting out to undo the source material’s racist past by challenging its harmful Asian stereotypes.

Shang-Chi’s problematic origins: Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, the character of Shang-Chi was among Marvel Comics’ efforts in capitalizing on the Kung-Fu craze in the U.S. during the ‘70s.

The lack of Chinese creators in the U.S. comic industry at the time meant that stories involving such characters were all based on how white America saw China.
The racist overtones in the comic book characters recently generated controversy in China when the Shang-Chi film was announced in 2019, NextShark previously reported.
In the comics, Shang-Chi is the son of Fu Manchu, a racist caricature featured in novels created in 1912 by British author Sax Rohmer.
The Asian American community has widely condemned Fu Manchu, describing the character as “the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man.”
The Mandarin, a comic character created in 1964, was introduced into the “Shang-Chi” mythos later on. The character, portrayed as a Chinese mystic, is widely viewed to be just as problematic as Fu Manchu.
According to Variety, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige spoke to Chinese blog Sina Weibo to directly address the Fu Manchu controversy: “[Fu Manchu] is not a character we own or would ever want to own. And that was changed in the comics many, many years ago. And we never had any intention of [having him] in this movie.”
Acknowledging that Fu Manchu “was such an offensive figure,” he assured fans that the character would not appear in “Shang-Chi” in “any way, shape or form…and was never anything we had any interest in doing.”

Efforts to change: In a recent interview with Inverse, “Shang-Chi” writer Dave Callaham revealed that Marvel Studios made a list of racist Asian stereotypes to “destroy” in the upcoming MCU Phase 4 film.

As Feige noted, Fu Manchu was not included in the film as Shang-Chi is now the son of Wenwu, played by actor Tony Leung, a new character amalgamated with the MCU’s version of the Mandarin.
Callaham called the physical list he was given the “Wenwu List” of stereotypes that needed to go.
“We knew this needs to be a character not intent on destroying the world, not mysterious or sneaky, or a sorcerer whose magic Westerners cannot understand,” he was quoted as saying.
Filmmaker Destin Cretton said that they “looked at Wenwu as a human with multi-dimensions and personal desires. People will be surprised how much they can relate [to him].”
According to Callaham, the racial stereotypes of Asians persisting in Hollywood have been damaging.
“It’s way easier to be violent or hateful to someone you don’t see the same as you,” he noted. “With [the history of] Asian representation in the media, it’s not just that we’ve been invisible for a long time. It’s beyond that. We’re the butt of jokes and stereotypes that are damaging. It’s not nothing.”

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is set to release only in theaters on Sept. 3, with a planned streaming release 45 days later, according to Business Insider.

Featured Image via IGN

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