The MCU - Action, Representation and Shang Chi

The MCU - Action, Representation and Shang Chi

MCU: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Disney sought to buy Marvel as they had two films in the top 15 in 2008, and were a growing production company. They weren't yet at their prime popularity, meaning that their buy-out price was not as high as it could've been (it was undervalued), which made Disney opportunistic. Iron man, the 2nd highest domestic grossing film in the USA in 2008, was a pillar of the Marvel franchise.

In 1998, Sony was given the chance to buy the entire MCU for just $25 million, but instead opted to buy only Spiderman for $7 million, stating that nobody cares about the other Marvel characters.}

Nowadays, the whole MCU is worth $22 billion.


7 key facts

● MCU stands for Marvel Cinematic Universe
● Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion
● It is now worth $53 billion
● Copyright between certain Marvel characters are split between different companies
● Spiderman now has games, TV shows etcetera 
● Marvel has its films planned out until 2077 thanks to their 'phases'

Shang Chi

Shang Chi is the 25th film in the MCU and made $432 million worldwide with a budget of $150 million. This film was released during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is based on an obscure comic debuting in 1973. Shang Chi was inspired by martial arts and the work of Bruce Lee.

A history of action

Hollywood was in a state of bad cuts and poor action sequences. Daredevil changed this by having a scene with no cuts, including high-quality action and good choreography.

Easter eggs

Easter eggs are small intertextual references, commonly placed inside media content such as videogames or movies. In the MCU, this is usually to another film or the comics. These references are tailored to the hardcore fanbase of marvel, but doesn't detract from the casual viewers experience; sometimes however, they alienate the casual viewer and become fan-service.

An example of an easter egg in the MCU is the ten rings appearing in Iron Man. Marvel / Disney are playing a long and clever game here. The ten rings that form a central part of the Shang Chi film have been embedded into the MCU.

The Mandarin

The Mandarin is a villian in the comic book Shang Chi; he is a walking Chinese stereotype. The Mandarin translates as 'The Chinese man'. 

In 2023, Disney is now global, and reaches a lucrative market in China and other Asian countries.

The Mandarin is depicted by Sir Ben Kingsley, adding a huge acting reputation to the MCU; he was the 1983 Best Oscar Winner.

Shang Chi cuts The Mandarin from the movie altogether, due to the negative stereotypes it creates. The Chinese and Asian audience would be upset if they saw someone of their heritage be portrayed to be evil and nasty, negatively affecting Disney.

Xu Wenwu

Xu Wenwu acts as a politically correct Mandarin. He has character development, motivation and a backstory. Disney casted Tony Leung for the lone, a very respected actor. He speaks mandarin in the film, making his role stronger, and adding great representation. 

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