Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings repeats a problem the MCU has been thought to have evolved beyond. The film introduces the titular hero Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) into the MCU, and much like Black Panther has been lauded for being a major step forward in representation within the blockbuster Marvel franchise. However, the film also suffers from the same problem in its ending that has affected several other past entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
For the majority of the film, the main antagonist is Xu Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), the father of Shang-Chi and Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). By the end of the film, it becomes clear that the true antagonist of the film is the Dweller in Darkness, a creature concealed by the villagers of Ta Lo to prevent it from wreaking havoc on the world. It manipulates Wenwu under the guise of his late wife, Ying Li, into believing that opening the Dark Gate will bring her back to life.
The issue with Shang Chi‘s final act is that it is essentially another giant CGI battle in the sky. Many of the MCU’s films have culminated in an overly similar fashion, perhaps best illustrated by the original Battle of New York in The Avengers, where the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembled for the first time to fend off Loki’s Chitauri invasion. Even Black Panther—which is almost universally praised and holds a 96% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes—has been criticized by some for its use of CGI in the final act. Likewise, Marvel Studio’s choice to stick to this formula also sacrifices the family drama between Shang-Chi and Wenwu.
![Shang-Chi’s Ending Repeats A Problem We Thought The MCU Had Evolved Past](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-Great-Protector-Shang-Chi-Movie-1.jpg)
The conflict between Shang-Chi and Wenwu takes up the first two acts of the film. Notable praise has gone to Wenwu as Shang Chi‘s villain, and the film is strongest when it deals with the emotional drama surrounding the complicated relationship between him and his children. Introducing the Dweller in Darkness and shifting the focus of the film towards a final CGI battle in the sky creates a sharp contrast in tone that takes away from what the film does best. It’s not that the final battle isn’t exciting, but choosing to include it when doing so sacrifices the complex family dynamic makes it particularly problematic.
As mentioned before, many of the MCU’s final acts have largely been flashy CGI battles. While these all make for excellent action sequences—and some, like End Game‘s epic finale have even been executed to great acclaim—they tend to feel predictable and formulaic. Despite the film’s accomplishment in bringing the Avengers together for an epic showdown, the Chitauri serve as nothing more than plot devices that are defeated as quickly as they arrive, however epic the giant space whales were flying through the skies of New York. Not only are they incredibly easy to kill, but like Wenwu, Loki is sidelined for a majority of the final battle despite being the main villain. Ultimately, the CGI battles, while fun, tend to take away from the better elements of the MCU.
Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is hurt by its formulaic ending. The fact that this is still a problem in Phase 4 also shows the MCU has not learned its lesson regarding these final battles despite criticism in the past. Here’s hoping that the films going forward will work to change that.
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