The “Shang-Chi” Trailer is Finally Here

At last. After a whole host of leaks and hints and rumors and delays, here is our first proper, 100% official look at Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Let’s get right to it:

Whew, alright. Feels like there’s a lot to unpack in this — from KTV sessions and over-bearing parents to mass battle scenes, some Crouching Tiger touches and possible Mulan references? Plus what looks to be some pretty impressive fight choreography. Oh, and Simu Liu looking seriously ready to kick ass.

Then there’s the soundtrack, which appears to feature a new Jackson Wang song. There’s been no official confirmation, but a post of the trailer by Wang’s label 88rising that tags the Hong Kong singer suggests this is the case.

In short, the “teaser trailer” certainly has people talking.

Marvel dropped the video as a birthday present for its star, whose reaction was, well…

The trailer seemed to come as a birthday surprise for Liu, who had earlier tweeted that it was a few weeks away as he revealed a new poster for the movie:

And it wasn’t just him getting excited. Here’s one of many reactions to the new video, from Kung Fu star Olivia Liang:

Marvel unleashed the trailer with subtitles via their official social media accounts in China at the same time as launching it on Twitter and YouTube. Back in 2019, the mere announcement of Shang-Chi was enough to stir some controversy in the country — partly with its casting choices (see also: Mulan) and partly because of the hero’s connections to the problematic Fu Manchu character. 

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While those commenting on Marvel's official Weibo post were fairly positive about the teaser, initial responses from viewers on more general film accounts were a bit more mixed. Some raise the aforementioned complaints, some wondered whether the film will even make it to Chinese cinema screens, and others obsessed over what looks like an advert for ecommerce giant JD (Jingdong) in one fight scene backdrop.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi is Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero movie. Starring Awkwafina and Tony Leung alongside Liu, the film is set for cinemas in the US on September 3 after a number of delays due to the pandemic.